Thursday, 7 February 2008

On the National Express

Hello quizlings,
I've been up plying my quiztrade up in the noble city of Edinburgh this week, and will try to refrain from describing it as Auld Reekie if I can.
I love Edinburgh, I've spent a lot of time there and had often thought that one day I'd move up there. However, I think London has spoilt me somewhat now, as for the first time I found its imposing cold, windy, greyness a bit oppressive (maybe just cos my feet were hurting). Still had a nice time, though, and the quiz went really well. I ran it from the DJ booth in a club but resisted the temptation to fiddle with the decks and put my hand over my ear in a studied fashion. My friend John helped me, and he questioned my use of 'The One and Only' as my closing music, as if I was using it as some triumphalist 'I am the Highlander of Quizmasters' music, tho the attention is just to be celebratory music for the winning team. However, I can see how it is, from a viewpoint, a wee bit ridiculous.
National Express has taken over from GNER on the East Coast mainline - Britain's finest train ride - and they are covering the hike in prices with free wifi for all. A nice touch, but it would help if the power was working.
Still, it is one of those journeys which is a real pleasure in itself.
Continuing my list theme from last week, I'll reprint this list that I previously put up on facebook of my favourite ten sights on the East Coast mainline:
Lindisfarne Island & Castle
Arthur's Seat
Forth Road Bridge (from Forth Rail Bridge)
St James' Park/Bridges in Newcastle
Durham Cathedral
Emirates Stadium/Highbury
Bamburgh Castle
Gas towers in Yorkshire
The River Tweed
Angel of the North
just missed: Edinburgh Castle (I never feel you get the best view of it from the train)
Here's a question? Which football grounds do you see on the Train line from Kings Cross to Leuchars in Fife? There are more than just the two mentioned above...

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