The first ever hostel

 Whenever I tell people at home or even sometimes here in the UK, that I live in a hostel, they are astonished and can't really imagine what it's like. Especially in Germany where the concept of hostels is relatively new (apart from the classic youth hostel) it is very hard for my friends and family to understand why I choose and like this kind of life (most of the time). I am not even sure, if I chose it or if it cose me. It just happened and I am okay, quite often even happy with it.



It all started in Ireland in January 2005. I had spend the last couple of months of 2004 as an Au Pair in Ireland in Co. Claire somewhere in the middle of nowhere. There was no shop, no pub! and the next bus station with a regular bus was 2 miles away. Apart from my host family I had little contact with the locals and spend almost every night in front of the telly and was terribly lonely. So when Christmas came the family and I decided to part ways. I would go home and spend the holidays with my friends and family and come back three weeks later to move in with the only friend I had in the near by city of Limerick and find a job and do my own thing.



There was just the little issue that I was not officially registered at Silvina's (my friend) flat and the office that gives out the PPS numbers (Social Security Number which is the one legal requirement I needed to work in Ireland) needed a proof of address from the landlord. The good thing was that I had a friend in Galway who is also German and had moved to Ireland 2 years before me and I knew he'd be able to help me.



 So I phoned him up and he told me to come to Galway and we'd take care of it together. And that was the first time I sat foot into a backpacker hostel. I am not even sure, if I stayed there this time around, I may have even stayed at my friend's house but it was then that I decided to stay in Galway not in Limerick.

Galway City Centre

Why you ask? First of all Galway is just such a wee gem of a city. It is directly on the coast, you literally walk 5 minutes from the main shop street to the beach, there are buskers (street performers) everywhere and there is just such a lovely alternative scene that I really loved. Limerick on the other hand is rough, pretty ugly and just not very friendly. But the moment when I finally made my decision was when I was sitting at the office to apply for my PPS number again. While I was sitting there and waiting for my turn a guy came in and like in a rom-com or a romance novel, I just knew, he was special and that I wanted him. I know how this sounds, but there is really no other way to describe it. Seeing him made me move to Galway and into the hostel, since it was the cheapest accommodation in town and my friend didn't have enough space to let me stay at his place. I knew I might not even see "my guy" again, but there were so many other great people and so much going on that made me sure I'd be happier in Galway.

the hostel back then

The hostel as it turned out was a dump, but I loved it. It occupied the three top floors of a four story building, with the common areas on the first floor and the dorms in the two top ones. It had a total of 58 beds with 8-10 beds in each dorm, a kitchen, a dining room and a TV room. That doesn't sound so bad, does it? But the condition the hostel was in... there was always something leaking, sometimes it would drip in the TV room, the water from the bathrooms came running down the bottom stairs, because some pipe was leaking and for a while you couldn't use the kitchen sinks because the whole kitchen would flood. Nobody liked going into the backyard where the bins where located because there were rats, probably from the canal that was flowing past the back of the building. I think that was one also of the reasons why the shops below the hostel were abandoned. The showers and toilets were gross with mold everywhere and no proper toilet paper dispensers.

that's how things got fixed

The manager lived in the hostel and got payed 40 Euros a day cash in hand and was only around a few hours a day. There were no locks on the doors and only one lock with with a code on the front entrance. (By the way I looked it up online and it seems in much better condition now...)

two of my room mates

But even though the building was in really bad condition some of the people I met there will stay with me forever. I don't exactly remember all the people I met since I went back a few times and people came and went. But I remember I really quickly moved into room No. 6 which had the coolest people in the hostel. Most of them were Spanish speakers (Argentinian, Bask, Catalan, from Andorra and a guy from Italy who also spoke Spanish). There were also a bunch of Polish people in the hostel, a French men, a guy from New Zealand and many more. And even though we were all from VERY different backgrounds and there for different reasons, we were one of these typical dysfunctional hostel families. We lived, partied, worked and even fought together. I learned my first bits of Spanish, I started making money with busking, I improved my English quite a bit and I learned so much about myself.

 There is only one person out of all of these people that I am still in contact with and that's because he also lives in Edinburgh now but I still remember a lot of people from back then and so many special moments that would never have happened had I not moved into that hostel. I even met my mystery guy from the office again. But I am not sure I'll ever share that story...

the Fringe is over - halleluja!

Today is the last day of the Fringe. A lot of shows have already finished others have their last show tonight, but you can already see and feel that it's over. Today most of our short term guests checked out this morning and tonight a lot of beds will stay empty for the first time in about a month. And it feels good, like we can finally catch our breath. Don't get me wrong, the Fringe is a fantastic event, but it is also exhausting, especially if you live and work right in the middle of it.

