My Edinburgh experience was monumental. You'll better understand that pun after seeing my photos. I'm not big on monuments but Edinburgh sure is and I was okay with that because although a tad excessive, it's part of its charm.
I left my place at dawn on Monday morning only to be informed my 10:30am bus was full so I had 4 hours to kill in Belfast. I chatted with an interesting hippie chick I met on the bus who is over from the states writing a book on wild mushrooms. A refreshing free-spirit to say the least! After departing I hopped on the Hop Off bus and toured Belfast in an attempt to give it do respect I lacked last visit. Gladly there are some bits to Belfast with heart that I heart, like the Peace Wall and this other activist wall I'll call the PSA wall and obviously the Titanic sight.
Segway to my maiden voyage to Scotland and I couldn't help but get a bit of a sinking feeling in my gut. I won't go too much into detail about the ferry itself as I could fill a page but I will say: comfy lounge seats and tables, wii, big screens, theatre, virtual fish pond that rippled when you stepped on it and ipads everywhere for use! Oh, and a bar. I Thoroughly enjoyed my plastic pint of stella at the bow of the boat. Very Kate Winslet I know.
My boat docked in Cairnryan, very South West. It was a beautiful day and the bus took the coastal route to Glasgow then over to Edinburgh. Glasgow has hints of Vancouver's layout to me. I swear we were driving down Pender.
Edinburgh. What a great city! I should know, I walked almost all of it. If Edinburgh were a video game I would be pac man and the streets and hilltops would be damn near cleared with little over-lapping. Some of the prettiest spots I found while finding my way, except when I got lost in Botanical Garden, that place is lost on me.
I arrived in Edinburgh at half nine on Monday night. After checking into my hostel (Castle Rock Hostel) just below the castle and right off the Royal Mile street in Old Town Edinburgh I climbed down the steps to the back and grabbed a fish and chip which I enjoyed on the benches outside while taking in all the intoxicated and eclectic passers-by. Edinburgh didn't seem to be a buzzing city but to be fair it was a week night and there's lots of construction going on.
Tuesday morning I was up and out of my hostel to take on The Royal Mile by 8am. I walked by many attractions; Giles Church, The Queens Palace, her church, parliament buildings (which I found quite odd and modern - not in a good way). Lots of tourist traps peppered throughout and I'm off to climb Calton Hill. Beautiful views of the city and a hodgepodge of monuments. In-between showers the sun appeared just in time for me to take photos. Don't let the blue sky pictures fool you!
After lunch I make my way over to New Town area and start finding my way to those unappreciated Botanical Gardens. After finding my way out I'm off to the Museum of Modern Art (which by the way most of the locals didn't even know where that was - or that they had one!) I got lost a lot and unfortunately ran out of time to see Our Dynamic Earth but I did see Edinburgh's MOMA and I'm in heaven! On the way I cross Dean Gardens - water of leith walkway and it's beautiful! I'll go into MOMA in more detail at the end as some people will not share my appreciation I'm sure.
Half seven I meet my cousin from Glasgow, Louise, for a meal. Unfortunately we pick a terrible place and do not stay for dessert. Off to royal mile with all the intentions of finding a cafe for tea - no go. Old mans pub it is! I sample a local dark ale - delish! And a crisp scottish lager, not as good. Brands I forget. We part, I sleep.
Up and out by 8am again I'm in search of Arthur's Seat as instructed by my father. What wasn't mentioned is that there's no actual seat so 45 minutes of speed hiking, two direction attempts and running into some locals I come to that relieving conclusion. Back down I go I have a bus to catch but not before stopping for tea in the least touristy place on the Royal Mile Clarinda's Tea Room. I enjoyed a warming pot'a and cinnamon toast in the antique looking room out at the street. I'd go back there! On my way home I find the last two attractions on my list; the Storytelling Cafe and John Knox house. Perfect! I'm racing to the Edinburgh bus station and back I go.
