Water of Leith Apartment - Inspiring Edinburgh Blog

Well, we don’t know about you, but we’ve got a busy few days lined up this weekend. Essential Edinburgh are hosting ‘Start in St Andrew Square’, a three-day long festival beginning on Saturday celebrating the launch of the Start campaign, aimed at promoting sustainable living. Even Prince Charles will be there on Monday to lend his support. There’s a heap to see and do including fashion shows and workshops, cookery demos and ideas on how to conserve energy and reduce wastage in the house, your garden and at work.

Do you like to PAR-TAY? If so, you’ve no doubt been making the most of all the festival frolics, what with it being festival time and all. Well, we know how you can put another date in your diary and get yourself along to a rather splendid party, this coming Thursday. The Edinburgh Art Festival, Scotland’s largest visual arts festival, is hosting a bash.

It’s Festival time in Edinburgh (what do you mean, you hadn’t noticed?) and yet with all this art and culture on your doorstep, you might have missed the re-birth of a regular fixture right under your noses.

Wow! We’ve just been down the High Street - is it really that time of year again? For those of you who haven’t ventured outside in the last couple of days, or live in a cave with little contact with the outside world, it’s festival time, with over 32,000 performances taking place over the next 5 weeks.

Do you swoon when you see the latest copy of Design Week? Can’t walk past places like the Apple store without licking the window? Well then, you’ll probably be interested to know that on Tuesday, online creative industries mag Creative Boom Edinburgh will be hosting their latest ‘social boom’, to celebrate the magazine’s first birthday.

Most people dream of escaping the rat race, but here in Edinburgh we’re a bit different - we don’t mind joining it from time to time. In fact, we quite like actively participating in it. But only when said rat race consists of challenges like navigation, endurance, mental agility, running, climbing, mountain biking, kayaking and abseiling that is.

If you want an excuse to celebrate this weekend, we’ve got a suggestion for you. Simply gatecrash a ten year-old’s birthday party. Now, now - hear us out before you go rushing off to write an ill-informed, indignant letter of complaint. The ten year-old in question is actually the Edinburgh Farmer’s Market, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this weekend.

If you’re thinking we’ve been a bit quieter than usual, well you’re probably not wrong. Why? You might ask. Well, it’s simple really; we’ve been busy playing with our new, more exciting friends. Aw, don’t look sad – we’re just kidding. We’ve actually just been super busy putting the finishing touches to our spanking new website, part of our summer campaign, This Is My Edinburgh. It’s the place to find out what’s happening in and around Edinburgh over the summer months.

The citizens of the People’s Republic of Leith are extra lucky – not only do they get to share in all of the wonderful festivals that happen uptown, they also get their very own festival, which kicked off this weekend.

Woohoo! Can you smell that? Oh yeah, that’s Eau De Festival. No, it’s not Britney’s new fragrance, it’s actually the excitement generated by the launch of this year’s Fringe Festival, and it’s contemporary music strand, The Edge. Dizzee Rascal, Alan Cumming and Clark Peters, star of the joint-best TV show ever in the history of the universe ever, The Wire (tied with Eldorado, just in case you are wondering) are just some of the big-name acts who will be appearing at the 64th Fringe Festival.

We know you like a challenge, and naturally you like Edinburgh, so we thought this might be right up your street.

For all you actors out there who aspire to join the ranks of the board-treading Sirs – Olivier, Kingsley and Attenborough et al - we reckon we’ve worked out how you can secure your knighthood – simply announce that you’ll be turning up at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

With the lovely weather out today, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’d suddenly been transported to the Mediterranean. And if you happen to stumble upon Castle Street over the weekend, chances are you’ll be very confused as to your location. That’s because La Dolce Vita Italian Market is in town from today until Sunday.

They say a magician never reveals their secrets, but sometimes, just sometimes, it’s ok to let something slip, especially if that something is the line-up to the first ever Edinburgh International Magic Festival.

Think you’ve got green fingers? If so, then you’ll no doubt be imbued with a lot more patience and understanding than we are. But do you think you’d have the patience to wait 40 years for something you’d planted to finally bloom?

If you like your food, and let’s face it, who doesn’t, then this weekend is a veritable feast for foodies in and around Edinburgh, especially if we get the sort of weather we enjoyed last weekend.

