Thursday, June 30, 2005

G8 Edinburgh Day 1 - Karmageddon



So I’ve made it. I got here ok, I’ve been here a little over 12 hours & already I feel the decision to come fully vindicated. The atmosphere here in the city is very much one of a city building up for something big.

It has not been without it’s hiccups. At the airport my departure was delayed on account of my foresight to have remembered to pack a corkscrew. This was deemed an offensive weapon & presumably a long-haired geezer getting on a flight to Edinburgh with a “sharp” could have resulted in pandemonium were I to unsheath the 1 inch blade. I mean I could have demanded that they fly the plane immediately to I dunno, Glasgow or something, I can see how that might have been a worry!

Admittedly the last time I was in an airport I unwittingly caused a security alert by leaving a small briefcase with a sony walkman and some cassettes by the X-Ray machine in the fluster of being late for the flight. Yes, I had arrived at the airport with very little time to spare for my flight, this was lessened by the fact that there was no way I was going to miss out on my 200 fags from the duty-free! They asked me to take my jacket off at security, and then my money belt etc. and I got all stressed and miscounted the items I was picking up in my haste. Naturally I paid for my impetuosity as I had to spend the next few months with 3 tapes which happened to be in another bag, rather than the planned 40 odd that I should have had. There is only so much time you can listen to the same music no matter how good it is.

So I digress, back to Edinburgh, I survived the flight and got on the convenient airport bus and the driver, who was English, told me not only where to get off on Princes St. but the bus no. of the one I wanted from there. It is a pity that the driver of the 41 was blissfully unaware of his route & told me he hadn’t a clue where Melville drive or Argyle Place were and therefore seemed assured that he didn’t go there in his bus. Whether or not this was some payback for the Battle of Cullodden or some other such sassenach crimes agin’ the Scot I know not, but I should have worn one of my Ireland shirts to be safe! So, I found myself devoid of both bus and clue in a city in which I had never been and with a woefully inferior map and carrying an ‘all eventualities covered (except anything requiring a corkscrew)’ which was obviously quite hefty. I had a pretty fair idea that I needed to be South of Princes St. but there is something of an obstacle to this, those familiar with the city will be ahead of me on this one, namely a big fecking castle in the way!

It seems the street I was looking for was totally off the radar for native Scots, of all the people I asked everyone seemed to have a different direction for me. I was sent in all sorts of random directions, none of which seemed quite right. Irritatingly had I just followed my instincts I would have ended up in the right place. But nay, I placed my trust in those that lived and worked in the place thinking they may know more about it than I who had only just arrived, silly twisted boy!

I admitted defeat in the end and caught a black cab only to find that sure enough there was a 41 bus stop around the corner.

Song Of The Day ~ Velvet Revolver - Fall To Pieces