The first thing that's different is the amount of people. They are everywhere and there are way too many of them. Just going to the supermarket is a challange, because you have to dodge tourists every two metres, you unintentionally photo bomb someone at least once a day, because you can't be arsed to wait till their done (at least I can't) and it just takes way longer to get where you want to go.

And with the people comes a ton of noise. There are buskers everywhere and they are not always that good, sometimes you want to give them money so they'll stop playing. Of course there are really good ones, too, but I am not always in the mood, for Spanish flamenco or Scottish bagpipes.
Since the military tattoo is one there are fireworks almost every night and sometimes you just forget and you get a little scare when it suddenly sounds like world war III is just up the road. Not to mention the army's jets flying above your house... But my least favourite noise are yelling partying people. Right in front of my window is a landing that leads to the flats above me and almost every night I have a bunch of kids out there yell-talking like it wasn't 4am and everybody else was their beds trying to catch some Zs. Disrespectful little twats!

I am also tired of working until 6.30am. Tonight is the last night, I have to do an all-nighter and you wouldn't believe how glad I am. It was fun in the beginning, because it was nice having the common area all to myself in the wee hours and all the time in the world to get the cleaning done but now I am just tired and looking forward to the shorter shifts. Also, I somehow don't seem to manage to get more that 5-6 hrs sleep at the moment and it's catching up with me, might be the noise. All I want to do is crawl into bed or even better go on a holiday on a deserted island (with a lot of sun!). 

Well the island is actually an option, maybe not with sun, but because I have worked so much I have a bunch overtime hours, which I can use in any of our other hostels. And we have one on the Isle of Skye. SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN!!!

Fringe Review IX - Andrew O'Neill's history of heavy metal

I am not really a metal head, never have been. There are a few bands that I like but there are also quite a few that... well are not my cup of tea. But I am generally open to that scene and I definitely prefer it over a lot of others. And since I don't know a whole lot about its history a little lesson on that subject seemed like a good idea.

And I was right. Andrew O'Neill is hilarious but at the same time, if you want to you can really learn something about heavy metal. I certainly did. That Metallica's drummer prefers to stand up all the time or that the first distorted guitar sounds were actually made by broken amps for example.

What's great about the show is, that as soon as Andrew enters the stage you know that he knows what he's talking about. He is a proper metal head, with long hair, denim west with band patches and he even brings his guitar. But he also seems a bit like a geek and that combination makes him believable to me, because he probably spends a lot of time researching the stuff he loves.

He actually does tell you the history of heavy metal, from bands that came before and paved the way to all kinds of different genres and their most famous bands. I've heard most of the names of these bands but don't really know what they sound like or where the actual difference between all these genres is. That's where Andrew's guitar comes in. He simply shows his audience what he's talking about. He plays the different kinds of metal. You  really get the idea that thrash metal and black metal are two completely different things... when it comes to music and when it comes to looks (black metallers just look silly).

But what's also cool is that he goes beyond just the plain history of heavy metal, he knows what else was going on in the different decades in the music industry and he knows about the stereotypes and cliches that come with his scene and instead of ranting about them, he is able to make fun of them and of a scene he clearly loves.

One thing he says towards the end of his show, is something that I've never thought about, but is absolutely true: right now is the best time to be a metal head. Thanks to the internet we have the chance to listen to all the stuff that has been released in the past 45 years of heavy metal history. If we'd been around at any other decade during these 45 years we would probably have missed out on one genre or another. Today we can just go on youtube, spotify or any other source and listen to what ever recommendation or new band we come across.

I recommend seeing Andrew's show, if you come across it. Even, if you are not a metal head, even if there is not a single metal band or song you like. You might still learn something.

Fringe Review VIII Loretta Maine

I already wanted to see Loretta Maine's show last year, but unfortunately didn't have the money. Since my financial situation has improved this year and I saw that she was back again, I had to make sure I would catch her.

To be honest I didn't even know what to expect, but somehow her poster last year and the title off this year's show spoke to me: Strong independent woman (unless when I am very tired). Hell yeah, I can relate to that. And the poster last year reminded me a lot of Courtney Love, whose music I quite like, even though I am not sure, I would like her as a person, if I'd ever meet her.

Her show was held in one of the circus tents at the Assembly at George Square Gardens, which is a really nice venue. On stage we had a (female, yeah!!!) drummer, a guitarist, a keyboard player and Loretta herself. I did know that there would be some form of music involved, I just didn't know how much.

The whole show centered around Loretta herself, who is a bipolar, somewhat grungy, slightly alcoholic trailer park girl and celebrity singer/songwriter. In this year's show she tells us how her management and her are trying to change her image and make her a pop star, she even shows up in a pink cocktail dress but loses that and most of her other clothing during the show. And she goes from trying to be sweet girl to blubbering drunk white wine witch. That transformation is always accompanied by or told through her music.

