It was time for another Edinburgh German Meetup - a monthly gathering I have attended on a regular basis for many years. It involves a couple of hours chatting informally in a bar and the location varies. Organiser Peter McKillop does a grand job of reserving tables and keeping everyone informed via the website. The attendees are from all walks of life and there is a wide range of age groups. Some are native speakers while others know the language through living and working in Germany, having studied it at university or (like me) may have married into a German-speaking family. I used to drive to Inverkeithing station and take the train over. This obviously limited me to having one beer early doors although sometimes during my holidays I would make a day of it in the capital and persuade Nicole to pick me up at the end of the night. These days I tend to bus it across straight from work as I'm now commuting by public transport and my weekly pass covers both Fife and Edinburgh, effectively giving me a free evening trip. Not having to drive myself gives me a welcome freedom in the cask ale stakes. Off I headed on a wet and windy February night.
Drinking in the centre of Edinburgh isn't cheap and I was working with a cash budget of £20 (money received for maths tuition the night before). The plan was to grab a bite from a bakery, drink three leisurely pints in the cavernous Wetherspoons on Lothian Road before heading round the corner to the meetup and having a couple of beers there. I got off the bus in the middle of Princes Street, close to the former Royal Overseas League clubhouse at number 100. An international old-style private members club, the Edinburgh branch had occupied the Princes Street premises since 1930 until closure in 2017. Apparently the sum of money required to modernise the building was beyond the reach of the organisation. I had previously visited on a few occasions to attend talks run by the Edinburgh German Circle - also sadly no more. I headed for the Caley Picture House pub which - as the name suggests - was once a city centre cinema (and concert venue), although this was before my time. I do remember it reopening as a music venue around a decade ago but that venture didn't seem to last. Wetherspoons have done a wonderful pub conversion with chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings. Upper-level seating is also provided and no doubt formed part of the circle in the days of films and gigs. A great range of real ale is always on offer and I spotted a couple of traditional bitters. My pint of Legend from Nottinghamshire slipped down a treat and I found a little table near the entrance. I had brought the latest issue of Rock Candy magazine to peruse. It's an unashamedly retro publication, looking back at the rock scene from the 70s to the 90s and catching up with the surviving participants. On the cover was Michael Schenker, the German-born guitar genius who played with UFO and his own outfit MSG.
It was time for another beer and I opted for a pint of Farne Island amber bitter from the Hadrian Border Brewery in Newcastle. The Farne Islands lie off the coast of Northumberland and are home to thousands of grey seals. Puffins also visit annually - hence the pump clip. The ale was a fine balance of malt and hops but I preferred my previous pint. That's all part of the deal when sampling different cask produce. We really must book a trip to the islands one summer. The drive would only be around two hours. I settled back down to my rock & roll tales. I always look forward to the meetups but also relish the opportunity to slip away after work and enjoy some solo time. Wetherspoons is the perfect venue for such an activity. I can tuck myself away in a quiet corner and not be bothered by anyone. In the warmer months I might go for a walk but tonight I had a beer and a book to amuse me - a wonderful combination! I immersed myself in the lengthy Michael Schenker feature, which interviewed the man himself and the various singers to have fronted his band. They all tour together these days under the Schenker Fest banner. I must try and catch this live. I also read about Starz - a hard rocking American act who seemed set for, erm, stardom but somehow it never really happened, despite a run of excellent albums. I bought one of their albums years ago and can confirm the quality. Another band featured in the mag drew a blank with me - The Angels, from Australia. Yet apparently they issued four consecutive long-players that are essential listening. Not to be confused with the American outfit named simply Angel. Time to hit Spotify then. Just think, you used to have to track down all these long-deleted releases by scouring the second-hand shops! Mind you, the CD era also gave many old albums a new lease of life.
I enjoyed a second pint of legend and began to contemplate moving. Wetherspoons isn't everyone's cup of tea but they are committed to providing a wide selection of casks bees at affordable prices. They get my vote! Their city centre premises are often vast and I strongly suspect many of these buildings would be sitting empty had 'Spoons not come along to give them a new role. It was time to be making tracks and the meetup venue was just a short walk away. A Swedish-themed bar on Fountain Bridge. There were no handpumps so I ordered a pint of Union Canal lager, assuming this to be the house brew. The canal is situated nearby and these swanky joints often have a badged-up house beer that doesn't break the bank. Except in this case I was charged £4.80! Maybe that was indeed the budget choice, with other offerings north of a fiver. In any case, my budget would only allow one pint. There is a meet-up fee of a quid and I'd arrived with £9 in cash. No real problem, I had arrived a good hour after the starting time and was content to sip away at a lager for the rest of the evening. Truth be told, it was rather bland. Around 15 people were in attendance and I got chatting to a woman from Hamburg and a Welshman who had lived for many years in Bavaria. An interesting experience as always. A handful of people drifted away and I took a seat at the opposite end of the table to catch up with a few regulars. I caught a bus back to Dunfermline at quarter to eleven, changing for the final local run to Cairneyhill. A good night, funded by my tuition gains and still a couple of quid left over for a breakfast roll the following morning at Nicky's Garage.
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