Chess games are renowned for lasting for aeons, so you’d expect the figures to be built to last. But not many games last for over 800 years, yet that’s how long the Lewis Chessmen have been around.

Hmm, Sundays. What better way to recover after a late night throwing some shapes than to chill out, relax and be pampered by somebody else. What’s that you say? This Sunday it’s free? Well, OK, that probably does make it better. Spa in the City, the capital’s biggest beauty event, returns this weekend, transforming St Andrew Square Garden into one huge urban spa.

If you think swimming ‘s best left to the fishes, then you’ll want to keep the first weekend in September free. From 3rd to the 5th, Edinburgh plays host to the 2010 ITU Duathlon.

Ah, speech bubbles. Where would be without them? Favoured by everyone from Garfield to Batman, they’re the staple of comic strips the world over. But thanks to an enterprising Product Design student at Edinburgh Napier, (which was recently ranked in the top ten Universities in the UK for Design) soon it might not just be our cartoon friends using them. 23 year-old Elaine McLuskey has come up with an interesting new way to make yourself heard above the din in busy public spaces, and her acoustic ‘social spheres’ wouldn’t look out of place in the city’s trendiest nightspots.

Castle Street will become Sand-Castle Street next week (17-22 May) thanks to Spanair. To celebrate their new Edinburgh-Barcelona route, they'll be building a sand sculpture in the shadow of our very own Edinburgh Castle. But this won't be any ordinary sandcastle. Oh no. They've roped in Scottish artist Kate Robinson to sculpt a huge installation which will feature landmarks from both cities.

All you cool kids have extra reason to rejoice now that the Edinburgh Skatepark, located in Saughton Park, is officially open to the public. Featuring everything from nursery areas for novices to challenging competition-standard features for experts (and the daring), the state of the art, 2100 sq/m facility, is one of the best in the UK.

The West of Edinburgh woke up to welcome an unusual face replacing the previous incumbent and taking on a prominent role in the community today, but we’re not talking about their new MP. Going by the name of Samir, he’s only 18 months old, travelled all the way from Germany and had to complete the last of his journey by crane.

Well, well, well. Of all the tens of thousands of cities around the world, it turns out that Edinburgh is one of the best. Not just in the top 1000 or so, or the top 100. In fact, not even just the top 50 – oh no, we’re in the top 25, according to a poll by TripAdvisor. That puts in league with the likes of Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Tokyo, Rome, Sydney and San Francisco, which is rather illustrious company, don’t you think?

How do you mark the onset of summer? Do you dig out your sunnies? Unpack the barbeque from the back of the shed? Maybe you buy some new socks to go with your sandals? However you do it, we’re willing to bet you don’t celebrate it like these guys below do.

Edinburgh and Rugby go together like salt and vinegar, like Ant and Dec, like Tiger Woods and…well, anyone really. And while Scottish teams might not be so good on the pitch at the moment, we’re still the best when it comes to hosting the games.

Edinburgh got its first chance to get up-close and personal with a Tram in almost half a century when one of the new £2 million pound vehicles went on display on Princes Street yesterday.

We don’t do things by half here in Edinburgh, which is why the official launch weekend of the festival season will be bigger and better then ever. The Festival Cavalcade will still kick things off this year on August 8th, but this year there will be an extra addition to the line-up.

Do you know you Gaugin’s from your Van Gogh’s, your Monet’s from your Manet’s? Well, if not, don’t worry. A visit to Scotland’s capital might just provide you with an art crash course thanks to the work of one Edinburgh College of Art.

This weekend thousands of runners will be taking on Chris Hoy over a 13 mile course across Edinburgh. Which is pretty unfair if you ask us. Let’s face it, they’re running while he’s got a bike and everything – how much of an advantage does he want? Just because he’s a triple Olympic gold medalist doesn’t mean he should...What’s that? It’s actually a half-marathon named after him? Oh, right. That’s probably a bit fairer then.

Staff and students at Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies are set to be the stars of a new TV show which starts on STV tonight. Viewers will be able to see behind the scenes at the internationally-acclaimed ‘Dick Vet’, where 700 students are trained, and over 15,000 animals are treated each year, in a series of five hour long episodes, and you can get a sneak preview here.

