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Tag Archives: Parades

Other fun in Edinburgh, ancient and modern

03 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by winifredcreamer in Edinburgh

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Attractions, History, Parades, walks

Some of the places we’ve visited and things we’ve seen in Edinburgh haven’t fit in to my comments until now. By joining Historic Scotland, we were able to visit Edinburgh Castle multiple times, Linlithgow Castle and there are 75 sites they manage. Not all have admission fees, and I enjoyed visiting one of these that was just down the road from our flat, in Corstorphine.

The low hedge marks the historic site from the front yard, and divides the two front yard from each other.

The low hedge marks the historic site from the front yard, and divides the two front yard from each other.

Once a village, now a neighborhood within Edinburgh, Corstorphine was part of lands belonging to the Forrester family. Corstorphine Castle lasted from the 14th to the 18th century, but is now gone. The only remaining structure of the estate is a dovecote, built of stone with about 1000 nesting boxes.

I visited this dovecote, and found it sitting in two adjacent front yards that neatly curve around halves of the structure. An informational sign suggests the structure avoided being demolished because of a local myth that anyone destroying a dovecote would be cursed.

7.6.16 Corstorphine-004After making my brief tour, I returned to the bus stop via the Corstorphine Old Parish Church and churchyard. The oldest part of the church dates to 1429 (Unbelievable!) The historic documentation of some structures is impressive. There are records of who owned and built what building by dates in the 1200s. As a resident of the New World, I am amazed.

Without entering a museum in Edinburgh you can see historic symbols.



7.8.16 with Kathleen Renk-007

We also saw lots of entertainment in the street. My favorite busker is the bagpiper in Highland dress, though there was also a jazz bagpiper. 7.14.16 Jazz piper

 

 

 

 

7.8.16 with Kathleen Renk-009

 

Sometimes it was not clear what was going on, as with the drum group on the steps of the National Museum of Scotland. The drumming was great.

 

 

The parade for the opening of the Edinburgh Jazz Festival that precedes the overall Edinburgh Festival, was also full of character.

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The most unusual site we visited was the Dazzle Ship at the Prince of Wales Dock in Leith. A combination of history and art, the MV Fingal was repainted by artist Ciara Phillips as a tribute to the “dazzle” ship painting used during WWI. 7.24.16 Leith-003The original idea was not to disguise ships but to distract and confuse anyone viewing them through a telescope. Sadly, there is no evidence that the system worked at all, but the resulting ships were a distinctive landmark of the war. At least 2000 ships were painted in this way in Several ships have been “dazzled” by artists as part of a project sponsored by a number of UK institutions as part of this year’s centenary commemoration of WWI.

7.24.16 Leith-006verThe Fingal was a supply ship of the Northern Lighthouse Board, built in 1963, to ply the coast of Scotland and later the Orkneys, resupplying remote towns and lighthouses until 2000. Now owned by the Royal Yacht Brittania Trust (the Fingal is docked just around the corner from the former royal yacht), the Fingal is scheduled to become luxury hotel accommodations in 2018. Really?

 

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In the neighborhood

30 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by winifredcreamer in Peru

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Parades

Every afternoon at 5 pm we walk down the sidewalk to the end of the beach and back We say hello to most of the people we pass, and occasionally stop to exchange air kisses with friends who we have not yet seen this season. We also keep track of what changes and what stays the same.

11.27.15 BeachsmOne thing that stays the same is the group that plays soccer most afternoons on the beach. Here the tide is high enough that they splashed in and out of the water.

Both teams are mototaxi drivers taking a break. Sometimes there are a dozen vehicles parked along the sidewalk. Friends and family watch and chat.

 

Working moms in Barranca often take children to work when they are not in school, or on the weekends. Here are a couple of women who sell goods in street stalls with their playpen set up beside them and their babies playing together.

11..28.15 Sat babysitting sm

11.27.15 Beach-004sm

Something that is new is the construction of a very small two story house right by the public water tap, where people who have no plumbing get their water and wash their clothes. You can see the large sign “No washing cars” that is ignored.

We spoke to a man working on the project who said it is a space for the local security men (Serenazgo). I’m wondering whether this location was selected so that the security people can collect bribes from the people who insist on washing their cars with the public water.

 

And in the “Some things never change” category,

11.26.15sm

Some time ago, this hole in the pavement was cordoned off as you see, shoveled out (pile in background), ready for repaving with new asphalt. Now there’s a good crop of weeds, but no sign of a road crew. Will they come before I leave Barranca on March 1? Wait and see.

 

There’s nothing like an unexpected procession to enliven my Saturday.

11..28.15 San Martin de Porres-003smFor the feast day of Saint Martin de Porres, a very important saint in Peru, there was a procession on Saturday that went up the street past our house and then back down to his shrine, set up outside the Ordonez restaurant. After the solemnities were over, there was a fiesta with food and dancing, and regular fireworks. For late in the evening a large framework for fireworks was constructed on the beach. I didn’t stay up late enough to see it, though I checked outside the front door a couple of times during the evening.

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Greetings from Barranca

24 Tuesday Nov 2015

Posted by winifredcreamer in Peru

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Parades

I didn’t realize they would be throwing us a parade, but it was fun to see enthusiasm for education. Thanks, University San Pedro in Barranca. I am not sure what was being celebrated, but the queen might be “Miss Learner” 2015.

11.21.15 Barranca Parade-004sm

11.21.15 Barranca Parade-002smPart of the reason for the parade is to celebrate the presence of the university and I am all for that. As Jonathan noted on his facebook page, there are some dubious sponsors, like the mobile drinks truck, but the paraders were just having fun.

11.21.15 Barranca Parade-005sm

The blending of past and present is highly visible in parades like this one. A recent poll in Peru showed most people consider themselves to be a mix of backgrounds (mestizo).

11.21.15 Barranca Parade-006sma

 

 

11.21.15 Barranca Parade-013sma

The “Marinera” dancers here are from a traditional dance performed on the coast, especially in northern Peru.

The dancers dressed as skeletons and carrying bones display highland traditions, where there are many dances and dance groups, most consisting of groups of both men and women, like this one.

11.21.15 Barranca Parade-023

Many families that live in Barranca today emigrated from the highlands to this coastal region in search of work and to escape drought conditions. Some arrived as nomadic herders and later settled in towns and cities.

 

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