Edinburgh takes its Christmas very seriously. So seriously in fact that "Edinburgh's Christmas 2017" as they have branded it runs from November 18th until January Sixth. It seems like a long time but without thanksgiving to get in the middle and make things weird it works. The Christmas Market, which has a reputation for being spectacular was set up over the course of the week and opened this weekend. Today, Saturday the 19th, marked "Light Night," the official kick off of the Christmas season. Complete with multiple music stages, dancers, cheer leaders, amusement park rides, and fireworks, it was a bit of a spectacle to behold.
At exactly five pm (this being Scotland the sun sets just before four this time of year) the brief but impressive firework show coincided with the first lighting of a dome of lights and the festivities were kicked off. Afterwards we(my parents are in town for a week to visit me and make sure I'm actually eating) wandered past the little stalls set up in the streets and toured a very impressive collection of ice sculptures. Sometime last week I was told that part of the market would "smell just like Austria" but, being tired after a long day on our feet we have not located that section yet. The prices for everything for sale were predictably high but the atmosphere was enjoyable and I'm excited to go back and explore more.
One major difference between DC and Edinburgh is the security for street events. Obviously given all that Europe has suffered lately they're working on tightening security at popular events but it still felt very light next to DC. Whereas most police officers in the UK don't carry a firearm (neither they nor the people they serve want to change this) some heavily armed officers were present at the Market.
This prompted me to joke that suddenly it was starting to feel like home again in reference to the fact that in DC you can spot the ubiquitous M4 carbine being brandished everywhere from the White House to the National Mall to the National Post Office Museum. Seeing them honestly didn't make me feel any more or less safe, I have faith in the Police force here even if they aren't as prevalent as police in Washington and I know Edinburgh is a rather safe city. What did make me feel less safe, in the wake of the 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack was the notable lack of vehicle blocking infrastructure.
Admittedly I've been spoiled by DC's ability to display large numbers of Concrete barriers, dirt filled dump trucks and Metro buses whenever it needs to ensure cars will be separate from the masses but there was something unsettling about seeing the same duty filled by light weight cars and small fork lifts(although to their credit they've got some weight on them to make sure they remain balanced). To make matters worse there were places where the sidewalk looked wide enough to fit a car but was not blocked at all.
I didn't think anything bad would happen but I have a tendency to look for weaknesses when there is an attempted show of strength (for example when my high school installed bullet proof windows for the front door and office but had a massive row of normal glass doors in the cafeteria.) My problem isn't so much with effort but rather when it is clearly ineffective. That is not to say I'm calling Edinburgh's efforts ineffective, on the contrary I appreciated them and do believe they would have made us much safer were something attempted. I'm just thankful, as I am after every time I attend a high security event, that nothing went wrong and hope that the rest of the market will be as safe and peaceful as today was.