Science, Science Festival, Future, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Science Triangle

We told you we were fashionable here in Edinburgh. Did you doubt us? Well, if so, here’s some more evidence in our favour. One talented city student is in the Big Apple this week after designing an outfit which is featuring in a prestigious charity fashion show in the States.

Ever fancied particpating in one of the world’s top sporting events, noly to be thwarted by a lack of sporting talent? Well, if you’re over 18, fit and enthusiastic and are lucky enough to live in the wondrous city of Edinburgh, then you could win the chance to participate in the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Good news for all you food fans as it was confirmed this week that the Taste of Edinburgh Festival will return this year from 28-30 May, and it’ll be bigger and better than ever.

It’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Scotland, and has featured in everything from Hollywood films to Irn-Bru adverts, in books and on banknotes, yet the 120 year-old Forth Bridge could soon be distinctive for an entirely different reason. Experts have discovered that problems caused by birds nesting in the massive steel structure could be solved with a lick of paint – so long as that paint is bright yellow and can glow in the dark.

This weekend saw us embark on our first golf game of the season, and boy were we ready to go. Our shoes were polished, the driver was dusted down and we were looking the business. As we approached the first tee, there was a bigger buzz than Tiger Woods’ return at Augusta will generate next week. Naturally, we started with a brilliant shot . Lucky then that Edinburgh’s home to a plethora of great courses, so we don’t have to return to the scene of our embarrassment.

Do you know your reels from your strathspeys and your Jimmy Shands from your Jackie Levens? If so, you’ll probably already be champing at the bit ahead of this year’s Ceilidh Culture. If you don’t have a clue what we’re talking about, well, you’ll soon have the chance to rectify that when the festival kicks off tomorrow (Friday 26th March).

When you think of the Fringe Festival – what image springs up in your mind? This Thursday and Friday, Twitterati are getting the chance to contribute their suggestions for illustrations to be included on the cover of this year’s Fringe Brochure.

It’s not often you get advance warning of an alien invasion, but that’s exactly what to expect in Edinburgh over the Easter weekend. They’ve even announced where they are going to base themselves when they arrive – Festival Square.

If you didn't know already, Edinburgh has its very own Marathon Man. Nope, we don't mean Dustin Hoffman. Instead, we're on about 27 year-old Mark Cooper, who's planning on running an astonishing 50 marathons in just 56 days, starting in Amsterdam and finishing in Barcelona.

Two of Edinburgh’s trendiest fashion boutiques are, quite literally, currently in Vogue.

Better be careful if you’re heading into Edinburgh city centre this weekend, or any time for the next couple of months for that matter, as St Andrew Square will be overrun by dozens of giant exotic animals from every corner of the globe.

They say two heads are better than one. But what about twelve, or twenty-three, or thirty-seven? Well thanks to the Edinburgh Science Triangle, scientists and entrepreneurs searching for the next big idea are set to get some help realising their ambitions. They’ll be staging a series of workshops to explain how teaming up with others can have huge benefits when trying make the jump from the drawing board to the real world.

You may remember that last year, celebrity spoon-bender and self-proclaimed ‘mystifier’ (no, we’re not exactly sure what that is either - the opposite of a demystifier perhaps?) Uri Geller bought the Island of Lamb in the Firth of Forth. Well, this weekend past, complete with divining rod in hand, he spent the night there searching for buried Egyptian treasure.

If you’ve never been along to Camera Obscura before, or just haven’t been for a while, you’ll probably want to head along soon after the news that they are to spend over £1 million adding around thirty new optical treats.

Edinburgh was home to an exclusive from one of the film industry’s most celebrated directors this weekend past, and now it’s playing host to another exclusive, this time from one of the industry’s most celebrated actors. Only this time, the celeb in question, Sir Anthony Hopkins, is displaying work of a different kind.

Ok, so the weather isn’t supposed to be that great this weekend. But that means its perfect conditions for being inside watching a film. Just as well then we’ve got wind of something a little bit different that might interest you.

We likes our grub here in the capital, so it’s little surprise that Edinburgh confirmed its place as Scotland’s top culinary destination last night as its eateries walked away with a host of top awards at the Scottish Restaurant Awards.