Loretta includes the audience and no one is safe (not even me who tried to hide in the last row in the dark), she flirts with you, yells at you and sits on your lap. But apart from her comical talent, she really is an amazing musician. She can sing, I mean BOY CAN SHE SING and she does all kinds of styles, from pop, singer/songwriter to country and even rap. And she does it well, I am thoroughly impressed.

As I said, I didn't really know what to expect when I went to see the show and it was different from what I thought it would be but I was positively surprised and I recommend this show - not only to women!

Fringe review VII Blues Brothers

I have to admit, I've only seen the movie once. And it took me 31 years to watch it (that's right baby, that's how old I am), now I get why it's such a thing. But I've always loved the music long before I saw the movie. So when I heard that we have a Blues Brothers show here at the Edinburgh Fringe and that it was rated with 5 starts, I thought, YESSS. And if it's just a bunch of people performing these songs really well, it would be worth the £10.

It was. I mean it was worth £10 and it was a bunch of people performing these songs but it was so much more. So much energy, fun and hawt music! Surprisingly it was a really young crew, I don't think anyone was older than 30. But boy they had soul. It wasn't just Jake and Elwood on stage, singing along to some playback music, they had a full band with brass and back round singers.
Not only could all of them sing they could also dance like they were born to do it. Especially the combination of both is impressive as I know how hard it must be to sing in tune when jumping around stage.

Unfortunately the microphones of the two female background singers were a little to low at the beginning and you could barely hear them. They also sang Aretha Franklin's freedom and although they gave it their best effort they just didn't quite have the volume and range. But than again, who does? Trying to sing Aretha is nearly impossible you have to be a very special singer to get anywhere close to her awesomeness.

Who did an amazing job though was the guy singing James Brown's and a couple of other parts. The was just OH MY GOD AMAZING!!! He made my knees week and I was glad I was sitting already. Hot shit!

The two guys playing Jake and Elwood had their parts down to a T, they were so good for a while I wasn't sure, if they were actually singing and playing their harmonica live. There is not much more I can say about them, they were just perfect in their roles. Like they weren't casted but born for it.

The whole thing was just so much fun that it really didn't feel like an hour had passed, when they started the encore. And by that time pretty much then entire audience was on their feed and dancing and singing along, which was just beautiful. They played all the right songs from "Stand By Your Man" (including the hand movements!) and "Minnie the Moocher" to "Soul-man" and "Everybody". Such a good show, I am glad went to see them. If I didn't have to work the next couple of nights I might actually go and see it again. So yeah, I do recommend this show. But hurry up, the Fringe ends on Monday!

Oh what a night

When the kids asked me  earlier on, if I wanted to make this story into a blog post I declined. But that was before the encore...

As a night porter it is my job to kick everyone out at 11 pm who doesn't stay here, as in guests' friends or former longtermers visiting their old pals. But it also means that I have to try to keep people from sneaking into the hostel, thinking they could crash here for free or hook up with their latest pub/club conquest.

There are several reasons for this. The biggest reason is simply health and safety. Every guest has to sign into a book, so we can keep track of, who is here and which bed they are in. In case there should ever be a fire we can easily track who made it out and who didn't. Sounds horrible, I know. And imagine that scenario and we had more bodies than people from our register missing. We'd be fucked!
Of course it also is just plain bold sneaking in and trying to get free accommodation. As hard as it sounds but we are trying to run a business here!

So tonight one of our guests came home with a girl. He has been staying here for a while so I new his face, but didn't recognize her so I asked her for her ticket (it's a little card that proves that they are staying here) and it turned out he had give her his ticket, trying to sneak her in. BUSTED! I told her, that she couldn't be here after 11 pm and that she had to leave. When she asked, if she could use the loo, I told her she could, but that if she wasn't out of the hostel in 10 minutes, I would come and find her and kick her out.

10 minutes went by and there was no trace of her, so I went looking. They weren't in his room or bed, there was no one in the fire exit, so the last possibility was the bathroom. This hostel doesn't have many places you could hide in. Sure enough when I entered the boys bathroom I heard voices out of one of the cubicles. I banged against the door, telling them that she had to get out of the hostel or I would call the cops. That threat works every time.

Of course she tried to make up all kinds of excuses why they were together in the cubicle in the boys' bathroom. Yep, I am sure all you guys did is talk.
On her way out of the hostel, she complained that this wasn't a nice hostel and so on. I am sorry, but if I tell you that you are not allowed to be here and that all you could do was pee and then get out, and you lock yourself in the bathroom with your new boytoy than NO, I am not fucking nice!

