The Scots and their Capital!

As I listen to the live debate on BBC Radio Scotland, where the panel speculate and debate about the possible recommendations in the upcoming government spending review and lay out their views on UK's biggest budget cuts since Thatcher's days, I shall pen an entry on this beautiful city they call Edinburgh.

It's been a month since I arrived in this place which they still call "a small town". So, besides the weather, the castles and the proud Scots, what are some of the other little things which spell Edinburgh?

1. The Coffee Places

With J.K Rowling claiming her fame from writing the Harry Potter series in the cafes in Edinburgh, one simply couldn't miss out on the numerous coffee places in this city.

It is always great to have a good cup of cappuccino and watch time pass by. It's just that I have not had the luxury to do the latter yet.

2. The Green Recycling Drive

This city is big on recycling. We have to sort food wastes from the reclyable materials, just as people do in Japan. Besides making it convenient for people to dump their recylable wastes into the various colour bins, supermarkets play their part by producing strong and big recycled plastic bags. One just need to spend 9p on the first big bag and you are on your way to a lifetime of free big bag, as you could exchange the old one for a new one when it gets completely worn out.

I wouldn't say that all Edinburgh dwellers are catching on this big bag idea but it has definitely changed my shopping habits at supermarkets. I have packed one in each of my handbags here and given my roommate one too, so that our flat won't be flooded with plastic bags from grocery shopping. I thought the bag exchange idea is really a cool idea to try, since we are producing far too many non-woven bags on our little island (I thought we are practically drowning in these bags) and making people pay that extra 10 cents or giving that 10 cents rebate on our island's BYOB days doesn't  seem to have any long term habit changing effect.

And as glass recyling is a little different, so this bottle is still sitting on the window ledge in my apartment. I will bring it to the school's recyling bin soon.

Needless to say, I could never understand why the recyle bin at my void deck back home was designed in that manner, where everything goes into the same big bin.

3. The Clobbered Streets and the Steps

My feet have been doing a lot of work. This is a walking city and some of the clobbered paths from the 17th century could well be the cure to my suspected heel spurs and plantar fasciitis-If only they  worked like reflexology stones. In the span of 4 weeks, I have already worn out 3 sets of foam heel cups, which I got for 1.99 each at PoundStretchers. They work much better than the expensive sillicon gel heel cups from Scholls but are currently sold out. I am banking on the new stocks coming in soon so that I may carry on clobbing on the streets.

4. The Traffic Lights

Something which many of us have not figured out are the traffic lights in Edinburgh. One has a hard time trying to anticipate when it will turn green. It probably works on a 3-way-turn, instead of the usual 2-way-turn back home. (Not sure how should I describe it but it is probably due to the right turns or left turns having their own timings in the whole traffic light system, so it gets some time getting used to.) One thing we are quite sure though is the rate of changing is too slow even for the locals, such that people are always prone to jaywalking. And as the saying goes, "When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do", hence we are starting to behave like a true local.

5. The Patient Drivers

Luckily for us, the drivers in Edinburgh are as patient as one can get. Or perhaps, we are simply too impatient and fast-paced back home? The friendliness of the drivers never fail to surprise me.

6. The Theatres

The city of Edinburgh is peppered with many theatres which offer a wide range of theatre activities. I pass by one, the Bedlam Theatre, everyday on my way to class.

I watched my first performance, Havana Rakatan in the Festive Theatre  last friday. Theatre culture seems so different here. We were allowed to bring in wine glasses and cocktails, so the theatre floor felt like a party dance floor when the lights were on at intermission, as the well-dressed audience got on their feet and swayed to the music. I might have exaggerated a little but theatre culture was one of a truly festive mood.

7. The Accessibility 

Accessibility in this sense, is not about the bus services and transport. I picked up this programme booklet at the Festive Theatre before the show, thinking that it listed performances across the Scottish land. I wasn't really wrong. The booklet did list most of this season's performances across Scotland . Nonetheless, it was meant for a different purpose, ie, Accessibility! The second page read like this:

The whole booklet was arranged to allow people with accessibility needs to figure out when and where is the best time for them to catch a performance. Parking information, transport information, lift information, information about position of the special seats, heaviness of doors at the entrance are some of the information provided. If there's any culture shock for me, it has to be this! Accessibility is definitely not only about infrastructure. The software has to be in place too!