4th & 5th August

On Thursday night, I fell in love with Edinburgh. Exploring a little beyond the Old Town, I found a city that’s vibrant, with a different concept café or bar on every corner. I went to Forest Café, where they have guitars hanging on the walls for patrons to play, and free bread in a basket near the door. I ordered a bowl of soup and listened to a Welsh poet speak her rhymes over a microphone, to an entranced audience. It was an open mic, welcoming all kinds of performance. There were few people who wanted to play, most were there to listen. My fingers were itching, so I borrowed the stage guitar and bumbled out a three song set, with not nearly enough practice. The audience were kind though, and it was nice to be behind the mic again.

Friday was my birthday. I walked to Uphall station, and took some mediocre photos of some beautiful wildflowers on the way. I was determined to celebrate with at least one friend! A few Facebook posts later, and Charlotte and Rutwij came to meet me at

Henderson’s bistro. I knew it was going to be a big food day, so I began with oat cakes, an olive tapenade and fruit chutney. My taste buds were dancing! I was going to leave it there, but there was carrot cake as a special dessert…and how could I say no to carrot cake?

Charlotte and I rolled ourselves up to the Royal Mile, where we spent a couple of hours watching street performers of all kinds. There were human statues, who somehow didn’t blink, a painted lady with a whistle and a dress she’d pull up for a donation, dancing monsters,

and buskers galore. I stopped to watch Jenny Biddle, Melbourne busker extraordinaire, and dodged so many people it was a wonder there's even room to walk. The city is absolutely buzzing. It’s come alive with art and people from all over the world. Every one seems to be smiling, and curious.

We found a Free Fringe comedy act, and went upstairs to watch her. Two vegans walked into a bad joke. “….so, I gave the homeless man my chicken sandwich, and he told me he was vegetarian. So now I feel like an animal murderer…”
We went downstairs to see comedy act option two. He was much better, and mostly entertaining.
I mentioned to Charlotte that I'd love to see the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. I knew it was hard to get tickets, but she walked me down to the box office, where a woman told me they were all sold out. Just as I was about to leave, she said that someone had just cancelled a ticket for the next night. It was slightly more than I was planning to pay, but I went ahead. After all, how often can you say you saw a show like this one!! It was a matter of very good timing, and I took full advantage, thank you very much.

Time was getting on, so we headed back towards Hanover Street, where we stopped to watch another band play didgeridoo, guitar and fiddle. The fiddler had her baby sitting on her back, dancing away with her while the band played. Another Australian group, with a song called Lazy John that’s stuck in my head, even a day later.

Kifahh, another local vegan with a shared birthday, had booked dinner for us at Nova Pizza. After everyone arrived, there were seven of us! I gorged myself on a pizza, and followed up with peanut butter and blackcurrant jam cheesecake. I think that cheesecake is the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life. Kifaah had kindly brought along cupcakes for everyone to share, and by the time we had them on the table, we were all full to bursting. Somewhere across the table I heard Faisal say “oh, we should…” and suddenly the entire restaurant was singing me happy birthday! Pretty sure my face was on fire, but it was so much fun! The pause at the neighboring table as they waited to hear my name, the smiles, the cheering – I was worried I’d have my birthday alone, but they all made me feel so special.

Travelling alone can be lonely, and the fact that all those people who barely know me, made the effort to come out last night, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Things are looking pretty good right now. Happy birthday to me!