Another German meetup in Edinburgh rolled around and since I was off work, I decided to make a day of it in the capital city. The original plan was to walk out to Portobello but an unpromising weather forecast prompted me to scale down to a stroll around the city centre, taking in some of the smaller museums. This would also give me a chance to watch some of the street performers at the Edinburgh Festival. I took a bus to Dunfermline and popped into the Guildhall Linen Exchange for a swift pint of Lancaster Black before making my way down to the railway station. A throng was assembled on the platform but fortunately Scotrail had provided extra coaches and the journey was a comfortable one.
Truth be told, I tend to avoid Edinburgh when the festival is in full swing but if I find myself over there, I do like to take a wander along the Royal Mile and surrounding streets where the entertainers ply their trade. A young woman on the High Street received rapturous applause for an electric violin rendition of Englishman in New York - originally by sting. I threw a pound into her case as she had done a sterling job. By contrast, I'd witnessed a juggler around the corner in New Street struggle to attract any interest from a straggle of pedestrians. It did make me wonder how the pitches are allocated and whether the spots are rotated to give everyone the chance of a prime location. The main museum I wanted to visit today was The People's Story on the lower reaches of the Royal Mile. As the name suggests, it follows the development of the city from the perspective of ordinary working citizens. Trades past and present are examined as are changing living conditions. A fascinating tale and admission is free. Highly recommended. I'd actually been here several years ago and had been meaning to revisit for quite some time.
Directly across the road is the Museum of Edinburgh - a somewhat lofty title for a limited collection. The exhibition space appears constrained although the ancient building does unfold TARDIS-like as you poke around the nooks and crannies. The narrative just doesn't flow in my opinion and basically the place struggles to live up to its name. All the city-owned museums are free however and you might as well take a punt if passing by. Horses for courses! Next up was the Museum of Children, a couple of hundred yards further uphill. I had walked past this establishment countless times without ever venturing inside and I therefore had no idea what to expect. The glass cases were stuffed with toys, board games, dolls and all forms of child entertainment from a range of eras. I was particularly interested in the computer consoles and games. I was delighted to see the Sinclair ZX Spectrum +2 machine I'd spent many hours sitting behind as a young teenager. I did learn how to program by studying the accompanying manual - something I found captivating, the fact you could tell the computer to do what you wanted. But playing commercially produced games was always the main focus and I especially enjoyed sports management and adventure titles. Platform games also got a look in but shoot 'em ups were never my bag. All loaded from cassette tape - a process which took several minutes.
I think most people would gravitate towards the galleries that best represented their own childhood experience. Definitely a museum worth dipping into. I pushed on up the Royal Mile, the crowds becoming ever denser as I approached the castle. A never ending stream of flyers were being handed out from Fringe hopefuls. I cut back down to Princes Street then walked along George Street to the large Wetherspoons pub where I had arranged to meet Peter from the German group. He wasn't due for a while so I proceeded to enjoy a few pints of Iron Maiden Trooper. The place was rammed (as expected) but I did find a bar stool at one of those small high tables where you perch your drink. The building is an old bank and has been very tastefully converted. There wasn't a hope in hell of finding a dining table so I stuck to my little slice of territory and headed for the entrance to meet Peter at the agreed time to suggest we go elsewhere. We simply headed to the meetup venue a couple of streets away which was a Czech bar. I'd read on their website that unpasteurised Staropramen was available so I decided to sample that. Not bad, but I rarely find a lager that excites me and at £5.50 a pint, very pricey. I quickly switched to the house beer as it was two quid cheaper. A plate of chips to eat and a good meetup, fairly well attended considering it was festival silly time.
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