Where were you when the largest art festival in the world started this weekend? The 62nd annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival brings performers from all over the world to Scotland for two weeks of doing whatever their muses lead them to do, for lucky audiences who don't mind waiting in line and drinking many, many beers. With most shows under £10, it's a cheap way to catch a show which could one day be sitting pretty on the West End, also known as the Broadway of London.

Our picks among the thousands of offerings this year:

· "The B.F.G."
Honor the U.K.'s own Roald Dahl with this puppet masterpiece for all ages about a man of unusual size and his new best friend. At Augustine's, 41 George V Bridge. Tickets £7. ]]> egw 2009-08-10T12:34:29-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/15/145230/867

There are plenty of reasons to visit Scotland, London’s twee neighbor to the north—and by that we mean, plenty of reasons beyond the thousands of burly men in skirts with adorable Scottish accents. Just to prove it, we’ll give you five fabulous reasons to go to Scotland, and we won’t mention kilts at all.

Reason 1: 2009 is a banner year for the Scots, as it is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert “Rabbie” Burns, and the entire country is partying all year long to celebrate. Rabbie Burns, for those who don’t know, is the famous (Scottish) poet who gave us “Auld Lang Syne,” and for whom the town of Burns, New York, was named after. The year long “Rabbie” celebration is widely called “Homecoming” and anyone with Scottish descent is invited to fly “home,” trace their ancestry, drink some whisky, and dance around with their fellow countrymen. Whether you dance in pants or “skirts,” is up to you.

More reasons after the jump]]> brycelongton 2009-01-26T11:30:55-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/27/63546/4540

We're big fans of UNESCO's Creative Cities program which so far has quite rightly crowned Berlin as a City of Design and let Santa Fe don the cap of City of Folk Art. This month a new creative city has stepped up: Glasgow has been official christened a UNESCO City of Music.

Being a City of Music, according to UNESCO, is meant to help Glasgow preserve its music culture as well as make it an extra-attractive tourist destination. Home to great indie bands like Franz Ferdinand and Belle & Sebastian, and with a typical week of music in the city totalling 127 different gigs, you'd be hard pressed not to find something musical to entertain you on a night out in Glasgow.

Related Stories:
· Glasgow's Music Scene Recognised with Rare Honour From UNESCO [The Independent]
· Take Me Out to Glasgow [Jaunted]
· UNESCO coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: turquoise boy]
]]> amandak 2008-08-27T09:00:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/6/30/53213/3350

We have to confess to just a tiny crush on Colin Firth, that quintessential English gentleman who we adored in "Bridget Jones's Diary" and is starring in "Mamma Mia!" soon. This tiny crush means we are very, very open to the travel suggestions he made recently in the UK Times.

Colin's especially keen on the desert, like the stuff you find in the northern Sahara in Tunisia, but it sounds like the place on earth that he'd most recommend is the west of Scotland.

He's vacationed in that part of Britain more than once, but he's also spent time around Loch Fyne filming a movie and says it had an "impossibly romantic glow." Right: Adding west Scotland to our must-travel list now. We hope the charming Colin Firth will come along with us.

Related Stories:
· My Hols: Colin Firth [UK Times]
· Anticipated Summer Movie Travel: Who Wants to Go to Greece? [Jaunted]

[Photo: rutty] amandak 2008-06-30T09:30:08-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/7/31/165135/625

O, my luve's like a red, red rose... With the advent of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival a week from Sunday, a flood of foreigners will be crowding the streets of Scotland's biggest city to see new and cutting-edge live works. But just because you're on the Fringe doesn't mean you can't find someone to take to the shows. Exercise those plus-ones for once after you visit these hot spots:

The Secret Garden -- Eating in this dark, candle-lit spot is a "indulgent and decorative experience" from the wine waiters to the baked-goat-cheese tarts.
Castlehill, The Royal Mile

The Bongo Club -- Cafe by day, jazz/soul/techno club by night, so the bongos need never stop playing. 37 Holyrood Road

The Jolly Judge -- Yes, it's around the corner from a court of law, but why should that stop you from sampling one of its 30-plus malt whiskies while you battle some smarties on Monday's quiz night? 493 Lawnmarket

Related Stories:
· Edinburgh Hotels [HotelChatter]
· Edinburgh Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: attator]]]> egw 2007-08-03T11:43:24-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/3/8/182555/2654

We're betting you haven't hit the Scottish town of Linlithgow yet on your treks around the world. They'll admit they have never been a tourist mecca, but that's all about to change with the establishment of a memorial honoring the (fictional) birthplace of Montgomery Scott, aka the guy who gets asked "Beam me up, Scotty."

With official confirmation from the original Star Trek author that Scotty will be born on June 28, 2222 in Linlithgow, the town's got the go ahead from its local (believe it or not) Enterprise Committee to establish the memorial. The display will include Scotty's original costume, some personal items donated by the late Scotty actor James Doohan's family, and even a scale model of the spaceship.

So if you need to be beamed up or just want to take the controls of the Starship Enterprise, Linlithgow is the place for you. The nice thing is they're not even ashamed to say that they're doing it all just to create some niche tourism. The other nice thing is we're not going to end this with some "beam me up" joke.

[Photo: anna_t]

Related Stories:
· Memorial to Star Trek's Scotty [Linlithgow Journal]
· Scotty Beamed Into Future Birthplace [Scotsman]
]]> amandak 2007-03-09T11:30:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/2/14/111025/018
Gridskipper points us to Visit Scotland's second annual Date a Hot Scot (or, as they pretty appropriately rename it, Date a Hottish Scottish) contest. For a limited time only, the tourism board is offering you the chance to rate the hotness of a chosen few Scots and enter to win a trip to Scotland to meet them all.

Bob Hanlon (pictured above) is our favorite. According to the tourism board, Dumfries (Bob's hometown) is his favorite place in Scotland. While a second date with Bob is not guaranteed if you win the contest, you do run the chance of winding up at one of the area's B&Bs with him should you two really hit it off. Good luck!

Related Stories:
· Date A Hot Scot (or a Hottish Scottish) [Gridskipper]
· Date a Hot Scot [Official Site]]]> djk 2007-02-14T11:10:25-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/