Edinburgh in Scotland is always a joy to visit; while it may not offer the sunshine and warmth of the Mediterranean (or of Luxembourg this week, incidentally) it is steeped in history, with its cultural heritage and festivals always offering the visitor something special.
I was there for the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), taking in the British Strand of films as preparation and research for the autumn's 6th annual British & Irish Film Season (BIFS). With the EIFF one of the two festivals with which the BIFS has established a firm collaboration, this allows me to watch many World Premiers and British Premiers of new British films, enabling me to make judgement calls on which films could fit into the jigsaw of suitability, genres and countries, as well as meeting the actors, directors and producers, and inviting them over to participate in the post-screening Q&As of their films. In total I saw 23 films that week and also took in the live audience interview with Ewan McGregor.
At the EIFF Awards Ceremony, the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film went to 45 Years, a drama starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, with Charlotte Rampling and James Cosmo (The Pyramid Texts) sharing the Best Performance Award. The Student Critics Award went to Black Mountain Poets, a comedy drama set in Wales, while the Public Award went to Big Gold Dream about Scottish Post-Punk music.
Edinburgh's skyline in dominated by the castle, located in the middle, the heart of the city; to the north is Princes Street, a lively shopping district, and then one block back is Rose Street with numerous pubs, cafés and restaurants; to the south there's the famous Grassmarket, another site for fine dining, socialising and partying. To the east, Lothian Road was the main area for the film festival, with the FilmHouse, Traverse Theatre, Lyceum Theatre and Odeon cinema, with the Cineworld multiplex just a few minutes away by foot. That area, too, has a significant choice of restaurants from which to choose...
All around the city are various universities and faculties but Edinburgh is also well-know for its arts. But it's the stroll along Princes Street, walking parallel to its now-operational tram lines, turning right up North Bridge, climbing all the way, then right again up the Royal Mile, up to the Scotch Whisky Experience and Edinburgh Castle. While it is technically possible to walk this in one go, in reality there are so many distractions along the way, it really is an impossible task. Whether you stop for a coffee, a bit of shopping, whisky tasting or you decide to take the tour of the castle, there really is something for everyone. And afterwards, if you continue your way down, you can get to the Grassmarket and have a relaxing meal there in great Scottish atmosphere. This is plenty more too, but that's just a snapshot...
So, what's on in Edinburgh this summer? This year the Edinburgh Festival is happening from 7-31 August featuring theatre, music, opera, dance and talks and workshops, with the almost-as-famous Fringe taking place in parallel, a celebration of arts and entertainment. The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival will take place from 17-26 July, with the Hard Rock Café festival from 30 July to 1 August, during which the St Andrew's Square Garden will be back, an open-air place for entertainment and relaxation open each day between 11:00 and 02:00.
Getting to Edinburgh is a little tricky, however, from the Grand Duchy. However, a relatively straight-forward and relaxing way is to take a Luxair flight to London-City, take the DLR to Banknand the Northern line to Euston or King's Cross, from where you can catch a direct train to Edinburgh (check before you book whether you want Edinburgh-Waverley or edinburgh-Haymarket).
See www.luxair.lu and www.thetrainline.com - booking both well in advance will save you money!