Some of my kids (that's what I call other longtermers) had heard what was going and were now sitting in the reception area and as soon as I was done escorting them out, they burst into giggles. It didn't help when they went for a smoke and found the condom he obviously had lost on the stairs... more laughter.

Of course no one would look at him or even talk to him, when he came back... who knows where they went to shag...too awkward.

That was the main act, and I thought at that point it was all of the excitement, one night could bring. But I was wrong.

One of my other jobs is to clean the common areas of the hostel: kitchen, lounge and bathrooms. No problem, I've done that a few hundred times but guess who was sleeping in one of the showers? Yep, boytoy (he seems to have knack for bathrooms)!

At first I thought it was someone else, because there had been two really drunk boys and I was concerned one of them might puke. So woke him up to find out, if he was so drunk he worried about puking or if he just had locked himself out. Imagine my shock when it turned out to be boytoy! He of course wasn't happy to see me either, he was probably still pissed at me for cock blocking him and on top of that I woke him up. Buy he'll thank me in the morning, because he won't have a stiff neck or a sore back from sleeping on the hard floor in the way to short shower cabin.

An even if he is pissed off with me now, I was just doing my job buddy!

Fringe Review VI Michael Mittermeier

There are a bunch of Germans who also work for the company my hostel is part of and together we went to see a German comedian called Michael Mittermeier.

Back when I was a teenager he was one of THE comedy superstars in Germany. I even owned a VHS cassette (yep that's how long he's been around) of the program which I think made him famous. I don't know if it was me just losing interest or if he actually disappeared from the face of the earth but I feel like I haven't heard from him in a while. Well, it might have something to do with the fact, that I left Germany years ago and don't have TV since 2006...

Anyways so here I was with my German friends in a room with about 200 - 300 people at the Fringe and really not knowing, if I would like his show or not, because I remember that when re-watching said VHS I felt like I had grown out of that kind of humor.

But WOW!!! I was quite surprised at how much I actually laughed. As I've said before, I am usually not a big comedy fan, but Michael Mittermeier hits a nerve. Maybe it's the fact that he is German, too and there is actually such a thing as German humor, but I really thought he was hilarious.

The show is called Blackout and he talks about all kinds of blackouts : an electricity blackout while living in New York, too much alcohol, being knocked unconscious and the Germans during WWII.
But he also talks a lot about being German, TV, zombies, Oktoberfest, Chinese people and having clowns for breakfast.
As a German who has traveled a bit and works with people from all over the world I can relate to a lot of cliches he brings up. And it is refreshing to find a German comedian who can make fun of the war in a way that doesn't make me cringe, because he makes fun of the victims, he doesn't.

What I admire about Mittermeier is that he doesn't need props or a flashy light show (well there is a teeny tiny bit of that at the beginning), he only uses his body language (he is master in making the funniest faces) and his voice to underline his words.

I am not sure how many Germans and how many non-Germans there were in the audience and who had more fun, but I do recommend this show if you are German or have German friends or colleges. You might recognise yourself or someone you know.

Oh Captain! My Captain!

As you all will have heard by now, Robin Williams is dead.

Originally I wanted to write a review about the Fringe show that I had seen earlier, but when I heard the news I wasn't able to finish that post. It will have to wait until tomorrow...
I am shocked and I am fighting tears as I am writing this, because I am sitting at reception trying to do my night shift. But my heart hurts and I feel the urge to write this.

The internet right now is flooded with posts and tweets about him. Everyone is shocked and everyone knows that with Robin Williams' death there will be a gap in a lot of people's lives that no one can fill. He was such a unique figure, he could be the funniest person in the world but he could also make you think, sometimes even cry and there might be a few roles where he actually scares me. But somehow he was always different in a cool way.

While I was talking with some of my hostel kids about his death we also talked about his movies and characters. It was bitter sweet, because some of these movies are part of our child hood and we dearly love them but the guy who made us laugh and cry at the same time, isn't around anymore. And pretty quickly while we were talking someone, probably even me, mentioned "Dead Poets' Society" - one of my favourite movies of all times.
And I am not just saying that, you can look at old internet profiles or even back to the days when I still had pen-pals, that movie always made it on the list of my favourite movies.
I don't actually know when I first watched the movie, but I must have been a teenager and I was so deeply impressed.

For those who haven't watched it, Robin Williams plays an English teacher returning to the rather conservative school he once attended as a boy to teach a class of teenage boys. He is different than the other teachers, doesn't believe in classic teaching methods and encourages his students to think for themselves and discover the beauty of poetry on their own terms. Some of them embrace it and discover themselves and some real talent within.

