There Is Always a Story to Be Told

Day 20:

Today was a free day in Edinburgh.  We could use it for our research if we needed to, but we could also use it for travel or just to wander around a bit.  I decided to sleep late (yay!) and then do a little shopping in Edinburgh before I headed to the Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh to see what I could find out about their programs. 

Fortunately, I got really great deals on some clothes at Primark!  Unfortunately, the guy I talked to at the Scottish Storytelling Centre didn’t have too much extra information to share with me.  I told him that I was a graduate student doing research about storytelling and asked a few questions, and he told me that I would find all of the information I needed on the website and in the two brochures he gave me.  Their website is quite helpful, but I was hoping that going in person to talk to someone would give me more insight.  I bought my tickets for the ceilidh that night and browsed their gift shop.  I couldn’t even look around their cafe because there was a meeting of some type that I didn’t want to interrupt.  

I headed off to Starbucks to do a little work and enjoy some iced coffee before meeting up with my friends to head back to the storytelling ceilidh (gathering).  

Storytelling Centre for the Ceilidh

A storytelling ceilidh is a Scottish gathering that involves singing, dancing, and, in this case, storytelling.  The Scottish Storytelling Centre hosts a few each month, and we were lucky enough to be around for this one.  They feature one main teller who opens and closes each part of the evening and introduces the other tellers from the audience, almost as if he were an emcee.  It lasted almost two and a half hours and included stories, songs, and poems.  I really enjoyed the featured teller’s stories as well as the offerings from the guest tellers.  At the beginning, the featured teller passes a book around and audience members can sign up if they have something they wish to share.  Not everyone will be able to share on crowded nights (like this one was), but he tried to vary the line-up with stories and traditional Scottish songs, a lady playing the Celtic harp, and a woman reciting poetry.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time listening to the stories.  One man even combined storytelling with improv skills and asked for input from the audience about setting and plot points.  He then built the story around this input.  It was hilarious!

Featured Storyteller

One of the Guest Tellers

Celtic Harp

The centre, itself, is quite interesting with a story wall that showcases Scottish stories in dioramas for kids to interact with by opening and closing, sliding, etc.  

 

 

Interactive Stories

Exhibit that shows the importance and tradition of storytelling in Scotland

Free Time in London

Day 16:

I started this morning with a tour of Parliament.  I learned all about the British House of Lords and House of Commons and how the government is formatted.  We got to see the Queen's route to her throne and heard that she is not allowed in the House of Commons room.  Instead, she sends her servant as her representative.  Also, while the Queen is at Parliament, a member of Parliament volunteers to go stay at Buckingham Palace as almost a hostage until she gets back home--just in case. 

Oliver Cromwell statue outside Parliament

View of Big Ben from inside Parliament's Courtyard

I learned about all of the monarchs and saw statues of each of them.  The statue of Queen Victoria is accompanied by a representation of "justice", but justice's scales are missing.  We learned that when a vote is finally called, the representatives have exactly 8 minutes to return to Parliament from wherever they are to vote in person.  A bell announces that time is starting, and this bell rings not only in Parliament, but also in surrounding pubs and restaurants.  Representatives vote by walking down a hallway that denotes either "yes" or "no" and their name is crossed off of a list as they pass through.

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After leaving Parliament, we got award-winning ice cream (who can pass up award-winning ice cream?!) and headed to Trafalgar Square to check out the Get Reading festival being held there.  As librarians, we felt it was our duty to support any reading initiative we could!  (Plus, Hugh Grant and Anthony Horowitz were supposed to be there!!!!!)  We walked around to the different vendors and checked out some of the storytelling from the National Art Gallery, which ended up being more like an art history lesson for kids.  We saw the Nook book signing area and realized that Anthony Horowitz wouldn't be there until way later, so we would probably miss him.  We watched dancers and readers on stage and on a big screen performing and saw kids getting their faces painted and eating ice cream.  

Even the Cat in the Hat showed up!

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Each of us had afternoon plans, so we left the square to set off on our other adventures.  I headed back home to meet another few people to head back out on a Shakespeare archeological walk in Shoreditch.  Of course, we choose the hottest day of the year in London to do all of this outdoor activity!!  After a bit of a mishap with the bus, we made it to the meeting point just in the nick of time to catch the tour group just as they were leaving.  Our tour guide took us to the two archaeological sites where The Theatre and the Curtain Theatre are being excavated.  Both are important to London history and of particular interest to Shakespeare scholars.  Along the way, he talked about where actors and writers lived and worked.  The walk was interesting, informative, and enjoyable (despite the heat!).  Many of the places are now only represented by plaques on the wall since many modern buildings have been built since the 17th century on top of the sites of old theatres, pubs, houses, and roads.  The hand-out was helpful because it had maps from different time periods along with pictures of archaeological digs and of the people the guide was discussing.

Plaque commemorating The Theatre

Pub near what was probably the entrance of The Curtain Theatre

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The rest of today will be spent packing up to head to Edinburgh and the Isle of Skye for next week.  I'm looking forward to spending some time in Scotland before we head back to London for the last week.  I have thoroughly enjoyed London so far, but I think I'm ready for some non-city time, too.   By the way, it reached 32*C here today...which is close to 90*F (not normal London weather, at all!!!!).