I Went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour and All I Got Was… a Pretty Magical Experience

At the end of August, I popped by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. By both daylight and starlight, I stood in its towering shadow. I walked through The Great Hall, took a stroll up Diagon Alley, made a visit to number four Privet Drive, caught sight of the Knight Bus, stood in the Ministry of Magic, got…

The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Bagpipes

Here we are with this title that sounds so stereotypical, but, with Fringe and the Military Tattoo taking place while we were in Edinburgh, was actually quite literal. There were bagpipes. Many. Also hills. Those too were most literal. And some serious ass-busters. Anyway Edinburgh… my haggis, what can I say? A smallish sort of city with organic restaurants and an organic grocery…

A Town Called Dunfermline and a Journey Through the Fjords

Magic, I find, happens where you least expect it. That’s the oldest magician’s trick, isn’t it? A little misdirection to divert the audience’s attention. “Look here! Look here!” the magician cries, because the sleight of hand is happening the other way, and where misdirection and craft meet – VOILA! – magic. Travel can be like…