And that impressed me so much as rebellious teenager. I am not even sure what I was protesting against, I think that has just always been part of me and probably always will be. But back then apart from having a crush on the actors playing the teenagers, Dead Poets' Society just hit a nerve. The message of not listening to authorities and doing things on your own terms and using your own mind to learn and understand things spoke to my soul, laud and clear. It is okay to walk outside of familiar paths and discover what lies beyond the known and safe, because it makes you discover yourself and be who you really are. And boy, can I relate to that! I am quite sure that this movie had a little part in me becoming who I am and reminding me every now and then when I would re-watch it, that I should do things I want and not the things people expect of me.

Back in the movie the new found freedom of course can't last forever for the students and the teacher and things fall apart in a rather tragic way. I am not going to go into details, I don't want to spoil too much but it ends with the teacher having to leave school. I believe it is the last scene (I haven't watched the movie in years, but will do that as soon as I finish work) where he is leaving the classroom and half the students, one by one climb onto their desk and say "Oh Captain, My Captain" which relates to one of the lessons he taught earlier in the year. It is one of the most beautiful scenes in film history and makes me cry every single time, now probably more than ever.

So as Robin Williams is leaving this classroom, this school called life, I shout into the world "Oh Captain, My Captain!" as a farewell and although I am sad he is gone, I am SO THANKFUL for this movie in particular and I have the utter most respect for his entire work.

May heart goes out to his family. 

Fringe Review V The Lock-in Cabaret

The other night the hostel kids wanted to go to a cabaret show and asked, if I wanted to join them. Since I had a night off and I think I have not nearly seen enough shows I agreed to come along. And I am way more interested in cabaret than comedy anyways. 

The show was being held in the beautiful Voodoo Rooms. Not the easiest venue to find, but the room , the Lock-In cabaret was happening was amazing, kind of shabby chic.

The show itself turned out to be held by two magicians called Griffin and Jones who lead the audience through an hour of different artists that change every night. Griffin and Jones opened the show by the usual introductions, some jokes and magic tricks that shocked and maybe even grossed out the audience, but they were non the less impressive.

After that there was a female burlesque act, I am very sorry, but apart from Griffin and Jones I did not manage to catch any other names of the performers. Anyways, the burlesque act only performed one song, but I really enjoyed it. And NO not only because she took most of her close off, it was because the show she had put together was very clever, funny and her performance overall well done.

Next was a comedian from, as we learned during his performance, a tiny place in South England. He talked about how life as a country boy was and how it compares to the big city. I have to admit, that I did not understand everything he said. The rest of the audience seemed to find him very funny while I again, as usual had a chuckle here and there but wasn't blown away. It seems like I just don't share the same sense of humor. And as I said, I am not much for comedy shows anyways.

Next was another burlesque show. This time by a man, who at first played the role of a cowboy, including hat and toy gun. He included the front row of the audience which was quite funny especially since he had no problem coming on to the boys as well. In good old burlesque fashion he started taking most of his clothes off. With each item he lost, he produced a yellow flower. I have to admit that I am not sure that to do with male burlesque. I don't think it is sexy most of the time, but this performer managed with his cowboy outfit and the flower he produced to at least play a little with the male stereotype, especially since the flower he pulled out of his boxers hung it's had in rather sad manner....

The last performer was a female American comedian. And at his point I would like to mention that people in the audience, who can't shut up are arseholes! Her set was good and she tried at first to involve to hecklers and make fun of them but ended up ignoring them all together because they just wouldn't shut up. The comedian had no problem with crude jokes and making fun of her own country.

Griffin and Jones kept doing little magic tricks and a little stand up in between the different acts and also trying to get the noisy audience in the back to shut up. They were the perfect hosts for a show like that and ended it with wiggling themselves out straitjackets. A lot of entertainment for just one hour!.  

Fringe: Arts and crafts markets

With the Fringe you get comedy, theatre, cabaret and music but you also get quite a few more or less permanent arts and crafts markets.

Outside of the festival you usually have a few stalls on the Royal Mile with a lot of imported and locally made jewellery, woolens and other stuff, but also painters, henna tattoos and other stuff. During the festival that changes a little, you get more local stuff on the Mile and more painters and there is bigger variety of crafts available.

Today I went to the new town the first time since the festival started and I thought, I'd have a look what's happening on St. Andrew's square, since it usually is a popular stop for events. And there were a couple off stalls as well. Most of them had international arts and crafts but some also seemed rather local. And there was one tent showing "a refreshing new approach to art". I think the guys who organise the whole thing are from Breeze Gallery and I am telling you they had some amazing paintings and drawings. Oh My God. I loved them all. A lot of them had one or another Edinburgh motive but some of them also were portraits of famous artists, there were a couple of paintings that showed a rainy US American city, which took my breath away. There was quite the variety of styles and motives, but all of them had in common that they had an edge in one way or another to them and I wish I had the money to buy and a wall to put up at least one of them. I am not much into that sort of art, but I very much enjoyed that exhibition, very much recommended!

