Author Archives: ngwright

Nov 06 2011
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edinburgh, Sport

Hockey in Edinburgh

Hockey is not a big sport in Britain. However, as a stereotypical Canadian, I had to find me some hockey.

I’ve been following some of the developments in the NHL, but it’s quite tough to watch games because of the 8 hour time difference between me and my Vancouver Canucks.

The local team is the Edinburgh Capitals, and they play in the top division of the British League. Unfortunately, the British League is not really on par with other European hockey countries like Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Germany. I’ve been out to watch a couple games, and the Capitals are the equivalent of a division 3 men’s league back in Vancouver.

Last year, they were bottom of the league, but they’ve been a little better the last few weeks.

To get back into it, I’ve started playing with a rec team, and have been borrowing the team equipment for the last couple weeks. I think I’d like to stay in Scotland a while longer, so I’ll have to see about getting my equipment over here.

As for watching NHL games, I’m curiously watching what happens in Winnipeg and have been pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs. I’ll have to try to watch a couple more games instead of just the highlights.

I’ve got another training session this week to help me get back into shape, and then a game in a couple weeks.

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Oct 17 2011
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edinburgh, Film

All Night Horror Madness #3

The cameo is my favourite theatre in Edinburgh. They play great movies, have a nice little bar, and they host amazing events like this.

The marathon started at about 1130pm on Saturday night, and we weren’t on our way back until the sun was coming back out again the next morning, at 715am. I don’t pull as many all nighters as I used to, and it feels good every once in a while. Plus its a very social atmosphere and you’re meeting lots of new people at an event like this. The organizers even serve Bacon Rolls in the lobby to keep you going.

Compared with #1 and #2 (which I also went to), the lineup for #3 stood up quite well. The organizer likes to pull together a mix of well known cult classics and very niche films that only real devotees have seen. He polled the audience at the start and only a couple people had seen all of them.

All Night Horror Madness also uses old 16mm film reels instead of the now standard dvd versions – you get all the lines and scratches, and times when bits are cut off or off line. Its just like going back in time, and watching it in one of those old drivethrus because the films were all from the late 70’s and early 80’s and showed off that grainy quality.

Blue Sunshine

Parts of this film are just so over the top or badly acted. Its not supposed to be funny, but turns out to be hilarious. It stars Zalman King, who directed and produced the softcore porn (Red Shoe Diaries and Wild Orchid) that many of us watched in high school.

The story revolves around Jerry Zipken, an odd man who is suspected of murder after his friend goes insane and goes on a killing spree. He spends the rest of film trying to find out why, and he stumbles upon a conspiracy involving a hopeful congressman.

King’s overacting is brilliant, and he somehow finds a way to be in almost every scene.

Halloween

I think I was 13 or 14 when I saw this for the first time, and its still great no matter how many times I’ve seen it since. The part where Myers gets up still creeps me out

Pieces

This is exactly like college in every way with the exception of the chainsaw wielding psycho trying to piece together a jigsaw puzzle with human body parts. Its kind of a precursor to Silence of the Lambs.

I especially loved the professional tennis match, and that the campus has a water bed. They try to make the killer a bit of a mystery, but its pretty obvious for someone who has watched a lot of these slasher films. The cops are brilliant, they keep asking this college kid to help on the case for no apparent reason and even ask him down to the station to help them go through files. When they go to take the killer down, he even goes in with them. He never even signed a waiver – if he got cut up, they would have been in so much shit.

Evil Dead

This is one of my favourite horror movies. I have a huge man crush on Bruce Campbell and his character Ash. I loved his book My Life as B Movie Actor and have seen the entire trilogy a bunch of times.  Its so great because his character is not heroic at all, but does all of this amazing stuff. He also has some great one liners in the Evil Dead films.

It got me thinking about the Evil Dead musical that came to Vancouver a couple years ago.

Bruce Campbell is on Burn Notice now and gets some of the funniest lines out of the characters on that show.

 

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Oct 07 2011
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Uncategorized

Off to dinner and a ceilidh

Aarti and I are celebrating our 1 year anniversary together – a little late, but I’m excited all the same. We’re off to Calistoga for dinner and then Ghillie Dhu

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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Jul 29 2011
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Scotland

Isle of Arran

Arran is often called Scotland in miniature. A friend even told me that before I came over.

A few weeks back, we made the journey from Ardrossan to celebrate my 27th birthday. My first Scottish ferry journey.  We wasted no time in checking out Brodick Castle and getting a start up Goat’s Fell (the hill that looks down over the harbour).

Cloudy ain't it

The weather was pretty crummy, and I got extremely wet before starting to head back. I was strolling up in the clouds, and didn’t make it to the summit because the rain was making me cold and the rocks slippery. We probably started too late in the day, and were in dire need of hot chocolate and a change of clothes.

The next day, we were determined to go kayaking. However, we weren’t up there in time for the morning trip so we rented a couple of bikes and took  the road from Brodick up to Sannox. Around Sannox, there was a pretty good size hill and I lost Aarti for a little while. We decided to head back, and a good thing too because it started to rain very hard about ten minutes later. We sought refuge in a pub in Corrie until the rain calmed down.