Lights. Camera. Action! John Landis’ latest movie, Burke and Hare, starts filming in Edinburgh today. As the name suggests, it’s based on the true story of William Burke and William Hare.

The world’s oldest science festival, the Edinburgh Science Festival, announced its programme this week, and it’s stuffed full of intriguing prospects. From 3-17 April, there’ll be over 200 events at 35 different venues across the capital. Blood, guts and goo all play a major part in proceedings – experts from Edinburgh Zoo will be conducting a live autopsy on a cow, participants will be able to make their own scabs and blood milkshakes, and there will also be a lecture exploring and explaining attempts to create fake blood. Unfortunately though ladies, Robert Pattinson is unlikely to make an appearance. Richard Dawkins, however, is one of the star guests on show this year. And he’s a lot less likely to bite your neck too.

Edinburgh’s going to be getting in touch with its roots this spring time, but not in the way that Silvio B does.

Those lovely people at Edinburgh Airport have been very busy in recent weeks, announcing four new routes, two of which are the first in Scotland. Nine other flights will see their frequency increased too, and there have been significant developments in plans for a new hotel at the UK's fastest growing airport.

Fantastique news this week, as word came through that the French government have dropped plans to close the French Institute here in Edinburgh. The centre, which employs six full-time staff and hosts everything from language classes to film nights, had been threatened with closure due to financial constraints, but thankfully, it has survived.

It’s rugby-time this weekend in Edinburgh as the French come to Murrayfield to take us on in the Six Nations. There’s always a great atmosphere in the city when the international matches are on, but it definitely helps when we win, so hopefully we’ll see a moves like this, rather than this from the Scots.

When it comes to weather, Leith is probably most synonymous with sunshine, but new a report released this suggests that wind could well be challenging this conception very soon.

In Edinburgh, we’re used to our boffins developing firsts in science and technology , but experts at Edinburgh Napier University have been particularly busy in recent weeks, racking up two rather interesting firsts.

“Olright guv’nor me old china, any ideas where me and the trouble and strife can find a decent ruby to get our hampsteads into round ‘ere?” That’s what we should be expecting to hear more of in the streets of fair Edina very soon, with the news that droves of lovable cockney rogues will be able to make their way here in under four hours, thanks to the potential renaissance of The Flying Scotsman as part of proposals announced by Lord Adonis in the last few days. It’s not quite the high-speed rail link we blogged about last August, but it’s a start.

There’s been some promising noises about Edinburgh’s economic strength this week. Like Muhammad Ali and his rope-a-dope style, the capital has apparently managed to weather the worst of the storm, and looks set to bounce back quickly at the forefront of the economic recovery thanks to its range of strengths.

In Edinburgh, we’re renowned for our fine taste in food. Where else is chippy sauce a culinary institution for instance? But just in case you’re a Doubting Thomas, this week the esteemed Michelin Guide provided the requisite evidence. Let’s face it – with a physique like that, the Michelin man obviously knows his grub.

Whether it’s digging out the weeds, clearing away the snow or burying the family hamster, for those who’ve ever done some digging in the garden, when you hit something unexpectedly solid your pulse quickens. What could it be? An ancient Viking burial chamber, or a horde of roman gold perhaps?

Ahem, pray enjoy this little poem we composed for your delectation: In the battle ‘twixt sword and pen, The writer proclaims his might, But might alone won’t create a poem, As you can see from this pile of...nonsense. Ok, so we stink at poetry. But not everyone does. Which is why this year's One Book – One Edinburgh reading campaign is Carry a Poem. During February, Edinburgh’s residents will be challenged to carry a poem with them – in their pocket, in their bag, wallet, purse or even by iPod for those lovers of new-fangled contraptions.

It seems that by now, everyone in Scotland knows who Danny Macaskill is. If you don’t know him by name, you’ll probably know him as ‘that guy on the bike doing mental things’. Personally, we wouldn’t jump off some of the things he does with a parachute, let alone a bike, but since his exploits around Edinburgh went viral last April, would-be stunt riders have been trying to emulate his skills, with varying degrees of success.

