Edinburgh Fringe Festival!

Six years ago on the Edinburgh Bus Tour - 2005

Six years ago, almost to the week, was the first time Katie and I traveled abroad together.  Among one of our stops during that trip was Edinburgh, Scotland so it was kind of fitting that we would return to that same city at the end of our first year living over here.  During the six years since our very first trip, we moved to Minneapolis, got married, started careers and frequently talked about our dream to move abroad and one day return to Edinburgh for the Annual Fringe Festival.  We even promised that one day we would see the Military Tattoo, an incredible performance of military bands from around the world set against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.  At long last, this all happened and it was well worth the wait.

The Fringe 2011

Tickets to the Military Tattoo were bought in December of last year so it’s amazing to think how quickly August came.  Last Monday was a bank holiday in the UK so Katie and I took off of work on Friday to make it a four-day weekend.  We flew directly from Newquay airport, which is only about 8 miles from our house.  As the flight was only an hour and a half, we had plenty of time to enjoy the Fringe Festival and take in all the eccentric craziness that comes with it. 

These street performers were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

The Fringe Festival is the world’s largest arts festival.  It takes place over a three-week period in August and there are numerous types of performances (comedy, dance, theatre, etc) taking place at venues all over the city.  This year alone, there were over 2,500 different shows, almost 42,000 performances and 258 venues!  Along with the scheduled performances, the Royal Mile leading up to the castle is also filled with a street fair of non-stop acts.  Really an amazing atmosphere!

One of the many street acts

The parents of one of my friends at the hospital have a beautiful house located just outside of Edinburgh and since they spend their summers down here in Cornwall, they insisted that we stay there.  It worked out well as my friend’s parents were also happy to have someone open up the house since it had been months since anyone had stayed there.  It couldn’t have been a more perfect place as it was close to the airport and two blocks off the main bus line into town. 

Once we landed and were settled at the house, we spent Friday afternoon and evening taking in the sights of The Fringe Festival throughout the city.  We wandered the streets and took in multiple street performances and live music acts that surround the busy streets of Edinburgh during the Fringe.  We bought tickets to a sketch comedy show called “Bad Bread – TV Times,” which consisted of three comedians “remaking” numerous childhood shows…. very entertaining.  

Cast of Allotment

Saturday was filled with more of the same festivities.  We went to a show called “Allotment” that took place in an actual garden allotment located in a park just outside of the city centre.  It was the recounting of the lives of two sisters who grew up not far from the allotment and spent their summers in the garden.  This was one of our favorite shows from the weekend.  As the best shows have a way of doing, it led to a lot of conversation about childhood, family influence, etc.  I’m sure it helped that we were served tea and fresh scones during the outdoor performance! 

Saturday night was topped off with the much-anticipated Military Tattoo performance.  Katie had attended eight years ago when she studied abroad in Scotland and absolutely loved it.  As this was my first time at the Tattoo, it was everything I had imagined it to be.  It was incredible to see each individual country’s military band perform in a way that paid tribute to their respective cultures.  This was all culminated by the final performances where every band played together.  As the sounds of bagpipes and drum-lines bounced off the castle walls it was hard not to be a little nostalgic and think about all the things that led up to that moment.  It was absolutely fantastic. 

Coffee shop time on the Royal Mile

The remainder of the weekend was as good as the first few days.  The weather decided to be very “Scottish” and rain all day on Sunday, which resulted in us spending time in coffee shops and taking it easy before a great Mexican dinner. (Oh, how I miss Mexican food!!!). 

We were thankful for quick and easy traveling on Monday and spent the remainder of the long weekend back in Truro.  It didn’t take us long being back in Edinburgh to remember how much we loved it there.  It’s easy to get around, the people are friendly and sometimes you just get a good feeling about a place.  It almost makes me wonder what the hospitals are like there…

Bits & Bobs

Usually, we write a blog after returning from a trip, but we have decided that we need to be better about writing about everyday events and life here in England.  As a result, the following is a list of random things that have been going on.  

