Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2017

Got a good shot of these sailors who were smartly dressed for the parade. 

Had been to the Military Tattoo this year at Edinburgh. This happens to be on the  bucket list for many and so was it for us. We were there well in advance and it was nice to see the stands getting filled up slowly. 

While walking up the Royal Mile towards the castle, I turned back and clicked the sea of humanity who were all going in the same direction. 

The lineup of participants included 250 pipers and drummers, and contingents from Japan, India, UK and US .  You could see the flags of all the participating nations fluttering around the Esplanade. 

I learned later that the stands at the Esplanade can be assembled or dismantled within a month.  The seats were quite comfortable but some liked to have additional cushions, which were available on hire at a cost of one pound.

The Tattoo starts off with the ceremony of theGaelic Toast, where the Piper and the Salute taker have a Quaich (Scottish drinking cup) of whisky. The Piper recites the Gaelic Toast (welcoming the Salute taker to the castle, wishing him, the Queen and everyone present the best) and then they drink together. They have to then kiss the bottom of the Quaich as a sign that no whisky is left behind and wasted.  

The Marines stand at ease while the ceremony goes on. 

 As the night progressed there were projections on the castle which were mostly related to the story enacted or the parade. 

The Indian Naval band appeared with Commander Vijay Charles and 65 musician sailors. There was an array of colourful dancers who danced to Vande Matram. Later, to my surprise they started playing Bollywood numbers.  

As for the Japanese, they had the Ground Self Defence Force Central Band with some special performance on the drums. 

The Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland told the story of the Jacobites through the breathtaking piece “Ambush in the Glen”

The Royal Navy towed in a Helicopter to add to the effect of a search and destroy operation. 

I think the light and the sound effect played a major role in the whole show.    

We were lucky to get our seats in row K section 5 from where I could capture some of the action with my point and shoot camera. 

After editing / splicing and joining the snippets, it runs for about 41 minutes. It will give you a glimpse of the actual performance which ran for about 100 minutes. At the end of the Tattoo, all the participants come on to the Esplanade and they march out through the Royal Mile.  

Earlier in the day I had clicked the castle from outside.

The link to Part II of the video is here.  

Half Way to Hell Club

Just imagine 200,000 people walking, tap dancing and roller skating across this bridge. That is what happened on 27^th May 1937 on the inauguration of the world’s longest suspension bridge.

Like me, many do get confused between the two bridges in San Francisco.

The one above is the Golden Gate Bridge and the one below is the Bay Bridge Bridge

One more picture of the Bay Bridge at night

 Before I proceeded to the bridge I had a look at this section of the rope that was placed here.

These pictures below explains it all

As you move ahead on the bridge this rope comes down very low, particularly at this point.

These towers are really massive when you pass under it.

Each tower has approximately 6000,000 rivets.

The Fort Point that is situated right below the Golden Gate bridge is something most of the tourists miss out on.

It is a seacoast fortification on the southern side of the bridge.

One of the pictures from Wikipedia showing the canon inside the Fort Point.

That white contraption you see under the bridge could be a safety net for some work that is presently going on there.

The Half way to Hell Club was formed by 19 men whose lives were saved by the safety net that was used during the construction of this bridge.  That was way back in 1937. The net stretched from end to end.

Wish they had not removed the net after the work was over, as this bridge has become a hot spot for suicides.

There are 1600 confirmed suicides since its opening. The book The Final Leap by John Bateson is based on this. One of the pictures from his book showing police officers trying to coax a suicidal teen back to safety (they succeeded)

 There are survivors too.  One man who survived, swam to the shore and drove himself to the hospital. The impact cracked several of his vertebrae.  After being suspended in the air for about 4 seconds the jumper hits the water at a speed of 120 km/hr. Most jumpers die from impact trauma.

There is a scaled down model on display for the tourists. You can actually move the bridge in sections and when you move it with your hand you realize how flexible  the bridge can be.

After I walked for about 100 meters on to the bridge I experienced the shake every time a vehicle passed through. I presume this shake is what gives the bridge the elasticity to hold on.

No wonder it can withstand earthquakes of 8 points on the Richter scale.

 A statue of a sailor and his duffel bag is used by many as a backdrop to get themselves photographed.

This is dedicated to the ordinary Sailors and Marines who sailed out from this point. Approximately 1.5 million men and women shipped out from San Francisco during WW II

Bicycling around the Golden Gate Park and crossing the bridge to Sausalito is a common feature here with the tourists.

Cycles are available on hire at a nominal cost

It is really chilly and cold when you cross the bridge (especially if you are at the top deck of the bus)

I tried to capture some parts of the bridge on video (nicely bundled in a scarf and ear muffs with tears rolling down my cheek)

Truly an engineering feat and the most photographed bridge.