As we reach the halfway point of our journey, today served a balance of freedom and learning about the place around us.
I started the morning by grabbing breakfast goods from the local co-op, and getting turned around, walking the wrong direction on the way back… However, these little instances of trying to trust my instincts and recognize my way around is part of the fun of being abroad! I love the opportunity for students to try to trust themselves, and even if they mess up, they have tools like their cell phones to help them out.
We’ve done a lot of walking on this trip… And I warned the students that we would… But you can’t really get prepared for the hills when you live in the flatness of Texas. It seems like everything in this city is a hill both ways! We are surviving, although sometimes we split into a faster group and a slower group. (Unfortunately, I’m in the slower one.)
(A daily walk for us.)
Before heading out, two of the student groups gave their oral presentations on different areas that we would be visiting or have the option to visit. We discussed some of the venues we had visited already along with events we had been to and refreshed ourselves on the kind of things to be looking for as of it managers. For example, the distillery had some very interesting spaces, but they have a very low fire capacity and can only have adults. While the short march of the Changing of the Guard didn’t seem like too much, we discussed all of the details and logistics that had to go into that kind of daily event from safety/road closures to access control to staffing schedules and even music selection.
At the top of the Royal Mile is the Edinburgh Castle. While we have seen it from a distance, we couldn’t quite realize what of you. We would get off the city from the top until we were there. We got to walk through the temporary grandstands that have been placed for the Royal Military Tattoo… Another event, we are soon to visit. In addition to just looking at the castle and the grounds, I was taking in all of the lighting and sound equipment and pyrotechnics that were set up for the tattoo. We all came to truly appreciate the Interpretation class taught in our department as we had an audio tour…a huge step down in engagement from guided tours we have had other days.
After breaking from the large group, A smaller group stayed behind at the castle to have lunch in the tea room. One group found a TikTok, famous restaurant and bar called Frankenstein, and some sought a, sadly, sold out soccer match. Some students came upon a market and enjoyed finding local goods along with some good fines at stores in the area. Another group came upon a free show with a Fringe newcomer, interestingly, being held in the private room of a Chinese restaurant. Some took naps or did laundry to get ready for the week ahead.
For the evening, we walked as a group to the Royal College of Surgeons where a performance group shared Scottish traditions with us! We all have our first taste of haggis. Overwhelmingly it was described as steak fingers. Most had some clapshot (mashed potatoes with turnips) with chicken and some chose Cullen Skink (a potato soup with haddock). After a traditional dessert of cranachan (cream and raspberries) the show began. There were a couple of singers, a bagpipe player, and accordion player, a fiddle player, and several dancers who told stories and performed for us over the next hour or so. It was very fun hearing about the past in this interactive and creative way. I loved hearing Loch Lohman, and it made me think of the singing cadets performing this on campus. They had us all stand and hold hands to sing Auld Lang Syne at the end which was a nice way to end the evening.
While we were enjoying the evening, we were also looking at the space as a venue. Students have an assignment to do when they must select a venue and sketch it noting key elements such as power sources, immovable, objects, entryways, and restrooms. I was counting this pieces of stage and considering the impact of the dancers’ leaps. The lighting and sound was high quality, even though this space is only available to them in August since it is part of a local university, that is on break for festival season.
More to see tomorrow!
Dr. Sullins
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