Cream Tea and sweets at Dolly's Tea House

London Riots
As most people have heard, it’s been an eventful few weeks here with all of the riots taking place throughout the country.  Fortunately, we were not directly affected by the riots in London or the riots that drew less media attention that took place in other cities throughout the country.  It was certainly an interesting topic around here as most Britons struggled to pin-point the exact cause behind them or the message that was attempting to be sent.  It was essentially all triggered after the police shot and killed an unarmed man in their attempt to arrest him.  The riots appeared to escalate as a general “anti-police/anti-government” movement.  As of this week 3100 people have been arrested.  As we live in a relatively small town the joke has been that the closest thing to a riot Truro has ever seen was when a bum knocked over a garbage can and someone drove the wrong way around a roundabout :-)

Falmouth Boat Ride

Last weekend Katie and I decided to spend the day in the town of Falmouth for the last day of their Falmouth Days Festival.  Normally, we would travel there by train, but we decided to take a boat that leaves from Truro and navigates down the canal that empties into the sea.  It was a great way to see a part of the area that we haven’t seen before.  The highlight for me was seeing a 500-year-old cottage (with a still functioning thatched roof) where General Eisenhower stayed in the days leading up to D-Day.  We spent the day strolling through town, stopping for cream tea at a local tea house and enjoying the opportunity to explore a familiar area in a new way.  

Brangelina

Katie looking for the Brangelina super-yacht

One topic that has had Katie (and the rest of Cornwall) rather excited was the fact that Brad Pitt is currently in the middle of shooting a movie a few miles from here in the town of Falmouth.  A few weeks ago there was a story in the local newspaper stating that they were seeking “extras” for a few scenes.  Not surprisingly, hundreds of locals turned up and got to spend the day on a film set.  Katie and I had plans that day, but looking back, it would have been a fun experience.  As the past few weeks have gone on, more reports have come though that Brad and Angelina are staying on a “super-yacht” just off the cost of Falmouth.  As a result, Katie was on strict “Brangelina” watch during our day in Falmouth.  

Seagulls

Our poor neighbor's seagull ravaged garbage

When you grow up in Wisconsin and live in Minnesota, there is one thing that you don’t ever worry about….seagulls eating your garbage.  Racoons, yes, but not seagulls.  The sound of seagulls filling the air is something that comes with living so close to the sea.  It’s one of the things I like the most about being here as you are constantly reminded of this fact.  However, on quiet mornings, when the weather is warm our friendly seagulls like to make there way through our neighbourhood looking for anything to eat.  Last week, on garbage day, Katie and I were awoken VERY early in the morning to the loud sound of seagulls right outside our door.  After glancing out the window to find the neighbours garbage strewn about the street, we knew that ours was next.  Fortunately, we were able to scare them off temporarily until cars and busses began filling the streets for the day and our garbage man collected our bags.  Now, it’s something we think about every Wednesday night as we place our garbage bags on the curb.  

All of these random events are an excellent example of the experiences that fill our typical days and weekends here.  When your typical “boring” Saturday involves a seaside boat ride and a stroll through a small fishing village, you know that your life is pretty great.  Since our future is unknown at the moment, we're doing our best to enjoy every minute we have left here!

Random store window in Falmouth :-)

Old Friends & New Friends

Hanging out in Truro

I know we have said this before, but there is nothing like having friends and family come to visit.  Katie and I were both delighted to be the first stop on the 29-day European extravaganza for my best friend Luke and our new friend Jayme.  They both arrived last Thursday after a long day of travel.  This being the first time Katie and I would really meet Luke’s new lady friend, we were both very excited to spend some time getting to know her.  It was great to see Luke and Jayme interact with one another and see how happy they make each other.