Well it’s now January 5th - most of us are back to work by now, Christmas and Hogmanay are but distant memories and all our good intentions for 2010 are in danger of being swept under the carpet by the deluge of snow. But we’re determined to be a good influence you. We can be the Mickey to your Rocky. Or something like that. So if you’re planning on getting fit this year, we’ve come up with some ideas for those struggling for inspiration, or rather are just trying to avoid making a start.

We’ve probably all got plans for Hogmanay by now, but who has plans for January 1st? And no, nursing a hangover after a late night partying away the end of the decade doesn’t count. For those braver (or more stupid) souls amongst us, the annual Loony Dook at South Queensferry is the ideal option.

As you prepare to wave goodbye to the noughties and celebrate the end of the decade in style, you’ve probably been giving some thought to making some New Year’s resolutions. You know the type – like getting fit, quitting smoking or becoming more assertive. Maybe. If no one else minds.

If you don’t fancy tucking into the leftovers from Christmas dinner, or picking through the chocolates that everyone else didn’t want in the hope of finding a stray caramel, then you’ll no doubt be looking for something to occupy yourself. ‘But what?’ we hear your cry. Well, we’ve got some ideas for you. Aren’t we nice? We’ll also take any unwanted chocs off your hands too, because we’re such lovely people.

Sledging. Always one of the most joyful occasions as a child (especially if boiler had broken down at school and you had an unexpected day off). Ah, we remember it fondly. The mouthful of snow as you duck too late in the mass snowball fight and the camaraderie as you all worked together to create a giant snowball to push down the hill.

Everyone knows a wannabe movie star don’t they? They’ll be the friend or family member that’s always first up on the karaoke, is eager to show off their skills on national TV , and makes the most of the brief moment when the camera is on them in a crowd at a sporting event.

Ever gone on holiday and thought to yourself ‘hmm, this looks familiar’? It could be that you’ve seen Judith Chalmers waxing lyrical about the stunning vistas on the telly. Or perhaps it’s those many hours spent poring over the destination guides, wistfully longing for your holiday to arrive while you're stuck at your desk which resulted in the view being indelibly burnt into your brain.

If you went down to Princes Street Gardens on Sunday, you were sure of a big surprise. No, it wasn’t a teddy bear’s picnic, but rather the Great Santa run, which saw over 1000 people dressed up as Santa to complete a 1.5 km circuit for charity.

Good news for anyone thinking of going to the Tattoo in 2011, as it’s been revealed that millions will be spent upgrading the seating. If you’re going for a tattoo however, no amount of money will make that seat any more appealing.

So we attended the excellent Foodies Christmas Festival held at the Assembly Rooms over the weekend, a glorious two days of chef talks, food & drink masterclasses and a market selling everything from venison salami to fresh oysters to SuperJam.

Hate that moment when you arrive at the bus stop in the morning having gulped down your coco pops only to find that you’ve just missed the bus and have to waste ten minutes kicking your heels until the next one? Wouldn’t you rather have had the time to actually chew your breakfast, or better still, spend those extra ten minutes in bed?

Those boys over at Edinburgh Rugby have been at it again this week. They've been in the news again, but for a completely different reason this time - instead of making headlines for what they are wearing, now they’re making headlines for what they are not wearing. It might sound like something you’d expect from Gazza or Freddie Flintoff, but rest assured there’s no scandal involved here.

Edinburgh Napier University was the proud winner of a rather prestigious award this week, thanks to some ground-breaking research in housing construction. The Edinburgh institution walked away with the highest accolade that can be conferred on a higher or further education institution in the UK – the Queen’s Anniversary Prize 2009. Not surprising when you consider how enterprising Edinburgh is really.

So what did you get up to at the weekend? If one of your mates told you he’d been asked to pop round to see the guy who runs the country before spending the evening hanging out with James Bond, you’d have something to say. ‘Nonsense’, you’d cry. Or words to that effect.

Hello gentle reader, how are you today? What’s that? Sorry, you’ll have to shout – we can’t hear over Edinburgh Rugby’s new strip

Edinburgh has a rich tradition of invention and discovery - after all, the telephone, logarithms, colour photography, wave energy, the hypodermic needle, the Encyclopædia Britannica, Dolly the Sheep and even the digestive biscuit all stem from the city, while hundreds of other theories and creations have their roots in the capital.