And then, by chance I ended up at what I believe is the biggest arts and crafts market in Edinburgh at the moment, the West End Fair at St. Johns church.
It is a little odd, because the market takes place in the actual graveyard that surrounds the church. Yes, they build a wooden floor and stalls on top of the (hundreds of years old) graves. Some people of course might think that's inappropriate and I have to admit, that I was not 100% comfortable walking around all the graves and basically going shopping but on the other hand, even if the dead have an opinion on the matter, would they really mind? Anyways, despite the awkward feeling the market itself is AMAZING. If you are in Edinburgh for the Fringe or not, this is THE PLACE to find an authentic souvenir. Forget all the cashmere shops on the Royal Mile (I freaking hate them), this market is where you get locally made stuff directly from the people who make it. And you can get anything and everything you can imagine. All of the things as my kids would say: pottery, jewellery, leather bags and belts, wooden decorations, metal work, woolens, cards and so much more. There are over 100 exhibitors. It is just WOW! Again, I wish I had enough money and space to buy bits and bobs of everyone because they all make such beautiful things and they all deserve all the support they can get. 
Unfortunately I am a poor backpacker, so all I can do is recommend that market to everyone:
No matter, if you are a local or only here for a few days, go there and show the local arts and crafts community your appreciation. Who knows, it could be me next year, hoping someone will buy my stuff. 

Fringe Review IV Deads Poets' Death Match

As I said before, I love to just walk around the Fringe and see what happens and sometimes I just go to my favorite venues and have a look what's on. One of these venues is the Banshee Labyrinth. Even outside of the Fringe I go there quite often, and since it has several rooms, there is usually something going on, that interests me.

So the other night I went there to catch just one show before work and I stumbled into Dead Poet's Death Match.

Here are three talented young guys reciting poems from all kinds of very dead poets, some of them are presented in a kind of regular poem form, some of them are presented in rap versions. The boys also read some of their original work, which was also very impressive. Towards the end they all dressed up in more or less monster like costumes and the monsters competed against each other trying to battle their enemies with words instead of physical violence. And it was glorious although they spoke so fast it was sometimes difficult for me to keep up. But all three of them are so talented and I admire the ability to just come up with that kind of .... I don't even know a word for what I saw and heard... maybe wealth of words used in a creative way. If you are into poetry at all I really recommend this show. SO GOOD! 

Fringe Review street performers

Okay, so keeping up with all the shows that I've seen turns out to be a little difficult. Keeping up with all the street performers is even worse, because you just have to leave the house and there they are. They are everywhere and they only get 30 minutes maybe an hour for their performance so they change all the time and you get to see A LOT of them. So I have decided to so only quickly review them and to keep updating this one post. SO if you are interested in what I have to say about the buskers (street performers), keep coming back to this post, because it will be extended and extended and extended.

The first one I'd like to review was Daniel from Canada he represents a certain kind of busker. I think I joined the crowd halfway through the show. He was about to juggle with three fire clubs. After he did that, he stood on a board which he balanced on a tube, which was also balances on a tiny little table and the whole thing was standing on wet slippery cobble stones. Up there he juggled with axes and machetes and after that came his last trick. He is a rather slim person, yes. But it seemed impossible that he would fit through a tennis racket (without the strings of course). But he wiggled his way through it. And he did that while he was still balancing on the board/tube/table construction.
All in all quite impressive. Unfortunately you have a lot of these shows during the Fringe. There must be hundreds of jugglers and other circus people. He was funny, he involved the audience quite a bit and he wasn't shy about making fun of himself, but again, a lot of street performers do that. If I had seen him in another setting without all the other street performers, I would have been impressed but during the Fringe he is one of many unfortunately.

The next street performer I saw was a guy from South America, unfortunately I didn't manage to catch his name. Most of his show was basically him making fun of people trying to walk past his show. She would pretend to mop up the floor and get in people's way or walk behind them and mirror their movements. He also had a number of different sounds and songs, so he could match them either to what he or the crowd was doing. When there was a large number of people trying to get past him, he would put on sheep or cow sounds. There was a guy with a broken hand and he would play "eye of he tiger".  That guy cracked me up. I think I haven't laughed that much in a while, I had tears in my eyes. Yes, I am sure some people thought he was a little offensive, but most of the people were good sports and played along. Funniest of all was the middle aged woman, who sort of started to do strip tease while her son or nephew stood rather embarrassed on the side of the show. Too funny. The whole show was basically a build up for the performer juggling first with 5 by the very end with 7 balls. In my opinion he didn't need to do the juggling bit, the rest of the show was amazing already and rather unique, the juggling is something you see a lot during the fringe, the part of him playing with the audience, not so much.