My UK stay-cation is finished at the legendary Crown Bar in downtown Belfast for a pint of the dark stuff.
Edinburgh's Museum of Modern Art:
Let me start by saying. What I love about modern art is looking at it and drawing your own conclusions and then reading about what the artist was trying to portray and looking at it again. It's conceptual and I like that.
One of the first pieces I loved where these 5-6 white canvases where there were impressions of peoples feet just past the toes. Miroslaw Balka "Entering Paradise" invited 12 homeless people to leave thier traces on an etching plate.
There was this series of six which the artist posted impressions of his body and orifices on black and white canvases. His anus and other unmentionables would be with a black background and fingerprints on white. Take what you want from it but he was trying to share a communality by using himself.
There was this Sculpture exhibit with a 20 ft new born baby and these pictures of people pinned up against the wall by wooden planks. Interesting.
One series was all about construction. Flat pictures on mirrors so you could see yourself it it. The picture was flat and you were the depth etc...
One room was full of vertical stripes of primary colours with the same colours waved throughout the middle horizontally around it. It was an american artist called Sol Lewitt who said, "The idea becomes the machine that makes the art." (Oprah voice) LOVE THAAAAT!
Thursday, 26 April 2012
Monday, 16 April 2012
Good Friday
t's been a while since I've blogged. Truth be told, lack of financial funds have taken some of the 'fun' out of My Grand Travels. Thanks to the Canadian Government (oh but, once a year) times are changin'!
I never aspire to materialistic wealth (despite what some may think of me) but money can bring about so many other riches in the form of trips and experiences. Come June I'll be going to Pisa and Florence, Italy. (Happy birthday Hirmer!) Although I bought the Top 10 Rome book friends and personal research has changed my mind.
Looking at the map of Italy there's so many other places I would love to see and spend time in. Places that sappy novels turned movies and trashy US TV shows bring to light. I think the most important misfortune is four days in Italy couldn't possibly be enough to enjoy all the delicious food! So far I'm going solo if anyone wants to join or meet me there! I bet florence is beautiful in June!
Obviously my broke-ass spirits are lifted! And I just finished reading my fourth Cecelia Ahern book, "The Gift." Fuck she's profound and insightful for a fictional chick-lit author, (something she'll surely want someday written on her book cover as a review). I really must get cracking on my Eckhart Tolle book I started before Amsterdam or it'll succumb to the same fait his other two novels have with me.
That's my little travel update. I do plan on seeing Scotland this month and more of Northern Ireland and the Aran Islands have just popped up on my radar! (Sometimes I wish I drove as it'd be so much easier then a forever-taking bus.
(This may not get posted as my publisher is on holidays until after Easter.) Which remind me, happy easter! This may be my first once ever without being around family and lots of food so my soon-to-be-maid-of-honour body is thankful.
I never aspire to materialistic wealth (despite what some may think of me) but money can bring about so many other riches in the form of trips and experiences. Come June I'll be going to Pisa and Florence, Italy. (Happy birthday Hirmer!) Although I bought the Top 10 Rome book friends and personal research has changed my mind.
Looking at the map of Italy there's so many other places I would love to see and spend time in. Places that sappy novels turned movies and trashy US TV shows bring to light. I think the most important misfortune is four days in Italy couldn't possibly be enough to enjoy all the delicious food! So far I'm going solo if anyone wants to join or meet me there! I bet florence is beautiful in June!
Obviously my broke-ass spirits are lifted! And I just finished reading my fourth Cecelia Ahern book, "The Gift." Fuck she's profound and insightful for a fictional chick-lit author, (something she'll surely want someday written on her book cover as a review). I really must get cracking on my Eckhart Tolle book I started before Amsterdam or it'll succumb to the same fait his other two novels have with me.
That's my little travel update. I do plan on seeing Scotland this month and more of Northern Ireland and the Aran Islands have just popped up on my radar! (Sometimes I wish I drove as it'd be so much easier then a forever-taking bus.
