The Train to Edinburgh & Concert

First, a tip of the hat to Andrena in the Haymarket Hotel bar who let me plug into the hotel internet; somehow the wifi doesn't like my laptop.

Yesterday morning I arose way before the crack of dawn after a good night’s sleep. I had to finish packing my stuff, tidy the flat and get to the train station for my 9:30 train to Edinburgh. My body’s natural alarm had me out of the bed around 3:30 AM so I’d have plenty of time to do everything. I even had time to update this blog and do enough web surfing to update myself on the air travel/volcanic dust cloud situation.

Friday PM I received an email from my gracious Steele's Street flat owner, Tricia, saying “no worries” about a small burn I inflicted on the carpet when trying to light a candle on the dining table. Part of a match head detached itself and did a little damage that I didn’t even notice until later. Total removal by clean up was futile so I ‘fessed up in an email to her. She said that others had done much worse and not confessed; so I felt the relief of her absolution. She was a pleasure to work with in making arrangements for the flat from A to Z. Here's what the burn looks like in comparison to an English 1-pence coin:

Getting to King’s Cross Station was easy; it’s only a couple of tube stops away from Chalk Farm, my local stop. I had my backpack suitcase strapped on for the walk down hill. There are definite benefits from traveling light. A tip of the hat to www.onebag.com and philosophically to travel guru Rick Steves

It made sense to leave a little later than I could have. The ticket agent I bought my ticket from on Friday searched for a lower fare than the 9 AM train and saved me 50% on my ticket—almost 50 pounds. The fare was £54 rather than £99—coach, not first class. Travel time to Edinburgh was 4:45 and the train departed and arrived on schedule at 2:15 PM.

An apple, peanuts and dried fruit I’d packed along in my day bag made it unnecessary to buy food on the train—my trusty water bottle took care of hydration. I discovered that the train has wi-fi provided as a free service! I was able to connect for a little while; remarkable while whizzing along at 100+ miles per hour. I bought a ham sandwich and some chips at the train station before catching a taxi to the hotel.

The Lairg is a small hotel on the periphery of downtown. I found it on www.booking.com and the rate was good: £75. My ground floor room was spacious and nicely decorated. The manager was helpful in suggesting tour and transport arrangements. The hotel’s wifi was on the fritz so I packed up and headed out looking for a hot spot. Found one not far away at the Cuba Norte bar where I was able to map walking directions from the hotel to the Pleasance Street theater for the 7:30 PM concert. I saw many ethnic eating places in the short distance from the hotel to the bar. After wrapping my web surfing I chose Indian and had a light dinner-- served promptly and it was tasty, too.

Another tip of the hat to Jenee, a friend from the office and seasoned traveler, for sending a link via instant messaging re the concert. It was part of a Scottish/Scandinavian folk music festival presented by the Traditional Music and Song Association of Edinburgh. It was a 40 minute walk to the theater and it gave me my first glimpse of the city’s street scenes; very different from London with glimpses of the looming majesty of the castle visible to my left as I walked along.

The concert was not a sellout but there was a good crowd and the seats were comfortable. Not your usual theater seats but padded benches instead. Air travel problems caused some of the scheduled performers and dancers from Denmark and Sweden to miss the show. Two Norwegian performers made it out on the last flight from Oslo. They were half of Boreas a Scot/Norwegian collaboration (wonder how frequently they’re able to get together for practice and gigs?) The organizers made the best of the situation by bringing a local duo—fiddle and guitar—into the breach. They pretended to be Danes with some humor and played several Danish tunes in good fashion. Boreas split into 2 duos (Scots and Norwegians, respectively) for a few tunes in the first part of the concert then came together after intermission to perform a fine set of songs. Several of the tunes were atmospheric and relaxing while some were more spirited—obviously dance tunes. The musicians were extremely competent and one of the fiddle players sang several songs, including a 17-verse murder ballad with a one-line audience sing along chorus.

.The concert ended around 10:30 and I walked back to the hotel. Edinburgh Saturday night life was in full swing but it was way late for me to stop and partake. It was a fine intro to the city in less than a half day!