Friends in Scotland

Wilma and Duncan Finnigan---Scottish filmmakers and friends. We had a wonderful time together at the film festival and at the parties --- until the wee hours!

Glasgow/Edinburgh

I traveled to both cities to in the course of 2 days. Glasgow appears more rugged and industrial. There accents harsh and as my friend and fellow filmmaker Duncan would say, "It’s sounds bit as though they are “chewing glass.”

The name itself is Celtic meaning dear green place, and there are many beautiful green parks in the area. I ventured around George Square where there are 12 different monuments of various Scottish writers, politicians and artists. Much to my surprise there is also a great deal of theatre in Glasgow. Voted the cultural city of the world in 1990, Glasgow has worked hard and has done a decent job in trying to rid itself of its industrial image. There are many theatres about town, several of them using ancient churches as their venues. Also there is a place called the Arches that has several different venues for music, theatre, art exhibitions as well as a fantastic bar/restaurant where I had an amazing meal before I headed back to my place. Other areas of interests were the St. Andrews Church along the Clyde River, the Museum of Modern Art and the Kilgrove Museum that recently opened its doors after a major renovation.

Edinburgh has a completely different feel to its city vs. Glasgow. Where Glasgow still has a harshness to it, Edinburgh is light and filled with a "joie vie". It’s not quite as fast pasted as Glasgow, probably because it situated near the North Sea. The main attraction and sight is the Edinburgh Castle. It is located on a hill that makes the castle appear majestic or foreboding: depending on whether you were an ally or enemy when looking upon it. I went on the ½ hour tour that was quite amusing. Upon the entrance of the castle are two statues. One is being William Wallace who was made famous and more aware to Americans with the film, Braveheart, with Mel Gibson playing William Wallace. The 2nd statue is Robert the Bruce who was able to take back the castle in 13 ???? and claim Scotland free of British rule. There is a small Abbey on the Castle grounds one of the oldest in Scotland and they still conduct weddings there. Also, in the Great Hall, there are political meetings or events conducted here whenever the Monarchy and/or Prime Minister are in town.
Just to the left of the Great Hall is where they house the Scottish Crown and jewels. Also, in here is the coronation stone. It is said that ever since there has been a monarch in the United Kingdom, it is on this stone where they sat to be crowned King or Queen. Edward I stole the stone from Scotland and had it placed underneath the coronation chair in the Westminster Abbey. The stone has remained there for over 700 years. It is now back Edinburgh Castle where it remains safely guarded.
In this same area is where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James the VI. After Queen Elizabeth I died in England, there was no one to take over the throne, as she had no heir. James VI was the logical choice as Mary Queen of Scotland was Elizabeth's cousin. James the VI was crowned King James I of England without incident/battle or one shot fired in protest.
The Scots are quick to point out with a persuasive, matter fact attitude, that with out their Scottish blood (James VI), there would be no Monarch to this day. They do have a point.

The castle allows you spectacular views of Arthur’s Seat, named after the famed King Arthur. It’s a large hill directly across from the Castle. Also, you can see the city and the countryside from all areas of the castle. At 1PM every day they sound off a canon. This was done hundreds/thousands of years ago for the captain’s on their ships in the harbor to synchronize their watches and time tables so they knew the proper time and to schedule their departures from port.

More to come....

Live…. from Scotland!

It's Monday and I'm up early for breakfast. The ladies at the B&B are very kind and gracious. I have my usual scrambled eggs and whole-wheat toast or as they say ---brown toast. That's about the most I can eat from their menu given that is filled with meat. Also, something called Black Pudding, which consists of blood from an animal---no need to go into further detail as I'm losing my appetite just thinking about it.

Martin arrives at 9:30am and picks me up to go to the radio station. Somewhere between my 2 pints of Guinness the other night I agreed to a radio interview. I'm fairly relaxed as yesterday was pretty much hanging out at the film festival. It was the film festival's first day and there were quite a few people in attendance considering the Wimbledon's finals for the men's tennis were going on and the finals for the World Cup; a massive event here in Europe.

Martin zips through morning rush hour traffic and points out various landmarks along the way. He also mentions that there was the Orange Walk the day I came to Scotland. It's a walk the Protestants take every year to show their pride for their religion. Unfortunately, there have been riots at these walks as many people are Catholic in the area and it's still a sore subject after 1,000 of years. Basically Protestant represents English. Scottish---Catholic. England has been the bully at school as far as Scotland is concern and would rather do with out them. He was afraid I would get caught up in the march, as they were to march by the tube station where I was to arrive.