(This may not get posted as my publisher is on holidays until after Easter.) Which remind me, happy easter! This may be my first once ever without being around family and lots of food so my soon-to-be-maid-of-honour body is thankful.
Irish Easter
The morning sun and I see eye-to-eye, and I dont' agree with it. Instead
of writing my post overlooking the beach I'm sitting on my green comfy
couch watching terrible music videos.
Unlike Canada's four-day easter holiday in Ireland it's treated like Christmas with two weeks off for school kids. With 'ques' outside my work doors before they even open I have a taste of the busy summer to come. Mental.
Even though I missed my traditional/Ukrainian fusion Easter dinner with my extended family and friends I had a lovely afternoon easter dinner at my family's holiday caravan up the road. Definitely missed the cabbage rolls though. The wine helped me forget though ;) Getting to know and becoming close with all my Irish family members has truly been icing.
Barry's Amusements (theme park) behind my building is up and running. I hear, on repeat, the butchered song, "we like to move-it move-it. WE. LIKE. TO. MOOOVE IT!" and what I can only assume is a two-ton baby laughing from my back patio (fire escape).
Last week my Fermanagh family came up with some friends to celebrate my moms cousins 50th. It was the type of evening you would see americanized in a film about Ireland I'm sure. (They played that song Galway Girl from PS, I Love You twice, and honestly most pubs I've gone to in this twon play it!) Just for being Canadian the two-man band invited me up to play the banjo in front of a crowded pub in Port Stewart. I think I'll always be proud of myself for being so awesome for that. No lie, the band must have been proud too as I later went up for an encore performance. I now think I could possibly go semi-professional at banjo playing. It was some good craic that night until venturing into the attached night club only to find that's where all the under 19 in the world were conjured. I tried to dance it off but couldn't help open-mouth staring at someone I probably resembled 10 years ago and had to leave.
On an unrelated note I've decided to take a couple weeks off the drink, which I've never had to consciously do but I think my physical body will benefit. After work yesterday sitting with people really enjoying their drink I thought I'd crack, but going strong! That just shows you how easy it is to drink in Ireland. It's like going out for coffee. My parents are proudly reading this I'm sure (or worried).
Unlike Canada's four-day easter holiday in Ireland it's treated like Christmas with two weeks off for school kids. With 'ques' outside my work doors before they even open I have a taste of the busy summer to come. Mental.
Even though I missed my traditional/Ukrainian fusion Easter dinner with my extended family and friends I had a lovely afternoon easter dinner at my family's holiday caravan up the road. Definitely missed the cabbage rolls though. The wine helped me forget though ;) Getting to know and becoming close with all my Irish family members has truly been icing.
Barry's Amusements (theme park) behind my building is up and running. I hear, on repeat, the butchered song, "we like to move-it move-it. WE. LIKE. TO. MOOOVE IT!" and what I can only assume is a two-ton baby laughing from my back patio (fire escape).
Last week my Fermanagh family came up with some friends to celebrate my moms cousins 50th. It was the type of evening you would see americanized in a film about Ireland I'm sure. (They played that song Galway Girl from PS, I Love You twice, and honestly most pubs I've gone to in this twon play it!) Just for being Canadian the two-man band invited me up to play the banjo in front of a crowded pub in Port Stewart. I think I'll always be proud of myself for being so awesome for that. No lie, the band must have been proud too as I later went up for an encore performance. I now think I could possibly go semi-professional at banjo playing. It was some good craic that night until venturing into the attached night club only to find that's where all the under 19 in the world were conjured. I tried to dance it off but couldn't help open-mouth staring at someone I probably resembled 10 years ago and had to leave.
On an unrelated note I've decided to take a couple weeks off the drink, which I've never had to consciously do but I think my physical body will benefit. After work yesterday sitting with people really enjoying their drink I thought I'd crack, but going strong! That just shows you how easy it is to drink in Ireland. It's like going out for coffee. My parents are proudly reading this I'm sure (or worried).
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