Greetings from Edinburgh!

We took the train up here yesterday -- a 350-mile, 5 hour affair. The first hour or two I couldn't shake the observation that East Anglia (the, let's say, "state" we live in) looks like Illinois. Flat-as-a-pancake farmland. After that, the scenery got more dramatic:

We're here in August -- indeed, most people are here in August -- because it's festival time in Edinburgh -- nine festivals to be exact: Art, Fringe, Book, International, Jazz & Blues, Media, Military Tatoo, Mela, Film & Television. We arrived to gorgeous weather yesterday so set out on foot to get the layout of the city. We "accidentally" ended up at the book festival, where they have artists' readings and signings, writing workshops, and of course a tea garden and bar.

I was there for the bookstore, but so enjoyed the atmosphere that I may have to go back -- maybe even for an event.

But the bulk of the reason we're here is for the Fringe Festival. How to describe the Fringe? Well, let's start with this: John is disappointed we missed Chomp: The Zombie Musical, and that we're here too late to take in Much Ado About Nothing (as performed by a dance troupe from Mexico), Much Ado About Nothing (as performed by hand puppets), and Much Ado About Nothing (as retold by the constable Dogberry) all in the same day.

But we're making our list for potential shows we can see, and it includes a play about eco-scam artists out to make money off the Obama administration; A-Team: The Musical; Kursk, a drama about a Russian submarine crew; various and assorted comedians; and the Taiko Dojo Drumfest.

We haven't seen any shows yet - just taken in the street performances, of which there are many.

 

And, Edinburgh itself is a pretty place.

That's all for now -- we're off to the show!