He also told me how he came up with the Festival's name, Deep Fried Film Festival. Apparently, Coatsbridge is the "capitol" for heart disease in the world. Everything here is deep-fried. (Much to my dismay and chagrin) Pizza, hamburgers, steak---you name it, it can and mostly likely will be deep-fried. With this in mind, I knew it was going to be a difficult task for a vegetarian to find a meal. Hmm....I may have to load up on some fruit from breakfast possibly for my next meal.

We get to the station within 20 minutes and are greeted by the station manager who offers us tea while we wait. Shortly thereafter, the DJ comes down to greet us. He's very lively, friendly and has a bit of a lilt to his speech; it sounds like a combination of Irish and Scottish. He chats with us for quite a bit before we go on the air about the film festival, what to expect, etc. As we are about to go on the air, there is a certain amount of anticipation, excitement, and fear---as if one is about to step on stage for the first time. I take a deep breath and relax. What is there to be nervous about?

The interview went extremely well. The DJ asked me about my film, the concept, and how I heard about the Deep Fried Film Festival. We must have been on the radio for a good 20-25 minutes, which was fantastic! The radio station has been plugging the film festival for weeks and that is great news. Afterwards, we continued we talk for over an hour! The DJ was very keen on the festival and wished me the best. Many thanks to Martin and 107.9 for having us.

Martin dropped me off and I went and got ready for the film festival. The festival today was playing at Airdrie Hall, a beautiful, majestic place filled with renaissance ornamentation and decorative artwork within the entire building.

I was a bit nervous about screening Getting Lucky. I remembered when I lived in London that the British have a different sense of humor than Americans. I wasn't sure if the Scottish would have a similar sense of humor, so I hoped for the best. As the film began, I heard laughter and chuckles from both men and women --thank goodness! They were really enjoying the film and afterwards there was around of applause for all the films that were screened. Several people came up to me afterwards and told me how much they really enjoyed my film and wanted to talk to me about the film further --how I cam up with the idea, my process, being a woman filmmaker, etc. It was a great evening out!

Afterwards, Duncan, Wilma, and I went back to their flat for a celebratory glass of wine. We had a fantastic time chatting about filmmaking, the various films at the film festival, and chatting about Getting Lucky. There were many wonderful films at the festival and it was lovely to see such a wide selection of films and several different countries being represented. Wilma put in a pizza (sans the deep fried) and we had a nice late dinner. We continue to joke, have a laugh, talk about filmmaking, and learn more about each other's cultures. Great friends, great conversations and lots of laughter. It was a perfect way to end a perfect evening.

Scotland

Taking the train ride up to Scotland was magnificent.

I felt any stress melt away as I rode deep into the Enlish countryside. There are rolling green hills as well as dashes of bright purple crops of lavender. Sheep, horses, and cows grazed endlessly throughout the hills and plains.

Unbeknownst to me, I lucked out once again as I got a first class ticket, which allows me Internet access for free! This is a nice surprise as it's been more difficult than I thought to find a wireless network.

Finally, I arrive in Scotland and with it the colder weather. It's only around 50F, about 15 degrees cooler than London. Still, the country's beautiful lush landscape and the friendly people would warm anyone's heart even amist the cold climate. I get to Glasgow and take the local subway to Blairhill where I meet Wilma; one of the organizers of the film festival. She has curly blonde hair and the sweetest dispostion. Eh ow Stayce! Em Wilma. Ce-an aye elp eew wit at?

What? Sorry? I said. Ce-an aye elp eew wit at? She points to my bag. Oh! Thank you! I replied. We made our way up to the street and there to meet us were Duncan (another judge, organizer and Wilma's husband) and Martin, the festival director. We all piled into Duncan's car and heading towards the Georgion Hotel.

The hotel is a sweet, old, Georgian style house dating back to the early 1800's. I sign in, get my room, and go upstairs to freshen up as the others wait for me in the pub below. The rooms are very nice and more spacious than London. They have a Scottish tartan as part of the curtains above my window. The view from my room is beautiful as it looks out over the rooftops of some gorgeous homes and just beyond, you can see more of the amazing Scottish countryside.

After I get myself situated in my room, I make my way down the stairs to join the others. Duncan is quite funny and his spritely energy is bouncing off the walls. Wilma is funny as well in a more subtle way and very sweet. Martin is a very passionate about films as it is evident when he talks about the film festival and his goal to inspire more independent filmmaking in Scotland.

