Once upon a time in a land far far away there stood a castle. This castle was grand and beautiful with magnificent brick work the colour of dust. Each stone seemingly telling it's own story while make sure each story that unfolded in it's walls stayed secret.
The castle had stood there for many many years watching as his city changed around him. Buildings were built, people moved in, trees grew and died and new ones were planted. People visited the castle, exploring his many layers. Academics read books and philosophers drank wine while their tales of Edinburgh seeped into the walls.
Now the castle seemed to disappeared within the landscape as colourful structures all pink and purple enclosed it. The castle was sad. He was too old for this, too wise. He'd seen it all before and had began to simply close his eyes to it.
One day a young girl walked up to the castle taking in it's beauty. She stared at it for a moment breathing in amongst the excitement surrounding her. The castle began to slowly open one eye sensing the young girl's presence. The girl moved forward towards the first step. The castle slowly opened his other eye wincing as he did so. He looked at the girl. She continued to look at him, her mouth carelessly open in awe. Then he smiled. It was a wistful, welcoming smile. The girl climbed the step and walked through the open door.
The next day the girl returned to see more building hiding the lovely castle. She didn't worry for him this time. They were all constructed in his honour, to take him back to days long passed. They were celebrating a history. Walled gardens now surrounded him with ale houses and medieval cooking pots. People rejoiced with meat and liquor giving cheers to the castle beside them. Barrels stood weighted with pints of cider and wooden stools gave relief to hungry well-wishers. The castle would be surrounded by friends for the next thirty days and thirty nights. Musicians would play, singers would sing, clowns would joke and magicians would play tricks. The girl wondered through the grounds beneath and headed home giving the castle a happy nod.
She left him alone for a few days as he becomes accustomed to his new surroundings. Eventually she returned in the early hours of one morning. The gardens were quiet with only a few people crunching gravel under their feet. The castle was asleep. The girl too felt tired. It didn't feel right to be up so early and she wasn't yet prepared to face the day. She walked in the walled gardens eyeing the medieval huts as she passed until she came across a tall, thin peasant woman sheltered under one of the smaller huts. She was selling her goods and wares, beverages and breakfast treats. The girl looked up at the woman's stall sign "The Motley Brew" and then looked down the list of drinks. In the unfamiliar tranquillity of the city's morning she ordered a very hot skinny latte and breathed in the scent of vanilla flapjacks. The peasant woman was very good to the young girl and spoke to her with kindness. The young girl was a peasant too after all living in a strange new land with strange new people who spoke a strange new language.
The peasant and the young girl spoke about the wonders of the city and the entertainment that was on offer every night. It was like living in a circus, you just waited for the elephants to start parading down the street. The young girl took her steaming cup of coffee and left the gardens as they continued to wake. She paused just outside humming cool air into the cup before taking a sip. The coffee felt like oxygen in her mouth floating up towards her eyes and snapping them open. She crossed the path and walked into her workplace suddenly confronted with a mob of angry patrons. She smiled her best smile, put her coffee cup down and walked into the middle of the crowd, a sacrificed goat to slaughter.
The castle yawned a big yawn and fluttered his eyes open. He looked over a the young girl with her misplaced coffee cup and chuckled. "Now you know how I feel" he whispered sympathically breathing hot air onto the coffee cup to keep it warm. "An empty castle is like a cold coffee, such a waste."
So this ladies and gentlemen has been a slightly different sort of blog as you might have guessed. With myself playing the part of the young girl, the Teviot House playing the part of the castle and a girl working at the festival playing the part of the peasant. Although this places isn't strictly an indepedant cafe that remains throughout the year it is at the epicentre of the fringe just beside the Gilded Balloon venue, one of the main venues at the festival. And thus in my opinion requires some kind of review. And it gets a good one. Good location, good coffee and good staff. The perfect morning pick me up for early festival starts. I probably wouldn't head there for the afternoon or evening, because the crowds certainly pick up then. You'll have to get through an Indiana Jones like path of flyering people before getting anywhere near the inside, which can sometimes get tedious.
The story itself was based on truth. I fell in love with the Teviot Row House the moment I saw it along with many other houses dotted across the outskirts of the city. And like the majority of buildings throughout the city it has now been dominated by various logos, pictures, posters and colours. In the circumstances this is far from a bad thing. The beer gardens and tents bring life to the city and its great to see such a buzz of people enjoying themselves and the this wonderful festival. You have to expect at some point you are going to need one of the several stalls on offer, whether it's late night burgers, sneaky donuts or that all in important coffee. And in situations like this it's good to know where to go. A lot of the coffee stands around the venue hike up the prices (£2.80 or more for a latte). 'The Motley Brew' located in the Gilded Balloon beer garden seems to have stayed sensible offering a regular latte for £2.20. Not quite £1.30 but a good price for a decent coffee overlooked my a truly beautiful building.
Frothy Fun Fact of the Day: The Teviot Row House is the oldest purpose built student union in the world. Those Scots know have their priorities right, well done them!
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