Intense game of Farkle

We all spent the first few days hanging out in town and keeping things pretty low key to allow our guests to adjust to the time change.  We strolled around, had dinner at a local pub and Jayme introduced us to a new game called Farkle.  Little did we know the first night we play this on our back deck the obsessive competitiveness this would bring out in all of us.  There was name-calling, shouting, excessive celebrating and this was only the first day.  Ok, none of that happened, but it is pretty awesome and Katie and I ordered it online yesterday. 

Saturday Katie had to work, so Luke, Jayme and I all spent the day in St. Ives, a small Cornish fishing village.  This is where most artists are drawn to since the colors are like nowhere else in Cornwall if you get a sunny day.  Fortunately for us, and our artistically talented friend Jayme, we had a great day filled with sun.  We all spent the evening grilling out, playing cards and even had smores, a little taste of summer at the cabin.  Sunday was low-key, rainy and a perfect day to catch up on sleep. 

Smores in England!

Cyrano at Minack Theatre

Luke and Jayme rented a car for Monday and Tuesday and were able to spend those days exploring.  Monday night we all drove down to the Minack Theatre, which is an open-air live theatre built right into the edge of a cliff, overlooking the sea.  The show playing was Cyrano De Bergerac, which Luke and I both read in high school (thanks Ms. Kennedy!).  We had a great night drinking wine and enjoying the show, while looking out over the ocean.  It only started raining for the last 20 minutes but if you’re going to see an outdoor show in England…

Amazing Dinner !!!

Luke and Jayme spent the next few days exploring Cornwall as all of our visitors have done.  Since Katie and I had to work during the days, we all made the most out of our evenings together and enjoyed our long chats over dinners and drinks and even playing more Farkle.  Wednesday night came way too quickly and it was Luke and Jayme’s final night with us.  They were gracious enough to cook us an amazing Mexican dinner and we all spent the evening chatting and playing a few more games before Luke and Jayme left for Scotland the next morning. 

 Looking back Katie and I both agreed that the week seemed to fly by, as it does every time we have visitors.  If asked what we think about Luke’s new girlfriend, I would respond with the same words Luke said to me earlier this year when they met, “I met this girl, and she’s pretty awesome.”  It was great to spend time with Luke and just hanging out as a group made Katie and I look forward to the day when we may live in Minneapolis again.  It was a week filled with a lot of laughs and great company.   What better way to spend these summer days in Cornwall.

"Opa!"

In past blog postings after big trips, we tend to do a day-by-day rundown of the sights and events of the trip.  We have decided to do things a little differently this time.  Due to Greece being much more relaxed and laid back than other trips, we are just going to do a general summary and then let the pictures do the talking.

View from our Santorini balcony

We made our way to the island of Mykonos and had safe and easy travels there.  We even stayed in a hotel at Gatwick Airport called the Yotel, which reminded both of us of sleeping in a spaceship.  Our first hotel was right by Mykonos Town where we had a fantastic room with a balcony overlooking the evening sunset. 

In Mykonos, our daily routine consisted of the following:

- Wake up at 10am just in time for a very Greek continental breakfast

- Make the hard decision of whether we should spend the day at a beach on the island or at our hotel’s beautiful pool

- Rotate in and out of the sun, sip tropical drinks, read, take a nap

- Head back to the hotel to relax, get ready for the night

- Sit on the balcony, watch the sunset

- Stroll around town, eat delicious Greek food, visit cute shops

- Head to bed at a very late hour

Paradise Beach

Mykonos town was bustling with people at night and we found ourselves just aimlessly wandering the many narrow streets, stopping only for the occasional ice cream, crepe or cappuccino…not a bad way to spend the evenings. 

After spending five nights in Mykonos, we hopped onto the ferry boat called the “Flying Cat” and made our way to the island of Santorini.   What makes this island so interesting is that it was actually formed from a large volcanic eruption and the west side of the island overlooks what is still an active volcano.  Our hotel was on the northern part of the island in a small town called Oia.  It was built into the side of a cliff and each of the rooms used to be used for making wine by the ancestors of the same family that has now turned it into a hotel.  The views from our balcony were the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life. 

