Edinburgh: Pipefest
Friday, August 26th, 2005Our last weekend in Edinburgh, the middle of the Festival; comedians, music, theatre, we were spoiled for choice of how to celebrate our last few nights. And whilst we were going to see a funny-man on Saturday night, what we were most looking forward to for the weekend was bagpipes.
Yeah, that’s right. Bagpipes. And shitloads of ‘em.
Sunday August 21st was Pipefest in Edinburgh. Holyrood Park at the base of Arthur’s Seat, the 300 foot high cliff just minutes walk from Edinburgh Castle, was being turned into the biggest gathering of bagpipers ever known. 10,000 of the bloody things, being played by folks from many, many different countries, and of all sorts of ages, starting as young as about 5.
The real highlight of our final weekend in Edinburgh, at least for me, actually came before we made it to Pipefest. As Trickey and I were loading up his car out the front of our apartment, I was thoughtfully reminded by the passenger of a passing car exactly who I am. As the hatchback drove by, the lovely chap in the passenger seat hung his head out the window, and from the bottom of his gut, for all to hear, yelled “Rrrrrrrrrrrrusty Nut!!!”
Welcome to my world folks.
Dave