Spotlights - A Mini-Break in Edinburgh

2012-03-15T16:53:00.003-07:00

The English speaking world is large, it would be hard to experience it all, however much you may want to. There are parts that we love, be them places, people or things, that are maybe more unusual and which you may not have come across, and in this section we put them in the spotlight so that you don’t miss out on them.

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Any trip to Edinburgh must involve at least a day of being a classic tourist. A visit to the iconic Edinburgh Castle is a must, even though it involves paying an entry price that is as steep as the enchanting narrow streets of Edinburgh’s Old Town, which you’ll later explore. You can easily spend half a day getting in the way of the locals as you admire the imposing architecture around the Royal Mile, the Grassmarket and Cowgate, involving yourself in Auld Reekie’s history, and discovering Edinburgh’s famous (and infamous) former citizens.

For lunch, if you don’t fancy being ripped-off along with the other tourists at restaurants in Old Town, and if by some miracle it isn’t raining, then you can take a sandwich up to Calton Hill (with its incomplete Romanesque ruins) or to the Crags, both of which offer beautiful views across the city.   An adventurous few carry on walking from the Crags, over Arthur’s Seat, to Duddingston Loch and the wonderfully dingy ‘Sheep’s Heid’ pub for a pint or two of real ale before staggering back. Shopaholics amongst you will head back into town to get lost somewhere between George Street and Princes Street, maybe stopping for a cup of tea at the ‘Eteaket’ tea shop, and then later stopping for a cocktail at the prestigious ‘Dome’ or one of Edinburgh’s trendy, but overpriced, metropolitan bars. Thankfully these bars are interspersed with old-fashioned pubs, like the atmospheric Jekyll and Hyde, which stop the area being too pretentious and provide a haven from this yuppie paradise when it gets too much.

Any more time can be whiled away walking around the Meadows and sampling the local coffee shops, like the Chocolate Tree, or St Peter’s Yard. Further south is the Hermitage, a large park, where you can join local families, out with their children and dogs, walking up Blackford Hill for what I think is the best view of Edinburgh. A day can easily be spent walking down the Water of Leith from Haymarket to Dean Village, to see the open-air art gallery there, then continuing to the Botanical Gardens and afterwards to ‘The Circle’ café, or to the other pubs, cafés and charity shops around Stockbridge.

A bus ride away is Cramond, from where Cramond Island and its birdlife are accessible by a causeway that juts out into the Forth. It is submersed at high tide so be careful to check the times of the tides beforehand because if you have to be rescued it may well appear as an embarrassing story in the local rag, the ‘Edinburgh Evening News’. The village of Cramond itself is very picturesque, and from there you can take a peaceful stroll up the river Almond, but make sure you’re back in time to watch any people who misjudged the tides running back down the causeway from Cramond Island.

Cramond has a beach, as does Portobello to the east of Edinburgh, but the best beaches are further east. For a great day out that won’t break the bank, take a kite and a picnic on a train or bus to Aberlady and stroll the 10 or so miles along the beaches, or the coastal path, from Aberlady Bay to North Berwick, stopping there for fish and chips before taking a train or bus back.

A short bus ride south of Edinburgh, the masses ogle the intricate stonework of Rosslyn Chapel, as featured in ‘the Da Vinci Code’, which should not be missed even though entry costs an arm and a leg. Stay to explore the woods and the remains of an old castle around the Chapel, and if you have a few hours, walk upriver into Roslin Glen, (known as ‘the Hidden Glen’) for a wildlife-filled forest walk that provides some wonderful views.

You can’t help but be charmed by Edinburgh, whenever you go, but its best to go when there is a festival on. Whether it’s the heaving month-long Fringe Festival (which will leave a hole in your wallet) or just an evening torch-lit parade, Edinburgh knows how to throw a good party.

Article written by Leo

:: Edinburgh Mini-Break Notes ::

Classic – very typical of its kind, like all the others.

Iconic – having the character of an icon, a symbol worthy of respect.

Steep – not reasonably prices, expensive. It also means rising or falling sharply.

Enchanting – delightfully charming or attractive.

Getting in the way – obstructing, blocking the path.

Locals – local people, people who live nearby.

Imposing – grand and impressive in appearance.

Royal Mile, Grass Market, Cowgate – areas of Edinburgh’s Old Town.

Auld Reekie – a Victorian nickname for Edinburgh that means ‘old smelly’, because at the time the city smelled strongly of smoke and sewage.

Infamous – well known for being bad, or doing something bad.

Former – of the past, or occurring in the past.

Don’t fancy being – don’t feel like being, don’t want to be.

Ripped-off – swindled, charged more for something than it is worth.

Real ale – dark beer, popular in Britain.

Shopaholic – a compulsive shopper, someone who is addicted to shopping.

Prestigious – well respected and admired.

Trendy – fashionable.

Overpriced – expensive, more expensive than it is worth.

Metropolitan – of, or relating to a city, especially its fashion, culture.

Interspersed – mixed with other things at intervals; scattered among, scattered between.

Old-fashioned – not currently fashionable, not modern

Atmospheric – creating a distinct and pleasant mood, often of a period from the past or of romance.

Pretentious – something trying to look more important than it actually is.

Yuppie – an impolite term for a rich young middle-class professional who works in the city and has an expensive lifestyle.

Whiled away – spent in a relaxing away (only used in reference to time).

Juts out – sticks out.

The Forth – Edinburgh’s large famous river.

The Water of Leith – a small river in Edinburgh.

Haymarket, Dean Village, Stockbridge – areas of Edinburgh.

Causeway – a raised road across wet or low land.

Submersed – under water

Rag – an informal word for ‘newspaper’, especially one of low quality.

Misjudged – judged or guessed wrongly.

Won’t break the bank – won’t be expensive.

Ogle – to look at intently, usually with sexual desire.

Intricate – complicated or detailed.

Stonework – the parts of a building that are made of stone.

Costs an arm and a leg – costs a lot of money.

Heaving – full of lots of people.

Will leave a hole in your wallet – will be expensive.

Anglo-Klaxon Introduction

2012-03-15T16:45:00.001-07:00

Anglosphere is proud to present the Anglo-Klaxon, our brand new monthly audio e-magazine.

If you want to learn English, or brush up on your skills, the Anglo-Klaxon is an exciting new listening resource, with plenty of articles inside to entertain you.

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There are loads of free English resources for absolute beginners, and experts have TV, films and radio, but there’s not much for people in the middle, and most of this is boring. The Anglo-Klaxon is full of interesting, funny and bizarre articles, specially written for intermediate English learners. All our articles have learning notes, the audio articles have a written transcript and we provide a French translation to one article each month. We give you everything you need to practise your listening skills, without getting bored.

The Anglo-Klaxon staff have been reading, researching, traveling, partying, cooking, meeting strange people and getting into trouble at work, just so that we can create lively articles for you. In this first edition we'll be introducing you to the Irish celebration of St Patrick's Day, exploring Edinburgh (Scotland's capital city), educating you with some Scottish idioms and cooking some comfort food whilst we’re at it. There’ll also be weird people to meet, some misbehaviour at the office, true travel stories and there’ll even be time to talk about the books we’ve been reading.

Now that you know what it’s all about, it’s time to jump right in and really enjoy using your English with the Anglo-Klaxon.  

Leo - Chief Editor