The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Edinburgh has been the capital of Scotland since the 15th century and is the seat of the Scottish government, a center of education, and the second-largest financial center in the United Kingdom.  We arrive during the Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world, which has taken over the town.  We started 6 months early and managed to secure tickets to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, held every August since 1950.  The Tatoo draws musical groups from all over the world and about 30% of the audience are from overseas.

We catch a cab into the craziness in the center of Edinburgh.

Welcome to Edinburgh

 Glimpses of Edinburgh on the way to the Tattoo

 At the Tattoo

The audience at the Tattoo is from all over the world, from San Francisco to large groups from China, and many people from South America (and of course England and Scotland).  The performers are just as diverse, from the UK, Europe, the US, Mexico, the Middle East (Oman), and South America.  We sit back and enjoy the show as the bands and performers entertain us on the field and the Edinburgh castle serves as a large backdrop for visual displays in support of the performance.

 The Tattoo!

We had never before considered a band concert with bagpipes, a string orchestra, and a full brass band, all playing together.  Wow, what a great sound!

After the concert, we make our way out into the city.  Luckily, we had advice to head to the train station to look for a taxi and after a few blocks of wading through the crowds, we make it and find one.  The next day, we're up early and off to the airport for and early flight to London and a connection back to San Francisco.

 Crowds leaving the Tattoo