Edinburgh Holiday

So I'm back at last. It's been a hectic couple of weeks ,but fantastic, how can anyone complain of tiredness after a couple of weeks of having fun. Last weekend I went to Edinburgh with three school friends. We left all worries of work, other halves and rent money at home and set off on an adventure of indulgence and shopping. It just so happened that the weekend we booked (to accomodate one of the girls having to go to a hen party) was the last weekend of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival which brings an otherwise lively city an extra burst of electricity.

Curios Tales
We arrived on a very early Friday morning flight to be greeted by four floors of grueling stairs, only to be delighted by the most beautiful apartment twice the size of the one I live in, in Limerick. So the only cure for 2 hours sleep and a typically hideous ryanair flight was a bacon sandwich and some shopping. There was the usual high street small thrills on Princes St, but I found a genuine gem in the stall of Curious Tales. This lovely girl from northern Ireland was selling beautifully hand made and recycled clothes. I was a particular fan of her jackets, of which she does custom orders. While I was there I picked up one of her t-shirts for my politically acerbic boyfriend( it depicts a beheaded Gordon Brown with the slogan 'Things are not always as they seem'), I also got a charming necktie broach.


Laura had booked tickets to go see the old reliable Des Bishop, having seen him before I thought I might have been a bit disappointed on second viewing. To the contrary, there were a number of moments that I was struggling for air I was laghing so much. His show deals with a wide range of subjects, from immigration, speaking as gaeilge, testicular cancer, alchoholism,gay rights, to life in Ireland. It was on his recommendation that we went to see his brother Aiden Bishop the following night. A regular performer in Dublins The International, Aiden delivered a very funny show to a rather unimpressed audience. I'm not sure whether it was the wrong crowd or they were expecting something else, but it was frustrating to see someone so obviously talented getting such a lukewarm reaction. Fuelled by enthusiasm from our two positive experiences at the festival we went to see the play 'Mummy and the Minister', quoted as being an hilarious and unmissable gothic pantomine.But.... It was quite possibly one of the worst plays I have ever sat through. It has a promising start with beautiful lighting and set design. But 5 minutes in I realised that the script was over indulgent pap that never should have gotten past the drunken night it was concieved. The hammy acting went from bad to worse, as the play progrogressed at a tedious directionless pace. My only sense of joy was during the gruesome death scene because I knew the atrocity was drawing to a close. As someone who has been involved with theatre over the past few years I found this gauling to watch knowing that it had been accepted to the fringe festival.
(L-R)Jacqui, Donna, and Laura at Edinburgh Castle

Thankfully Edinburgh had much more delights to offer and nothing as bad as mummy and the minister( although the nightclub 'why not?' does come close). Highlights were an amazing burger in The Tron, a place that made me long for the days when the high stools bar was stil open, a 1 hour shopping spree in Armstrongs vintage and costume shop in grassmarket,and mostly spending time with great friends chatting till the wee hours. ...time well spent.I'll definitely be back, next time I'll bring the boyfriend and maybe spend a full week there. Verdict: Lovely people,great shopping,beautiful city, value for money, bad taste in theatre.