The more adventures I'm having, the less time to blog I have. Yesterday I traveled to Yorkshire for the third time in a week -- poor routing for a gig, I'm aware. This time David needed to come with me (he has recovered from his all-nighter) because he is participating in the festival. And not just in a carry-my-keyboard kind of way. He's got a gig of his own, doing a Tex Mex cooking demonstration as part of the programme. Over here, Tex Mex counts as exotic world cuisine, so we'll be having tacos for lunch today.
The drive from Edinburgh to Bridlington is a gorgeous five-hour trip along the North Sea. We passed through some spectacular scenery, including some harrowing moors that caused me to scream, "Heathcliff!" at the top of my lungs for no apparent reason.
We attempted to stop in the adorable seaside resort town of Whitby for lunch
yesterday, but could not find a single parking place in the entire town. Hundreds of men, women, and children dressed in Victorian Gothic attire (black parasols, capes, red and purple velvet gowns) emerged on the streets and headed towards the sea. We thought maybe it was the World Quidditch Cup -- you know, wizards trying desperately to look like muggles, but failing miserably -- or a bizarre Guy Fawkes celebration. Without Google (my iPhone, alas, is useless in the UK), we were forced to use our imaginations.
Many hours later we discovered the truth about Whitby: it's Dracula Weekend! Seriously. When the Count first arrived from Transylvania, he landed in Whitby (Lucy met me at the station...) The town has not forgotten this bit of trivia, and twice a year, goths from around the world converge in capes to celebrate. This year just happened to coincide with Guy Fawkes Day.
Because we were severely overdressed, we moved on to Scarborough (of song), another seaside town about thirty minutes south of Whitby. Scarborough was as washed up as Whitby was hopping. We did, however, go to the Fair. It was not exactly the fair as I'd imagined. The song, which incidentally is a traditional English folk song, not a Simon & Garfunkel original, yields visions of Medieval Farmers' Markets. This was more like a miniature, deserted, Gatlinburg. The town was still adorable, however, and the ice cream superb.
Warning: do not attempt to eat ice cream on a windy day on the North Sea, unless your hair is in a ponytail.
Also, this was going on at 1:00 in the afternoon in Scarborough. Can you figure out what song she's singing?
Me at Scarborough Fair:
Scarborough:
Oh, yeah, and I also played a set to a fantastic audience at a great festival in beautiful Bridlington. Here's a video from the live stream. I haven't watched it because I can't watch videos of myself. Check back on the blog tomorrow for more pictures, videos, and other such fun of the festival.
The drive from Edinburgh to Bridlington is a gorgeous five-hour trip along the North Sea. We passed through some spectacular scenery, including some harrowing moors that caused me to scream, "Heathcliff!" at the top of my lungs for no apparent reason.
We attempted to stop in the adorable seaside resort town of Whitby for lunch
Many hours later we discovered the truth about Whitby: it's Dracula Weekend! Seriously. When the Count first arrived from Transylvania, he landed in Whitby (Lucy met me at the station...) The town has not forgotten this bit of trivia, and twice a year, goths from around the world converge in capes to celebrate. This year just happened to coincide with Guy Fawkes Day.
Because we were severely overdressed, we moved on to Scarborough (of song), another seaside town about thirty minutes south of Whitby. Scarborough was as washed up as Whitby was hopping. We did, however, go to the Fair. It was not exactly the fair as I'd imagined. The song, which incidentally is a traditional English folk song, not a Simon & Garfunkel original, yields visions of Medieval Farmers' Markets. This was more like a miniature, deserted, Gatlinburg. The town was still adorable, however, and the ice cream superb.
Warning: do not attempt to eat ice cream on a windy day on the North Sea, unless your hair is in a ponytail.
Also, this was going on at 1:00 in the afternoon in Scarborough. Can you figure out what song she's singing?
Me at Scarborough Fair:
Scarborough:
Oh, yeah, and I also played a set to a fantastic audience at a great festival in beautiful Bridlington. Here's a video from the live stream. I haven't watched it because I can't watch videos of myself. Check back on the blog tomorrow for more pictures, videos, and other such fun of the festival.
4 comments
Is that the same Bridlington Musicport festival you played back in 08? I remember it being a cool gig.
ReplyDeleteTwo Out of Three Ain't Bad - Meatloaf.
ReplyDeleteWayne -- yes! Thought of you. Was trying to remember the name of that Australian kids' show singer we saw???
ReplyDeleteTroy -- You are correct, sir! Let me tell you ... she was awesome. Sang it really well, but completely lacking any emotion. Weirdest thing ever.
The Australian singer was Rolf Harris, and absolute icon in Australia, and also in the UK. Still brings a smile to my face thinking about meeting him. Actually lots of memories about that trip make me smile.
ReplyDelete