It takes me a while to get use to their thick accent, but the pint of Guiness that I had begun to drink helps. An hour turns into 3 and Duncan insists that I have a drink of Scottish whisky. I didn't want to offend my gracious host, and I figured why not try it? To my surprise it was quite good and even sweet! Martin had to leave and get things prepared for tomorrow. A few moments later, some friends of Duncan and Wilma came filtered into the pub and we started chatting with them. Everyone seemed fascinated to find out I was from America --let alone--Los Angeles. As the Barman yelled out last call, one of Duncan and Wilma's friends, Liam, invited us back to his flat. It was just down the road so we all ventured out even though it had begun to a rain a bit.

Liam's flat was very nice and his friends were entertaining and funny. One of Duncan's friends, Dylan, brought his guitar and he began playing several Beatle's songs, the Rolling Stones, as well as others. Everyone joined in singing and playing the guitar. I had stopped drinking at that point, but not my new Scottish friends. They continue throughout the night. More music was played via CD's and people began to dance. The Scots certainly know how to drink and throw a party--everyone was having a grand time. I'm sure part of it was that it was Saturday night and maybe other part is that their sometimes dreary weather makes them want to celebrate regardless.

It's close to 3am and I'm starting to feel tired. Wilma offers to walk me back to the hotel/B&B as it's only a block away. She gives me a big hug and says how glad she is that I'm here and offers to take me around areas of Scotland during the day before the film festival starts. I thanked her for her warm heart and hospitality.

I make my way up the stairs to my room (1 flight of stairs vs. 3 in London) and I fall on my bed smiling, happy to be in Scotland and to have already made some wonderful friends!

Tate Gallery

As I make my way along the Thames, the City of London seems to be quieting down. The rush hour traffic is still zipping by, however, I see that Londoners are starting to gather at their local pubs, have a pint, and chat with their "mates".

I make my way around the bend and head North. After walking for about 20 minutes, I come upon Buckingham Palace and the actual changing of the guard. It is quite the ceremony as 4 guards relieve the 2 other guards standing at their post in the front entrance. The guards at their posts have the strict order of standing at attention non-stop for 4-5 hours---not moving or talking at all. Don't think I would fancy that job.

Across the way I see St. James Park and the Royal Garden. The Park has a beautiful lake with many different types of birds and animals found all around the area. Also, the actual gardens are quite magnificent as the flowers are all in full bloom right now. I go to a small coffee stand, get a latte, and make my way to a bench and relax. There are several people out and about, enjoying the late Friday afternoon. I remember coming to these gardens before when I lived in London and I'm still in awe by it's beauty.

After about a 1/2 hour, I start up again on my tour of London and head down to the Tate Gallery. Lucky me, I find that the Tate Gallery is open and free! AND, every Friday night they have a BBQ, along with bands, dancing, and other activities in or around the Gallery. What a brilliant idea--and did I mention, it's free?!
I ordered a veggie sandwich from the grill, (which is outside on the lawn of the museum) and once it's prepared, take it to the a bench along the side of the Tate. I watched kids play soccer in front of me as instructors help them. It's fun to watch the kids playing with such joy and enthusiasm. After my meal, I head into the museum and music swells in the foyer. To the left of me an older gentleman is teaching a group of people how to 2 step. It was quite interesting to watch, especially when the class was surround by incredible works of art. The exhibit that was going on at the Tate consists mainly of Modern Art and Portraits. As I made my way around the museum, there was another band playing salsa music. Again, the band was set up in a hall surrounded by artwork and in front of the band, people were dancing. The band were kids of middle school age and were really having a fantastic time as the audience cheered them on. You couldn't help but get caught up in their infectious spirit.
It now 10pm and the he museum is about to close. I make my way out the doors and I'm surprise to see that it's still light out. I find a tube station and get on the next train as I know I'll need to get up early tomorrow for Scotland. What a wonderful day---filled with art, history, architecture and adventure---what more could one ask?! Scotland will be a treat as I look forward to exploring and learning more about the beautiful country up North.

