Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Sheep Swag

My Scottish quest for ovine bric-a-brac was not in vain:



This good-looking guy is Lord Oliver Wise. I found him at the Hogwarts Castle gift shop. He is described as a "loyal and faithful doorstop". But he will never be a doorstop in my home -- he is far too aristocratic and handsome for that. The Japanese tourists behind me in line at the gift shop were very jealous. But then they got distracted by a discussion about whether to buy a facsimile of Hermione's wand or Harry's.

Weekend in Edinburgh

Ever since my first visit to see Yvonne, in December 1976, I've always loved Edinburgh. This recent visit did nothing to change that - it was terrific from start to finish. The city itself remains ravishing. But this was a visit of unexpected pleasures -- we actually spent very little time in the usual tourist haunts. Not to underestimate the charm of these -- we spent a glorious afternoon on Sunday pottering along the Royal Mile and along Princes Street.





We ended up drinking some fine Malbec in a very snazzy hidden-away rooftop bar with a wraparound terrace that afforded a gorgeous view of the skyline by night:

Oloroso

Maybe "Downton Abbey" was on, for whatever reason, we had the place to ourselves. The Malbec was excellent, as was the charcuterie platter with dirty bread, and Yvonne and her friend Karla were in great form. It was a wonderful conclusion to my visit.



Exhaustion has set in here, so the trip to Hogwarts and the sublime performance of Anna Bolena will have to wait until another post.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Back from Hogwarts

Back in Paris, trying to decompress from a wonderful weekend in Edinburgh, surely one of the most ravishing cities on the planet. For now, I will just include a few photos -- full details in due course.


Yvonne in the gardens at Alnwick Castle.


DG in Alnwick Gardens.


Rocking my stylish new eargear!


Obligatory abstract "arty" photo.