We spent our time in Santorini the same way as listed above.  It was definitely hotter here and therefore time at the pool and beach was even more appreciated.  Santorini was a much quieter island than Mykonos and we were both surprised that one Greek island could feel so different than another. 

In Santorini we rented a car and John enjoyed both driving a stick shift and driving on the right hand side of the road—two things that hadn’t happened for a while.  We spent the rest of our time there eating lots of fruit, drinking iced tea and John was brave enough to try a lot of different traditional Greek foods.  Let’s just say that John is a big fan of all the amazing Greek food! 

For both of us, Santorini was definitely the highlight of the trip.  Everywhere you looked could be a post card, it was exactly what we pictured Greece to be with the white houses built on steep cliffs, blue church domes and night after night of perfect sunsets.  It was the perfect place for a vacation where the intention was to slow down, relax and enjoy a welcoming culture comprised of people who appreciate the beauty that surrounds them as much as you do. We would go back in a heartbeat.  

The End of a Great Visit

They're here!

One of the best things about being over here has been the opportunity to see things in a different way.  We will never forget what it was like when we got off the train in Truro for the first time.  This amazing little seaside town is filled with history but bustling with the activity of modern day life.  That first impression is something that we are always reminded of when we have someone come and visit.  In a way, we relive that first day again and again when friends and family visit. 

Blue Bar at sunset

After a few busy days in London, Katie, Mary and Rhonda made their way down to Cornwall.  It was a Saturday afternoon and after a long train ride filled with a few teasing glimpses of the sea they were finally here in Truro.  I was home all week preparing for their visit and I was getting ready to go to a wedding for one of my friends at work.  The ladies arrived, suitcases and all and quickly settled into our apartment for a quick rest.  After some deliberation they decided to come with me to Porthtowan.  The wedding reception was in town and there was a restaurant overlooking the sea where Mary and Rhonda decided to hang out while Katie and I stopped into the wedding reception.  This being another beautiful day, spending the afternoon at the beach couldn’t have been any better of an introduction to Cornwall for Mary and Rhonda.  Since we had a car rented for Saturday and Sunday, we all piled in and headed off to the west coast of Cornwall. 

We all literally spent the afternoon having lunch, visiting with my friends from work and sitting outside at the Blue Bar, one of our favorite spots to sip a beer (or tea) and look out at the massive beach that led into the ocean.  The outdoor patio was filled with people enjoying the day and we made ourselves quite comfortable there right up until the sun began to set.  That night, we just relaxed around the house, had some dinner and planned out the day of exploring that would be Sunday.

Sunday morning came way too early and we all found ourselves back in the car.  We quickly made our way down to Mawnan Smith, a very small fishing village just south of Falmouth on the southeastern coast.  If you recall a post from few months ago where I talked about a patient of mine who told me all about a place called Trebah Gardens, this was where we were headed.  Trebah Gardens is a large national trust site that consists of hundreds of different exotic plants and trees built into a cliff-side leading straight down to the beach.  Trebah Beach at the bottom is the famous beach known as the last departure point for hundreds of American troops heading for Omaha Beach in Normandy during WWII.  Lining the beach were numerous memorials to those American men who fought in D-Day and gave their lives during the war.  It was really amazing to be there and imagine the coastline filled with soldiers and war-ships preparing for the days ahead. 

St. Michael's Mount in the distance

From Trebah Gardens we drove across to Marazion, a small village on the southwestern tip of Cornwall down the beach from Penzance.  This is the location of probably the most popular and recognizable destinations in all of Cornwall…St. Michaels Mount.  St. Michael’s Mount is a very small, yet very tall island, on the top of which sits a large castle.  One thing that makes the island such a unique spot is that it is only accessible by foot when the tide is out.  When the tide is in, the island is completely surrounded by water and a small boat is the only way on and off the island.  But when the tide begins to go out, the water slowly recedes revealing a long stone path that connects the shore with the foot of the Mount.  Fortunately for us, the tide was out and we made the long journey on foot to the bottom of St. Michael’s Mount.  Katie and I have always joked about how we have been to so many places in Cornwall but for some reason we haven’t been here, its most popular destination.  I think that we always knew that the experience would be largely shaped by whether or not you had a clear sunny day.  On this day, we couldn’t have been more lucky.  It was not an easy hike, but the four of us slowly made our way up the many stairs and winding trails until we finally reached the top of the castle.

