Monthly Archives: August 2011

Aug 05 2011
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edinburgh

Edinburgh Tattoo

Last night, I finally went to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

I’d seen video from past years online and on TV, but being there was something else entirely.  Before now, I don’t think I was able to appreciate the scale and coordination that an event like this demands.

And these people have to do this twice a day for three weeks.

I was expecting that there would be pipe bands and highland dancing but was presently surprised by the Dutch Bicycle Band, Bavarian Music, the Field Gun Run, and the Brazilian Marine marching band.

The field gun run was probably one of my favourites.

There were a large number of props used over the course of the show, which was a pleasant surprise. To represent the current work of the navy and royal marines, they rolled out some masts, metal pipes, etc to represent a ship that was under attack by pirates.

I know its all meant to be family friendly, but I  still love pirates.  I even reread Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island a few months back to honour a favourite scottish author. I just wish they would stop making Jack Sparrow movies and let pirates be scary again.

The tattoo is really about the whole visual experience. Images are projected onto to Edinburgh Castle and fireworks and sound effects reinforce the stories they’re telling.

They said that the stands were new, but the seating was incredibly uncomfortable which was probably the only downside to the evening. Also, the little extras seemed highly overpriced. People had to pay £1 to hire a cushion, £7 for a programme, £14 for a dvd, etc.  I chalk it up to the tourist factor.

One thought I had when I was going in – and again when I was going out – was that the reason the castle was good for defense is also a reason that its a bad place for a stadium. There is only one way in.

On the other hand, it makes for a pretty unique  backdrop and was incorporated very well into the show. At the end, a loan piper played the farewell hymn from the top of the ramparts before everyone marched out.

Overall, the show was very high quality and I would definitely recommend seeing it.

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Aug 04 2011
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England, Travel

Birmingham Softball Tournament

A few weeks back, some friends from baseball invited me and aarti down to a softball tournament they were putting on in Birmingham.

I’ve played a handful of softball games this year, so I was looking forward to it for a couple weeks before hand. Unlike before, this tournament wasn’t coed – the girls played a separate division from the guys. I was told to expect a lot of games, and a feeling of pure exhaustion by the end of the weekend.

We got a ride down with some teammates, and it turned out to be more than a five hour drive. The first 1.5 hours, we’re on these narrow winding roads through the borders with nothing but a few small villages and some farms to look at. That was at least until we got on the M6. It passes near Carlisle and the Lake District but there isn’t much to look at out the window on the motorway either.

Everyone was camping out at the park, so we could get an early start the next morning.

It was the weekend after we went to Arran. We were up against teams from Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and London and a couple other cities. I think I played fairly well. I didn’t make any big mistakes in the outfield and I was getting on base on most of my at-bats. I even hit my first home run of the year. The guys team pulled off a pretty solid 5 and 3 record.

The games were a bit shorter than I expected, but I was definitely exhausted and sun roasted by Sunday afternoon when we headed back.

They say softball is more about the socializing than the sport, and it was a really great time so I hope I get a chance to do it again.

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