And then I saw a really interesting couple. Interesting because they were different. He was singing and playing the guitar really well (esp considering that most of his right forearm was gone) and she was dressed up like clown and dancing and performing pantomime style to his music. Again I only saw the last 2 or 3 songs of the show, but he covered No Diggity and Stand By Me which are both songs I love and sometimes her movements would mirror the words in the songs, sometimes she would just dance and sometimes she would react to what the audience was doing. I really loved those two performers for two reasons: One them being different and doing a different type of street performance and not the usual juggling (which is an impressive skill, don't get me wrong, I know how hard it is, because I've tried and I can't juggle for shit), two because he just seems to go with the old making lemonade out of lemons phrase and that makes me realise that I have no reason what so ever to complain about life!

Fringe Reviews III Jimeoin

As hostel staff we have the privilege to get a bunch of free tickets to shows that we usually couldn't afford. That way we can recommend them to our guests. That was the case with the Jimeoin tickets as well. In fact we got quite a few for him. And because some of the hostel people had seen him a few days before and absolutely loved him I thought why not. The gift horse strikes again.

This time it wasn't a small attic or an improvised theatre like the other shows I'd seen so far. The room reminded me of a cinema or an opera house with really comfy chairs, a sparkly bar downstairs and people who organise the seating.

Jimoin is one of these comedians who basically tell one joke after another and include the audience a little. Not my favourite type of show, I prefer theatre and caberet, but I have to admit that he made me laugh here and there. But he had the other people in stitches and they generally seemed to enjoy his show. So I guess, if you are into that kind of comedy you will have a blast.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't bored, I enjoyed it more than I expected, but I am quite sure it will not be my personal favourite of this year's Fringe.

Fringe Review II Who did I think I was (drama)

While the Fringe is on, I quite often just walk around and have a look what's on. I love walking up and down the Royal Mile and check out all the street performers and go to venues where I have seen good gigs before.

One of these venues is the Counting House/Blind Poet/Pear Tree House. Two years ago they had a fantastic show called Burlesque and Blues. Back in the day they were free but they have become so popular that they've moved on to a new venue and now charge £9 per ticket. And even outside of the Fringe I have seen good stuff there. They also have a lovely beer garden where they have really live music every day during the Festival. So I go there quite often just to hang out, listen to music and sort through all the flyers and events. And that's what I did yesterday when someone gave me a flyer to invite me to his show. So again I thought, why not... It was the first flyer I had gotten that day and somehow it sounded interesting. And so it was. 

The show is called "Who did I think I was" and basically tells the story of a man in his late 40s and his father who have a difficult relation ship but somehow end up living together again. Both have screwed up in different ways, both have suffered because mom had schizophrenia and yet they do not seem to understand each other at all.

Both parts are played by the same actor and I am not sure how much of it is autobiographical but it feels like the actor gives you a very intimate glimpse into his family life. It is funny in some parts but it also has intense parts so sad, I am sure a few people in the audience might tear up a bit.

But he plays his characters so well and convincing, changing his costume and his position on the tiny stage in a way that makes it clear which one of the two is talking.

I very much recommend this show, even though it might leave you bit uneasy. 

Fringe reviews I - King Arthur (Kid's play)

I gave in, after four days of listening to my kids coming back from shows and talking about them, I decided it is time to embrace the Fringe and go out there and see some shows as well.

So over the next couple of weeks, I will try to review all the shows I've seen during the Fringe Festival here in Edinburgh.

First I went to see a kids' play called King Arthur at venue 34. A hostel guest had a free ticket, otherwise I would not have gone, but gift horse and mouth and all that... so why not.

You get the most important classical characters of the original tale like Arthur himself, Morganne, Lancelot and Genevieve. I have to admit that I am not sure how true they stay to the original story since I have never read it and only vaguely remember the cartoon series from my childhood days. In their version Genevieve tries to make Arthur pay attention to her by being just as tough and as a good a fighter as he is, but to do so she has to dress up as a man and Morgan tries to take over the kingdom because she thinks she has as much right to rule the kingdom as Arthur has but he doesn't include her in the state's affairs at all.

So in order to save the kingdom Arthur seeks Merlin's advice and goes off with his knights (one of them being Genevieve in disguise) to get the magic sword from the Lady of the Lake and fight Morganne. 

And it really is a kid's play and told in a way that should be really easily to understand for children although the actors sometimes speak a bit fast and it was hard to understand what they were saying at times.