Historically St. Michael’s Mount became the site of a monastery after being gifted to the Benedictine religious order following the report of several apparitions by local fisherman in the year 495.  From that time the Mount withstood centuries of war, attacks and local government attempts at takeover before being sold to Colonel John St. Aubyn.  I think one of the coolest things about this island is that to this day, it is still inhabited by the family of Colonel John St. Aubyn.  A family continues to live here in the castle and only opens up a portion of it to the public for viewing.  Not a bad place to live. 

Boat ride back to shore

From the top of the castle you could literally see for miles.  The water was as blue as the sky and you turn 360 degrees and look down at water.  After exploring the castle, inside and out we decided that it was time to walk back to the mainland and have some dinner.  Much to our surprise, as we descended down the side of the Mount, we realized that the tide had already begun coming in and covering up the footpath.  As cool as it would have been to spend the night in a mediaeval castle, fortunately for us, the ferryboats were still running and we caught a ride back to shore.  Once again we were able to sit outside and enjoy a great dinner overlooking the Mount and the sea that was now completely surrounding it. 

Looking over St. Ives

The next day, as I headed back to work, Katie, Mary and Rhonda spent the day exploring what is probably Cornwall’s second most popular tourist spot—the beautiful coastal town of St. Ives.  They all spent the day shopping, walking on the beach and it was there that Mary and Rhonda had their first Cornish Pasty, a right of passage for all those who visit Cornwall.  That night, we grilled out, sat outside on our back deck and had dinner before spending the remainder of the evening playing “Tick,” the card game that would become the nightly ritual for Mary and Rhonda’s time in Truro. 

On Tuesday the girls spent the day shopping and exploring the numerous shops that fill the streets of Truro.  Katie and Mary got pedicures and had something called “Minx” done, which to me seems like someone just put stickers on their toes, but they assured me that it was much more professional and worthy of high fashion praise than that. J I guess they did look kind of cool. 

Katie had to work on Wednesday and that night we would enjoy what would be the last evening spent with Mary and Rhonda before they headed off to London in the morning.  Since they had a lot of packing to do, we decided to just stay in and have dinner at home, play some more cards and savor the last hours we had to spend with family. 

Dinner on the back deck

We all talked and laughed about all that we had shared in the previous two weeks.  We looked through pictures and shared the ones off all of our cameras so that nothing was missed and that no moment went un-captured. Saying goodbye is never easy, but saying goodbye to family after sharing a truly amazing few weeks together is something that Katie and I were both dreading.  As Katie put it well, “How often do you get to spend two weeks straight with your sibling?  That just doesn’t happen.”  The fact that those two weeks were spent in Paris, London and Cornwall makes it even more rare. 

Like I said at the beginning, one of the reasons we are here is to embrace an opportunity to see things in a different way.  Sharing the life we have built here with friends and family and seeing our home through their eyes makes us appreciate it all over again and reminds us just how lucky we are—not just for this experience but for the fact that we have amazing people to share it with.   

Enjoying Paris and London!

As John’s time in Paris was ending, Mary, Rhonda and I still had a couple of days left to enjoy the city.  And enjoy it we did!  After seeing John off Monday morning, we decided it would be a good time to take a day off from all the tourist sites and just enjoy some shopping.  We went to a cute shopping district called Chatalet and spent the afternoon in and out of amazing Parisian shops.  As the day was bright and sunny, we even took a break at a corner café for some beer, cappuccino and good conversation.  After a day’s worth of browsing and some great purchases, we decided to relax back at our apartment and then head out for the night for a Sienne River Cruise at sunset.  We couldn’t have asked for a better evening to spend on the water taking in the city lights.  It was clear skies and we were lucky enough to see the Eiffel Tower twinkle twice on our journey.  After a relaxing and informational cruise, we finished our evening with dinner at midnight by our apartment.  At this point we were getting used to and loving these late night dinners!