Westmister Abbey

Another amazing architectural gem as it has been around for hundreds, thousands of years. The coronation chair was started by Edward I in the 1300's and has been used since for each coronation of the Kings and Queens of England. Other notable royalty that are buried here are Henry the V and VII, Edward the I, and one of the most successful monarchs in English history, Queen Elizabeth the I. An entire room is dedicated to her. Also, her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, (whom Queen Elizabeth had beheaded for treason) is buried on the opposite of the Abbey. This was done after Queen Elizabeth I had died and Mary's son, James I had taken to the throne and ordered that his mother be buried in the prestigious Abbey. Other notables that are placed here in the Abbey are William the Conquerer and in the Poet's Corner of the Abbey there is Robert Browning and Sir Laurence Oliver. Plaques of famous writers, musicians and actors are placed around the Poet's Corner to honor their contributions including Jane Austin, George Eliot, D.H. Lawrence and of course William Shakespeare. These are just a few of the names that are acknowledge and revered in the Abbey. Towards the exit is the the tomb of Sir Isaac Newton, (his tomb made even more famous by the film The DaVinci Code) as well as the tomb of the Unknown Soldier that was brought over from WW II and placed in the Abbey for recognition and honor for his service to his country. The weather is improving so I decide to venture out again and stroll along the Thames.

London calling

Finally made it to London! My flight was delayed in LA so they re-scheduled me on a direct flight that left 3 hours later. I arrived into London only an hour later than my original time. The 9 hour flight was very smooth and without any problems. I sat next to a gentleman who is a psychologist and works with children with autism. He seemed intrigued by my film/trip and wished me the best.

I touched down in Heathrow at 12 Noon London time, however, it's 4:00am LA time. I slept most of the flight, but the time change still made me sleepy. By the time I exchanged some money and grabbed a bite to eat, it's 1:30pm. From the airport, I went straight away to the Underground and caught the train to Kings Cross where my B&B is located. I get there about 50 minutes later and found my B&B, The European close by.
My room is on the 3rd floor. No lift. A good work out for sure with luggage---glad I packed light. It's been humid and muggy in London and I certainly could feel it more so as I entered my room. I immediately opened my window and welcomed in a cool breeze. The room is modest, but nice and I relaxed for a bit. Wimbledon is currently going on and so it's all the rage on the telly. I decided to make the most of the day and walked around a bit. I found out my phone does not have international capabilities and so must get "pay as you go" phone. It's inexpensive and well worth it as it has come in handy.
I walked all around central London: Oxford/Sloane Street, Kensington, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden and finally ending up in the West End. All the street names and areas were coming back to me. I came across Stella McCartney's dress shop in the Regent/Sloane Street area. The shop was closed, however, she was having a sale. Don't imagine I'll be popping into her shop this trip.

Got to the West End and was enthralled to see the many shows now playing. Michael Gambon is the lead in a new show called Eh, Joe and is receiving excellent reviews. I'm hoping to catch this show as well as some others while I'm here.

The fatigue of the long flight is starting to weigh on me as I've walked close to 10 miles and in need of food. Stopped by a small cafe for a quick bite before heading back to the B&B. I walked through more of the West End and SOHO where everything was a buzz as people were out and about having a pint at their favorite local pubs. I was tempted to stop into one, however, I thought it best not as I most likely would of fallen asleep at the bar and been awoken by a concerned and/or annoyed bar keeper.
Got back to the B&B and literally collapsed. It's good to be back in London!

Heading across the pond!

It's 2:45am and I'm packing for Scotland. It's a bit surreal as I gather my clothes, passport, electrical gadgets, etc. and try to fit it all in a carry-on. Do I have everything? It's been awhile since I've gone on such a trip. I studied in London during college and haven't been back since. I'm looking forward to it---immensely.

The last couple of days have been a whirlwind. So much to do in so little time. I believe I'm averaging 4 hours sleep per night. Well, if nothing else, the long flight will allow me to catch up on some z's.

Several hours ago, my friend Hope was kind enough to pick me up, fight traffic, and drive us to the beach. We had dinner by the ocean while the fireworks sprang forth through the air. The Kettle One dirty martini did me some good as it momentarily quieted my racing mind. A perfect way to celebrate the 4th. She's such a mench!

As I write, I'm listening to Dave Mathews' Dreamgirl on my video pod. The song takes me away for a few, brief minutes from the tasks/chores that are demanding my attention. Hmm... I'll listen to it one more time...
I was hoping to download some more music; in particular James Blunt. However, it's apparently not meant to be. Perhaps I'll meet James in London (I'll be there for a couple of days before I travel up to Scotland) and he can offer up a song in person. I'm sure he would oblige.

Dreamgirl has just finished and Steady As We Go is now playing. An appropriate song for me and the commencement of this journey.

I suppose I should get back to packing--- in particular, my computer, and yes, try and squeeze a couple of hours of sleep.
I hope this finds you well. I'll write more once touch down in London!