O perfil de chryses2

Pizza Express on North bridge, while being part of a chain of such establishments, professes to be a non-franchised eatery. To the casual customer, this would seem true. Leaning heavily on a perceived informality countered by stylish and clean-cut setting for caricature, it runs the gauntlet between a high-class restaurant and pizza shop. While a little on the pricey side for a cheap meal out, it does cater for the penniless amongst us, if you pick and choose carefully from the menu, including a couple of nice pasta dishes. A short but interesting wine list and a bright and cheery atmosphere rounds off a nice night out.

Having been on the hunt for a ‘local’ in the area of Edinburgh I was living in at the time, I finally found Bierex. Recommended by a friend who knows a good bar when he drinks at one, I gave it a shot. A nice mix of quirky and conservative, they serve beer fast and well, the food is very reasonably priced, and the leather bay-style window seats are great for watching the world go by. This can be a quite pub, so don’t expect it to be pumping other than at peak drinking times. The split levels, circular bar and toilets downstairs in the depths of the earth all leave a good impression, the sort of impression that finds you recommending to your friends, or taking a mate for Saturday lunch and a beer.

Situated next door to the Edinburgh Central Lending Library on George 4th, the Music Library is tucked away down stars out of sight, with only a small sign near the door to entice one inside. Once you have found the place, the library proves to be a largish, open-plan space with plenty of nooks and crannies for some quite browsing. All seems well until you attempt to find a book. The sign suggesting that some books may be out of place do to a partial re-cataloguing in process falls every so slightly short of the mark to fully describe the situation. The staff seem reluctant to help, or bring up books from the stacks, and need to be very firmly encouraged to attempt to locate a book that you have found in the catalogue, and is listed as being shelved and available to borrow. Finally I was assisted in my search by a lady who took me to a shelf about 5 meters long and 7 shelves high and told me that the book ‘would probably be there’… Where? On the shelf. Somewhere.

There is a large selection of very eclectic CDs, and a great selection of books ranging from music history, styles, production, recording, industry studies, biographies, specialist instrumental studies, as well as sheet music, journals, papers, magazines, etc. Well worth a look if you have some time, an interest in music, and are not after anything in particular…

Opened in October 2004, the Scottish Parliament Building has been the topic of much debate and controversy. Costing more than ten times the initial budget and opening three years later than scheduled, it prompted a major public enquiry into its construction. Its location was questioned from the outset, as was the choice of architect and design. Despite these issues, the building as attracted much international acclaim and won numerous awards, including the Stirling Prize, one of the most important British architectural awards. Guided tours a regularly run through this complex and fascinating building, and are defiantly worth while. The Canongate Wall, situated outside the building as you walk up Canongate, has numerous quotes from celebrated Scots writers and poets inscribed in stones set into the wall. A slow stroll past is a great way to finish off a days exploration of Scottish politics, architecture and identity.

It’s bright red and it’s just across the meadows from town. It’s an old deli that has changed hands frequently throughout its history. Other than its cheery and welcoming red exterior, there are some nice tables and chairs outside, and on a nice day this is the place to be. The usual deli fare is on offer, along with a good range of interesting wines, oils, breads and coffee. On summer weekends a BBQ is often set up out the front of the shop, and this brings in the punters off the meadows, as does the wine tasting, juice tasting, oil tasting, etc. Victor Hugo is staffed by a constantly changing group of young girls, and a new face is guaranteed at virtually every visit. I’m not sure why…

This cathedral has often been called ‘the mother of Presbyterianism’, do to John Knox taking on the role as the first post-Reformation minister after the last mass was said on March the 31st, 1560. Dedicated to St Giles, the patron saint of lepers and cripples, some parts of the church are held to date from 1124, although a fire in 1380 destroyed the church almost completely. Of particular note are the stained-glass windows, famed throughout Scotland as some of the best surviving examples from the 19th and 20th century. St Giles is seeped in the history of Edinburgh and its people, and a visit will undoubtedly enthuse the visitor to discover more of its pregnant history.

Who knows who owns it, or runs it, or where it lives when it’s not in action. It’s that grungy, grimy grill you pass just after you cross Lauriston Place to walk down the foot/cycle path through the meadows. Mostly, the whole concern consists of a man with his hands in his jacket pockets, a stack of cardboard textured, well ‘browned’, round and very flat mince patties approximately 7 items high, and various buns and sundry sauces presumably tucked safely away out of sight. Now what really impresses me about this gift to gastronomy is that despite all odds, I have often mentally counted the coins in my pocket as a walk past, just in case, (I never really would, though, you know), just in case I MIGHT have the right spare change…

One of the most common concerns of the newly arrived traveller to Edinburgh, or indeed any foreign city, is finding an address, getting proof of that address, finding a job, and sorting out a bank account. Now HSBC are onto that, and have a ’passport’ account that uses your native country bank account as proof of who you are and where you come from. All well and good, but now comes the good bit. Don’t get sucked into setting up your account at the HSBC branch on Princes Street. Hidden away down Hanover street is the Business branch, who also deal with regular customers like you and me. This branch actually has real people, who meet you at the door, take your details, and send you off to an office where you are seated and treated like a real person. Perchance there is a short wait involved, help yourself to a complimentary cup of brewed coffee, take a seat in a leather lounge, brows the foreign papers or catch up on the latest sports news on the wide screen TV. Not bad at all for a trip to the bank!

This pub is known the world over as the folk music pub of Edinburgh. With a long history of great and famous folkies having played, drunk and played again between its narrow, confined walls, this reputation is well founded. Unfortunately, one can’t actually hear anything at all, due to the fact that this is a very popular pub with both locals and tourists. Despite the crush, it’s a reliable place to find a happy, chatty bunch of people from all walks of life, and by the time you’ve walked from the front door to the toilets at the back, you’ve met everyone, and know the name of the man in the blue shirt by the door’s dog. And that’s what a good night out is all about, right?

The Mitre, situated on the royal mile, and thus in the heart of the old town/tourist quarter, seems to frequented by tourists. This is not to say that locals don’t drink here, its just that paying that much for a pint, listening to a man sing old Scottish favourites and make jokes about sounding Scottish is probably not what they’re up for after a day at work. A large and bright pub with a good selection of whisky and wine along with the usual beers, it also serves food and boasts a nice dining area out the back. Service is prompt and friendly, so if you’re wondering the Mile and trying to pick a pub, give this a try, and you might be lucky enough to witness a man singing in a very Scottish accent and possibly having a fang at the bagpipes. But only if you’re lucky.