Outside Hotel De Ville

Tuesday was our final full day in Paris and we decided to spend it walking a bit more.  We began by leisurely walking through the Tuileries Gardens (which is by the Louvre) and up to Champs Elysees.  We then made our way over to the beautiful Hotel De Ville building and decided to sit for a relaxing dinner before we made our way back to our apartment.  After another full day, we decided to get home early (by Paris standards) and begin our packing as we were off to London in the morning. 

We were up early the next morning as we were catching the Eurostar to London.  We were looking forward to this train ride as we were going to be passing underneath the English Channel, but were surprised to find out we were only underground beneath the Channel for 20 minutes!  Definitely not as exciting as we were originally thinking, but we did get in a few games of cards along the way.

Mary "measuring" our room

Once in London, we checked into our hotel close to Paddington station.  We had a good laugh as our room for three people was tiny, but clean and all we needed for our couple nights here.  Our hotel receptionist encouraged us to start our time at Covent Garden, so we made our way by bus and checked out the area.  As it was afternoon and the shops were shutting down (a reminder we were no longer in Paris and back in the UK), we then decided to just do some walking and take it all in.  As we turned a corner and walked into Trafalger Square, we couldn’t believe it when we saw the entire square filled with people having picnics, enjoying drinks while watching a ballet broadcast on a large screen at the front of the square.  We stayed and enjoyed for a little bit, then realized it was time for a drink!  We made our way to a pub called Clarence House and were lucky enough to find an outdoor table where we could enjoy our first beer and cider in London.  We lucked out with another beautiful night of sitting outside enjoying some drinks.  We then made our way back to hotel only for Mary and I to realize that we were hungry for some snacks.  We decided that even though we were in our pajamas, we would still head to the market across the street to pick up some sweets.  Totally worth it!  If you can just imagine Mary and I crossing the street in our pajamas with armfuls of candy...another reminder that we are sisters.

Drinks at Clarence House

We started our first full day in London by doing the good ol’ red double-decker hop-on hop-off bus.  As the sun was out, we enjoyed learning about the history of London on the top deck of the bus overlooking the city.  We decided to hop-off at the Tower of London where we were lucky enough to catch a 41 gun salute for the anniversary of the Queen’s coronation in 1953.  After the salute (a tad boring), made our way into the Tower of London where we toured the castle and saw the Crown Jewels.  After some time at the Tower, we took a river cruise and saw the city from a different perspective and enjoyed hearing some more history about the city.  We hopped off outside Parliament where we then did an afternoon of walking by Westminster, Trafalger Square, back to the Covent Gardens before finishing with some shopping on Europe’s busiest shopping street – Oxford Street!  As we had another full day, we headed back to the hotel for a good night of sleep.

Shopping bags in Piccadilly Circus

For our last day in London, we began by heading to Regent Street.  I had seen a tea shop the day before on our bus tour and wanted to stop back to check it out.  During our time here, I have been collecting tea cups, so I thought I would give this store a try to see what I could find.  And luckily we stopped as I bought the most beautiful tea cup and already have it on our living room shelf as decoration!  After the tea shop and stopping for some gelato, we took a quick tour of China Town and then finished the bus tour from the day before.  Rhonda was loving all the information, though Mary and I decided to spend the time chatting away and just taking in the sun. 

The West End after Stomp!

Our final night in London was spent at the West End.  We stopped for drinks (as you can tell, a common theme of the trip :-) and then headed to see the show Stomp.  It was definitely an upbeat show and we enjoyed seeing how you can pretty much turn anything, and I mean anything, into a musical instrument!  Once the show was finished, we headed back to our hotel room and packed up once again for our next adventure……to Truro!