On our way back, we stopped at a local cheese shop for some arran cheese and fudge.

I don’t remember any of my previous kayaking trips requiring a wet suit but they gave us wet suits this time. We made roughly the same trip by kayak that we had just made by bike, but it was still really fun.

My arms were getting really tired by the end (we either did a lot that day or I’m really out of shape), and my legs were getting a bit sore too. The adjustable handles where you put your feet kept sliding down so I don’t think I was ever sitting right for very long.

We even had a curious onlooker following us a while. This little sea otter was quite interested in us for about ten minutes.  Speaking of sea life, there were also a lot of jellyfish so probably not a good swimming area.

We didn’t make it up to the north coast at Lochranza or down south to Kildonan or Lamlash so we may need to make a trip back where we can cover a bit more ground. The buses were really good if you wanted to meet up with the ferry, but lousy otherwise.  I think you could easily spend four or five days on Arran, so I thought we did pretty well for a day and a half.

Jul 29 2011
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Scotland, Travel

Elgin Cathedral

While in Inverness, Aarti and I made a day trip over to Elgin in Moray. Its pretty famous because of the whiskey distilleries in the area.

We spent most of our time here exploring the cathedral ruins.  It was built in the 13th century, and the you can tell that the decoration was extremely detailed.

The cathedral was burned by the Wolf of Badenoch, Alexander Stewart, who had a reputation for exceptional cruelty even by the standards of the time. The 14th and 15th centuries saw substantial rebuilding, but the cathedral fell into disuse after the reformation.

From the top of the tower, you get views over the whole city. Its not especially unique, but an old college and large park are located right next to the cathedral so its definitely worth climbing the narrow stairs.

The gargoyles and some of the memorial statues are also very worth seeing.

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Jul 29 2011
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Scotland, Travel

Inverness and Fort George

Wow, I feel really behind. My Inverness trip was like a month ago.

Inverness is 4 to 5 hours on the train from Edinburgh, and is considered the capital of the highlands. To prove it, there were lots of shaggy highland cows to be seen on the train ride up.

This photo was actually taken on Arran, but the coos are the same.

Inverness is small, but its also considered one of the fastest growing towns in the UK. There is a really good mix of modern and historical buildings. There is also some shipping and manufacturing going on, so its not an unchanging tourist hub. Instead, it is a living city.

There is plenty for a tourist to do, but we soon found out that most of the attractions were a bus ride away.

We camped out at a caravan park near the river, and a short walk away from town. Every year, they have a big Highland Games not very far from where we were at.

The high street was pretty active, but we didn’t manage to spend a lot of time there on the first night. Above the high street, Inverness Castle looks down on the river but it didn’t hold our attention as much because it was built more recently and was more styled as a large home than a fortress. It does give you some amazing views of the river Ness and the cathedral spires across the water. Walking along the river, you get a proper tranquil holiday feel. Fishermen were even standing out in the river in waders, which I haven’t seen very often in Scotland (but I’m told its very common up in Moray Speyside).

The next morning, we managed to take a bus out to Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness.
Urquhart Castle has seen a lot of battles and I was really impressed by the video they put on in the presentation centre showing its history. The castle changed hands  many times over the centuries but was most recently held by the clan Grant. Prior to that the castle was a held by the MacDonalds. When the Lord of the Isles and the Black Douglas conspired with the English against James IV, the castle fell back to the Scottish crown who then gave it to the clan Grant.

The castle saw many years of war. Viking attacks and attacks from other clans were pretty constant up until the Jacobite period. Its destruction was to prevent it from becoming a stronghold for the Jacobites. It is also very likely that there was an earlier wooden fort on the same location.

After getting back to Inverness, Aarti and I checked out Leakey’s Book Shop for about 40 minutes. I would highly recommend it. Its just what a used book shop should be. Leatherbound covers mixing with modern paperbacks on two floors connected by an old wooden staircase. Boxes of unstacked books scattered throughout.

After that we caught a bus out to Fort George for the afternoon.

There was a lot of walking that afternoon. A lot more than either of us expected. We had to walk about 40 minutes from where the bus dropped us in order to get to the Fort. On  the plus side, we were able to get some tasty local ice cream when we finally arrived.

Its still an active army barracks, but was never used as intended. It was built as a stronghold to defend against further highland uprisings. On our way back, we saw a few guys kite surfing. Not sure if they were army guys, but very cool all the same.

We had some pretty serious issues with the buses on that afternoon. Due to a accident, the bus didn’t stop where it was supposed to and we had to walk along a rural road for about an hour just to find out that it would be another hour to get a bus from the Inverness airport. We grabbed a cab back to the town centre feeling very tired and hungry.

 

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May 25 2011
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Scotland

Castle Campbell, Dollar

It’s hard to plan things to do when you know it’s going to be raining and probably windy… even tougher when that has been the weather in Scotland for most of the last few weeks.

One of the castles that I’ve really wanted to visit was Castle Campbell – AKA Castle Gloom; the pictures that show up in the guide books and calendars are so phenomenal and really peaked my interest. And since those who wait for perfect weather never go anywhere I decided to make the trip this past Saturday.

