WHAT'S DOING
In Edinburgh
New York Times July 27, 2003
As old, romantic and historic as it is, Edinburgh is a working town that prides itself on being hip, secular, sophisticated and spectacularly prosperous - real estate prices are among the highest in Europe, and you can't go a block without passing a restaurant, cafe, bookstore, boutique or fancy food outlet. Edinburgh is particularly vibrant during August, when visitors from around the globe descend for the Edinburgh International Festival and the entire compact city of barely a half-million seems at times to be awash in street jugglers, mimes and tired children clutching melting ice-cream cones. For current information, available year round, see www.edinburgh-festivals.co.uk. Events The festival is actually six
overlapping festivals at different sites. The oldest and most famous is
the International Festival itself, founded in 1947, offering world-class
opera, ballet, theater and classical music Aug. 10 to 30. The Birmingham
Repertory's
The Festival Fringe, with some 21,500 performances from more than 600 companies, is mainly theater, some of it good, some of it so-so and some of it horrendous, as well as a range of comic acts. The Fringe also offers music - blues, folk, roots and alternative styles - as well as children's shows, dance performances, circus acts and the omnipresent street performers, most of them growing hoarser by the minute. Just two examples of the range: for comedy, you might try the Out of Bounds Theater Company's "Naked Ventriloquist" at Co2, on Infirmary Street, July 30 through Aug. 24 ($11 to $12.50); or there's Caledonian folk and blues by the Rhythm Sharks, on Aug. 14 and 19 at The Guildford Arms, 1 West Register Street. The Fringe runs from Aug 3 to 25; information at www.edfringe.com and (44-131) 226-0000, or for a brochure, (44-131) 226-0026. The International Film and Book Festivals include debates, workshops and panel discussions, and at the Book Festival, readings and signings. A. L. Kennedy will talk about "On Being a Writer," at the Blackwell's Studio Theater on Aug. 18 at 7 p.m., or you can meet Mario Vargas Llosa at the Main Theater on Aug. 14 at 6:30; both cost $8.35 to $16.70. The Film Festival runs Aug. 13 to 24; www.edfilmfest.org.uk, (44-131) 228-4051. The Book Festival is Aug. 9 to 25; www.edbookfest.co.uk, (44-131) 624-5050. August opens with the Jazz and Blues Festival, with a range of performances, including free Sunday Jazz concerts in the Princes Street Gardens. It runs through next Sunday, finishing up with Wynton Marsalis at The Queen's Hall at 8 p.m. Tickets $8.35 to $49; (44-131) 467-5200 or www.jazzmusic.co.uk. Kids love the pomp at the Military Tattoo, with pipes and drums, military bands, fireworks and piping in the parade grounds that skirt the entrance to Edinburgh Castle, from Aug. 1 to 23. Tickets: $15 to $47; (44-8707) 555-1188 or www.edintattoo.co.uk. What to See First-time visitors will naturally gravitate to the Royal Mile in the Old Town, stretching from the Palace of Holyroodhouse on the lower (east) end to Edinburgh Castle at the top, and which, after the New Town was built, degenerated into a slum. That's hard to imagine now, as the Royal Mile is lined with upscale restaurants, coffeehouses and bars, as well as more than its share of tourist and woolens shops. Dominating it is the castle, perched high aloft a steeply descending volcanic plug, its earliest parts dating from the 12th century. The Palace, National War Museum and two chapels are all within the grounds. The castle is the home of the Stone of Destiny (or Stone of Scone), upon which, traditionally, the Kings of Scotland were crowned, and the Honours of Scotland - crown jewels, scepter and sword. Open daily. Tickets are $14. Information: (44-131) 225-9846. On the other end of the hill is the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence in Scotland of the Queen, and the former home of Mary, Queen of Scots. You can visit Mary's Chambers, a suite of rooms that include her Bed Chamber, as well as the King's Bed Chamber, known for its collection of Brussels tapestries. General admission, $12.50. Open daily except Dec. 25 and 26; (44-131) 556-5100 or www.royal.gov.uk. From April through October, works of Carl Fabergé, the Russian jeweler and goldsmith, are on display in the adjacent Queen's Galleries. Of particular interest are the small jeweled and enameled frames holding intimate family photographs of the crowned heads of Europe. Admission, $6.70. Open daily except Oct. 13 to 23 and Dec. 25 and 26. On the Mound, just off Princes Street on the edge of the Old Town, the National Gallery of Scotland, which recently acquired Titian's "Venus Rising From the Sea," houses a wonderful collection of Old Masters in a series of high-ceilinged, hushed rooms; downstairs are works of Scottish artists; upstairs is Impressionist art. The Gallery is open daily except Dec. 25 and 26. Admission is free except for some temporary exhibitions; (44-131) 624-6200, www.nationalgalleries.org. Where to Stay The Old Waverley Hotel, (44-131) 556-4648, fax (44-131) 557-6316, www.oldwaverley.co.uk, in a landmark building overlooking Princes Street Gardens, is in the midst of a massive room-by-room refurbishment, mainly entailing new décor. The rooms are comfortable, clean, old and simply furnished with wall-to-wall carpeting and floral prints. There are 66 rooms, all with private bath. In July and August, the rate is $137 a person, double occupancy, including breakfast. In the New Town, near a bustling bar and