Trifter

The Locals of Edinburgh

Whether I travel for work or vacation, I like to feel what it feels like to live there. If I’m staying in a hotel, I long to sneak a peek at what kind of home the average poor and middle class people live in. What do they eat for dinner? How early do they get up for work? How long is their workday? What do they do for fun? What kind of bed do they sleep in?

Anywhere in the UK, the lifestyle doesn’t seem too different from here in the US or Canada. The main language is English, and it’s not a third world country. And as much as they embrace American music and movies, they have their own culture to be proud of and to love and consume (unlike some other parts of the world eat up American products).

The people are so genuinely NICE! It’s not a naivety, although it almost feels like it. They have a good, honest outlook on life with respect for others. Without certain jadedness I’ve come to expect.

What a refreshing way to communicate on a regular basis.

They have very good tea.

And eggs fresh out of the chicken into the corner grocery.

Cheeeese….

Single malt scotch.

Ale.

Haggis? Yes, I tried it. Twice. I liked it better the first time. Probably because it was a smaller dose with the sides oftatties and neeps.

Their 10 pence coins are easily mistaken for quarters (and these days are worth close to the same). That’s an issue right now for Americans and Canadians. A lunch that costs £7 is what we might pay here, if it were $7. But with the dollar what it is these days on the world market, it turns into a $15 lunch.

That puts hotel rooms at $300-$400 a night. So, if you live and work in the UK, it’s not really a different cost of living. But visiting is another story.

I took some tours. The bus tour out to the boat tour of the “Firth of Forth” was £15. Comparable to a three-hour similar excursion here, $15 was appropriate. In fact, for me, it cost over $30. Now, was I going to let that hold me back? NO! Because, who knows if and when I would ever be back to see and learn something about this place again? I also took all four-city bus tours, a couple of them twice. Between different tour guides and my concentration, I learned different things.

The Dogs of Edinburgh

There doesn’t seem to be a leash law (at least enforced) in the city. Along with all the people walking on the sidewalks, there were dogs moving along, unattended by a human, hugging the buildings, knowing enough about survival to stay away from the cars that were obviously driving on the wrong side of the road…
These dogs had places to go, dogs to see. It wasn’t a stretch to see them with a briefcase trotting along Wall St. (OK, it wasn’t a stretch for ME).

I never saw one dogfight or a dog/human altercation. Of the 200 or so dogs I saw, four were on leashes. The whole month I was there I saw one pile of dog poop where it should have been cleaned up. The dog must have forgotten his pooper-scooper that day.

The Cats of Edinburgh

Cats are cats. They seem to have it together wherever they live. I didn’t see them behind restaurant dumpers scavenging. Mostly they lurked and lounged in neighborhood yards full of flowers. And birds. I assume they were well fed. The birds were happy (while always on the lookout for those cats) flying in and out of those flowers. With the frequent light rain in August they are thriving and oh, so colorful. Colourful, spelled the UK way.

The Flowers of Edinburgh

You traditional folk musicians may know of the popular fiddle tune “The Flowers of Edinburgh”. It was one of the first I learned to play. One night a bunch of us went down to a classic Scottish pub where there’s a big jam session with fiddles, accordions, guitars, harmonicas, and more. Most of the people there were locals. Over the years of playing music and traveling I’ve learned about the great similarities – and differences – of regional folk music. “The Flowers of Edinburgh” has transcended many borders. We stumbled on to this tune to play as one we all knew. I had the sudden realization of why that song was written and passed down. It was more than just a folk tune. It had a beautiful meaning!

I’ve come to find out that Edinburgh, Scotland is many people’s favorite city in the world. It has everything that a big city needs and still keeps a small town atmosphere. There’s no comparing it toNew York, or Singapore, or Prague. Not because it doesn’t stand up, far from it. All of these cities have their own, distinct personality. It’s that Edinburgh’s personality has a oneness to it like no other.