The castle overlooks the village of Dollar in Clackmannanshire – about half way between Stirling and St Andrews. It’s a very rural county and Dollar is a very small village (not near the motorway) so I had to first go to Stirling by train and then catch a bus.

I had read that the castle was about a forty minute walk from the town and was located in a large Glen – this location is why it is considered one of the most scenic in Scotland. But I found out that this was one castle that you really had to work for. In reality, the castle is barely visible from Dollar. The thick covering of trees that make up the Glen means you can only see the very top of it and only if your view is not otherwise obstructed, which was rare.

In a situation that is not unique in a country with so many castles (and such a love of golf), the castle provides a stunning backdrop for the local golf course.  This was pretty easy to see from the trail that I was following up the hill.

They say it’s supposed to be more about the journey than the destination, and this trip was a great example of that. I easily enjoyed the Glen and the network of trails surrounding the castle more than the castle itself.

The path up the hill was steep, narrow, and winding – any open clearings were covered in bluebells. Every castle needs a nearby source of fresh water and the stream that winds through the glen had dozens of spectacular waterfalls. The thick covering of trees also kept me mostly sheltered from the rain and wind that was pretty constant through most of the hike. I stopped for a few a photos so it took about 45 minutes to walk all the way up to the castle.

Clan Campbell is one of the biggest and probably the most famous Scottish clan. Their power came from their powerful fleet and ability to choose the winning side to almost any conflict. However, they were traditionally based around Argyll and a few of the islands. The castle was built in the 15th century originally by the Stewart’s but would provide an eastern power base for the Campbell’s when it passed to them by marriage. The powerful families of those days all wanted to have property within a short journey of the capital – so they could plot, scheme, and asskiss their way to more power and land. This would be part of the reason the clan was not so popular. However, they were not unique in Europe as every kingdom had families who would come into wealth this way. They also supported Robert the Bruce before it was popular, so that has to count for something too.

When I arrived at the castle, the first thing I noticed was the scaffolding. I seem to have pretty bad luck when it comes to visiting castles under restoration, but this time there were only a few areas where I could not go. One of my next thoughts was about how difficult it would have been to build a castle here back then. It’s a steep walk, and there would have been no road to get all of those heavy stones up to this remote spot.

The view from the garden was amazing. You could see Dollar, the Glen, and the two larger hills on either side of the castle. This castle really did feel remote. Besides the sheep farm on the slope, there is nothing behind it but more hills.

The castle has not been occupied in a very long while. After the civil war, and when the king had been brought back, the Earl of Argyll was killed for betraying the king and choosing Cromwell while the castle was burned by the Ogilvy’s and the McLean’s.

It’s a spectacular ruin and very well looked after, but I only stumbled around the keep and a few of the rooms for a short while before heading back out to try some more trails.

The little boy in me just loves running around the woods by myself. You can run up a hill, jump over a log or around a tree without feeling even a little self conscious. Because of the weather, the thick woods and winding trail, you would not even notice another person until they are almost on top of you. There is no one around to see you or pass judgement. It’s the most innocent kind of play time.

I had a great time and the only drawback from the trip was how wet it was.

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May 22 2011
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Travel

Ireland – Day 5 – May 8 in Dublin

Trinity College

The campus is amazing. Obviously, a lot of famous people have gone here. Its actually a little weird walking around campus as a tourist while people around you are going to and from classes. We’re not the only tourists of course because the Book of Kells is here, which we didn’t go in for.

Merrion Square and the Orwell Monument

This is just a stone’s throw from Orwell’s old house near Trinity College. His birthplace is only one street over. The national gallery is here too, and there were painters selling their work all around the outside of the square. Aarti found one that she loved but we didn’t want to carry it around and we’d didn’t get back there in time to pick it up that afternoon. The Orwell monument was great and had some of his most well known sayings. Its too bad that people were so close minded in those days and he was forced to leave to Paris.

Post Office

Bullet holes and all. This was where Irish Revolutionaries made their last stand in 1917.

Writers Museum

I was expecting something else. Ireland, like Scotland, hits far above its weight in the literary sense. I was expecting James Joyce, Johnathan Swift, George Orwell, George Bernard Shaw and maybe one or two others. The museum seemed to focus on dozens of writers almost equally, and not just focus on the major heavy weights. I really had no idea that Irish literature was so heavily influenced by censorship, so it was educational. I obviously expected that English rule and the troubles would have had a huge impact, but there seemed to be some really stuffy people in Ireland in the 18th and 19th centuries. These are the fools who ran off Oscar Wilde for being gay/bisexual.

Guinness Storehouse

Very cool and I loved hearing about how its all done. The advertising section was really cool because I’ve always admired the Guinness ads. Having a pint at the rooftop bar felt like being on the top of the city.

Temple Bar

This is probably the most famous music venue in Dublin, and I had to go in and check it out. The place was packed which was a bit of a surprise for a Sunday night.

St Patrick’s Cathedral

This is where Johnathan Swift was Dean, and chilling out in the park was not a bad way to spend a few minutes.

St Stephens Green

This was one of our last stops in Dublin, and the end of a very chilled out but frantic trip.


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