cafe scene, the Frederick House Hotel, 42 Frederick Street, (44-131) 226-1999, fax (44-131) 624-7064, www.townhousehotels.co.uk, is in a Georgian building, circa 1825. The simple rooms, with traditional furnishings and fabrics, are slightly shabby, but clean and spacious. There are 45 rooms, with private bathrooms, satellite TV, refrigerator, hair dryer and telephone. With breakfast and tax, doubles are $85 to $215, and family rooms $150 to $300. Budget: For sheer location, you can't beat the Edinburgh branch of the European chain Ibis, at 6 Hunter Square, off the Royal Mile; (44-131) 240-7000, fax (44-131) 240-7007, www.ibishotel.com. It has 99 small but clean double rooms, many with sleeper-sofa for one, and private bath. No charm, but it works. From June through September, rooms are $117, with tax. Another good bet for price and location is the 193-room Travel Lodge, 33 St. Mary's Street, (44-131) 557-6281, reservations (44-8700) 850-950, www.travelodge.co.uk, off the Royal Mile in the Old Town. No frills, but clean and comfortable. Double rooms with private bath from $100. Luxury: There's a reason the Balmoral, 1 Princes Street, (44-131) 556-1111, fax (44-131) 557-8740, or www.thebalmoralhotel.com, with its clocks always two minutes fast (so you don't miss the train), is so beloved. The 186 bedrooms with large windows - many overlooking the Old Town - all have large, old-fashioned tile baths, beautiful traditional fabrics and elegant light fixtures. The hotel has a health spa, the Palm Court for afternoon tea and a pub for beer and soccer. Doubles are $465 to $500 with tax, April through October. The Scotsman, 20 North Bridge, (44-131) 556-5565, fax (44-131) 652-3652, www.thescotsmanhotel.co.uk, recently opened in the former newspaper building of the same name. The 68 chic, individually decorated modern rooms contain Edinburgh Monopoly tables, original art and just about every modern amenity, including Internet access, a great swimming pool, spa and cool bathrooms. The hallways are a maze, but the views great. Doubles $365 to $440, with tax. Where to Eat The Witchery Restaurant, (44-131) 225-5613, in a 16th-century building at the gates of Edinburgh Castle, is the place where many hundreds accused of being witches were put to death during the reign of James VI. The décor is elegant, with white tablecloths, wood paneling and dark leather. Among the highlights are artichoke soup with parsley dumplings, warm salmon with poached leeks and citrus dressing, fillet of Aberdeen Angus beef, wild mushroom risotto with white truffle oil, warmed chocolate torte, and pear tart tatin with almond ice cream. The wine list is extensive. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Dinner for two with wine, about $170. The excellent Number One, at the Balmoral, (44-131) 557-6727, is styled after the Mandarin in Hong Kong. Offerings include Isle of Skye crab with onion purée and gazpacho; terrine of red mullet with lemon and basil dressing; trio of veal and beef with foie gras café au lait; caramelized banana soufflé; and white chocolate mousse with raspberries. Dinner nightly, lunch weekdays. The lunch "market menu" is $30. Dinner for two with wine, about $170. The cafe bar at Valvona & Crolla, 19 Elm Row, (44-131) 556-6066, is a dream for those who love Italian food: antipasto, pastas, pizzas, meats, salads, focaccia and plenty of dolci. Lunch for two, with wine by the glass, about $85. Breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea, every day, except no breakfast on Sunday. The small and elegant Plaisir du Chocolat, 251-253 Canongate, (44-131) 556-9524, is known for its sensational pastries, tarts, mousses, teas, cakes and chocolate, but it also offers delicious innovative salads, omelets, patés and savory tarts. Breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea Tuesday through Friday; lunch and tea Saturday and Sunday. Lunch for two with tea, about $50. The Brasserie, on the fourth floor of the retail extravaganza Harvey Nichols, 30-34 St. Andrew Square in the New Town, (44-131) 524-8350, is a good place for a light lunch and a fine view of the square. It has a hip atmosphere an airy room and friendly service to go with fare like Caesar salad with chicken and anchovy dressing, smoked rainbow trout with potato salad, beer-battered cod with chips, and sticky toffee pudding. Open Tuesday through Saturday until 10 p.m, till 6 on Sunday and Monday. Lunch for two with starters, about $50. There's a higher-priced Harvey Nichols restaurant, too, just under the windows next to the Brasserie. For good, moderately priced family fare, Caffe Lucano, 37 George IV Bridge, near the Castle, (44-131) 225-6690, offers a large selection of everything Italian, from pizza to antipasto to pasta. Children's menu available. No smoking. Lunch for two with beer, about $25. Lunch and dinner daily.
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he
ancient city of Edinburgh, seat of Scottish kings and now home to the
Scottish Parliament, is more like two cities, one not quite so ancient
as the other, and so enchanting that I had to keep reminding myself it
wasn't an illustration from Hans Christian Andersen. On one side of the
railway, built on a series of extinct volcanoes, is the Old Town of
medieval alleyways, half-timbered houses and hidden closes under the
gaze of Edinburgh Castle; on the other is its less-lauded but equally
lovely New Town, already more than 200 years old, with its squares,
parks, circuses, crescents, public baths and grand neo-Classical
buildings.