What I also liked was the fact, that although the play doesn't use any fancy stage decoration and only very basic props and hand made costumes you get a feel for the era it takes place in and the story is presented in a way that keeps you following the plot.

The use of music is times and placed well and makes the play even more fun, even though it was a bit out of tune here and there. Unfortunately not all the actors had a singing voice laud enough to be heard all the way to the back.

But what made the play really enjoyable was the fact that although it deals with dark and dramatic issues the writers managed to put some jokes in that even had the adults in stitches. Cross dressing Lady of the Lake is all I am going to say!

All in all I do recommend this play although I think, it is a little on the expensive side for what they offer, at least for adults. Go on one of the cheaper days and it should be worth it.

And ..... here.... we.....go! (imagine me whispering this like Heath Ledger's Joker)

Yessss, I made it! I managed to walk up the Royal Mile, down Grassmarket and to the Underbelly tent at the university without getting a single flyer. I successfully dodged them all. And you might wonder why that is reason for applause. Because it is festival season in Edinburgh. What kind of festival? All of the festivals. Mainly the Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world (so they say on their website) and it's been running since 1947 and lasts for three weeks. It has become HUGE, like MOTHERFUCKING GINORMOUS. There are over 400 venues with over 3000 shows with anything from comedy, to burlesque, from kids shows to classical concerts, street art in all kinds of forms, arts and crafts markets, cabaret and stuff I have probably never heard of. 

But the festival season is more than just the Fringe. About two weeks before the Fringe kicks off, we already have the Blues and Jazz Festival with several venues and acts all over town. It gets you in the mood for the madness that is August in Edinburgh. A week after the Fringe starts we have the Edinburgh Book Festival, which lasts two weeks, has over 700 events and attracts all kinds of authors, this year we expect the guy who writes the Game of Thrones books. I am a little bit exited about that one actually! And around the same time the Book Festival takes off, the Edinburgh International Festival also takes place which was also founded in 1947 after WWII to promote performing arts from all over the world. Oh yeah and there is the Edinburgh Military Tattoo which shows Military Bands and performances from all over the world. And although I am not a fan of military, war, armies and all these things, I have to admit that it is an impressive show, including fireworks and army jets flying over the city. 

So as you can see, if you come to Edinburgh in August, there is no way you will be bored, unless you're locked inside your house and you don't know how to entertain yourself because you have no electricity (I still wouldn't be bored, I would just crochet...). You just have to step onto Rose Street, the Royal Mile or any other street in the city center and you will be overwhelmed by the choice of entertainment. It is impossible to really get an overview over all the things going on. You can just pick a few things you want to do or see, even if you are here the whole time. There are so many interesting things.

Sure some of these gigs are not cheap but there are hundreds, if not thousands of free shows. Most pubs have acts on and one part of the Royal Mile is one big stage and you just tip the artist if you liked them or you just move on to the next one. 

But even, if you manage to catch only free stuff, it is not the time of the year where you want to be traveling on a budget. Because everything is expensive. Take accommodation for example: In winter we charge between £10 and £15 per bed per night. Right now, in August, we charge around £30 per night. Why? Because we can! There is just such demand for beds, that people will pay anything. I think the number of people doubles or maybe even tipples in August here in Edinburgh. On a Saturday night we easily turn 10 - 20 people away, because we don't have space for them. It is only the very beginning and already all our weekends are fully booked and there are only a few beds during the week left. Locals have long since realised that, if you leave on a holiday, just rent out your flat and you can make a couple hundred pounds.
But not only accommodation becomes more expensive, pub and restaurants raise their prices and I wouldn't be surprised, if the main tourist attractions like the castle would do, too. But again, they can. There are just so many people in town. Not only the artist and tourists but also tour managers, caterers, builders, electricians, journalists and so on.

The streets in the city centre are so packed with tourists that I sometimes wish for two separate lanes on the side walk, one for tourists and one for locals, because it takes a lot longer to get to your local super market or the bus stop because of all the people. Pubs and clubs are open longer which means you have yelling people in the streets way after sunrise and the only time you can go for a walk or to the shop without bumping into people the entire time is at 7 in the morning.

But as exhausting as all this can be, it is still amazing that the entire world seems to come together in Edinburgh during the festival season. No matter where you go, you see art art art. You round a corner and you end up in the middle of a performance, your favourite pub suddenly has comedy, poetry and some weird acoustic singer/songwriter in one night. On your way back from the doctors you remember that lovely beer garden with the stage and it turns out that at 5pm there is this awesome ska band playing or while drinking you morning coffee someone gives you a free ticket to a show that turns out to be a play for kids, yet you go anyways just because...
You just have to take a deep breath and let it flow. Take your time and try not to get stressed and you might have the time of your life!