Apparently, there’s a new craze sweeping Auld Reekie, inspired by the TV game show Come Dine With Me. You know, the one where people cook dinner for each other in the pretence it’s all about the experience, but it’s really about fulfilling their burning desire to show how brilliant and individual and wonderful they are on National TV.

When giving and receiving gifts at Christmas, it’s definitely the giving that’s the most satisfying isn’t it? Let’s face it, who actually enjoys getting presents?

Shopping in Edinburgh just got even better, and what’s more, the timing’s perfect. Why’s that we hear you cry? Well, it may have escaped your notice (it’s fairly easy to forget, especially if you have children) but there’s a little festival-thingy thing called Christmas round the corner. Apparently it’s some sort of celebration, people buy gifts for each other and most people get a day off . Whatever, it’ll never catch on.

It’s Bonfire Night this Thursday, and what better way to celebrate the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 , preventing explosions and a huge fire with, eh, explosions and a huge fire.

Well, it’s now more than a month after Fresher’s week and, by now, all you new students should be slowly settling down into some semblance of a routine – getting up at 2pm, attending lectures sans pen or paper and eating cold baked bins straight from the tin.

It’s Halloween tomorrow, and after a bit of research, we discovered that Halloween wasn’t actually invented purely so lads can dress up as pirates in a pitiful attempt at imitating Johnny Depp in order to pull girls, while said girls wear, well, very little indeed.

Scottish cities can't exactly be said to be synonymous with fashion like some other European cities are - London, Paris and Milan spring to mind.

Everyone likes a party, right? And of course, everyone likes feeling good about themselves too. Well, almost everyone.

News this week that millions of internet users are being duped into buying fake anti-virus software got us thinking. What other scams are there out there? Could Edinburgh be suffering from having it's own fake versions stealing our visitors or potential citizens? There are heaps of other places named after Scotland's capital - so we've done some investigating to assess any threat.

From when the little blighters get off around 4pm on Friday 16th October until they go back on that glorious morning of Tuesday 27th October, you obviously won’t want them vegetating in front of the googlebox for the entirety - they’ll need bucketloads of stimulating diversion instead.

If you’re considering setting up a business or investing in Edinburgh and you’ve not already been seduced by the fantastic opportunities and the terrific setting (not to mention the witty repartee on this site), then why not head along to the Invest UK conference on 13th and 14th October to find out more? .

If you’ve recently moved to the area,or are thinking about it, chances are you’ll be slowly working the multitude of things to do and see around Edinburgh. But one thought that might not have crossed you mind is what you would do should you happen to find yourself confronting with a date? What would you do? Where would you go?

This week, The University of Edinburgh was named as one of the top 20 universities in the world , which makes it one of the top five Europe and the UK, and the best in Scotland. Not bad going, eh?

Imagine you were on holiday abroad, enjoying a nice relaxing douk in the sea, when all of a sudden the next thing you know you were whisked out the water and put on sale on a shop in the local city? That’s exactly what happened to one unlucky 9ft Swordfish who was caught by a local fisherman in the Firth of Forth.

Last week saw Edinburgh’s trophy cabinet groan under even more weight as two of the city’s finest establishments picked up gongs.

After having contributed to the reek in Auld Reekie for well over a century, news came in this week that the North British Distillery is set to install an ‘odour control tower’. But for those of you non-Edinburghers who are unfamiliar with it, you may well be asking what exactly are they trying to control?

Those of faint heart and a nervous disposition might want to avoid the picturesque little village of Ormiston on the outskirts of Edinburgh come 10pm on October 30th.

Shock! Horror! David Starkey in petulant dig at Scotland scandal! Who’d have thunk it? Someone must have a new book or series coming out.

Aaaar me hearties! It was International Talk Like A Pirate Day at the weekend, and so enamoured with it all were we, we’ve been loathe to return to normal speech ever since.

Almost a year after its doors opened, The HMV Picture House is finally launching its club nights this Friday and Saturday. They’ve had no problem running gigs since the million pound revamp last summer, but due to a bizarre legal challenge it was unable to use the dancefloor for its club nights. Obviously, they decided not to bother with the nights until it was all resolved, for what would be the point if they didn’t have a dancefloor for everyone to throw some shapes on?