Cathedral
Camera Obscura family portraits!
On top of Camera Obscura building
Robyn writes: Have had a lovely day today. Cait and I were up fairly early, around 7ish, but Lex and Mikeal managed a nice sleepin. Our original plan for today had been the Bruce Festival at Dunfermline, but a perusal of the weather forecast confirmed that rain was forecast for today and NOT tomorrow, so we put that one off and made other plans.
Mikeal and Lex were anxious to visit one of the Whiskey Distilleries on their passport list, so they headed out to Glenkinchie, about half an hour's drive away. They were impressed with the tour, which they got for free, and the whiskey sample, which had honey and fruity tones. They even got to see the mash bubbling away (looks like beer in a giant keg, they said, Meggsy!) But it smelt nasty. They then used their 3 pound gift vouchers in the store. Of course. This was a most enjoyable way for them to spend the morning!
Cait and I took a Number 10 bus into town - extremely convenient as it leaves just up the road from our place and takes us straight into Princes St in the city. It took around 40 minutes, and as it was a double decker, we headed right for the seats at the front of the top deck and had an excellent tour of the city on the way in! We had a lovely time seeing the sights (Sir Walter Scott Memorial, cathedral, lovely streetscapes etc) and looking around the shops. At lunch time we found a pub for a yummy lunch of bangers and mash (which Cait had been hanging out for all around Europe) and I had a Scotch Egg, which was delicious! I must try making them when I get home. Then we wandered around the shops a bit more before heading up the hill to the castle.
Edinburgh Castle certainly dominates the city from its position on the top of the hill. They are already setting up the huge stands for the Military Tattoo which runs over three weeks in August (the parade area they march in is somehow much smaller than it looks on TV, having grown up seeing the tattoo on New Year's Eve many times over the decades!) We went in to the front of the castle and looked in horror at the huge lineup for tickets. It was starting to rain, and at this point we both lost our will to visit it! We took photos and wandered down the hill to the cathedral instead. This is a beautiful building and well worth a look.
We enjoyed looking around the castle precinct and walking along the Royal Mile and had a lovely afternoon tea at the Deacon's House Cafe. Then at 3.30, we met up with Lex and Mikeal (who had had lunch at a seafood restaurant and then taken the bus into town) at the Camera Obscura just near the castle gates. We owe many, many thanks to Glen and Carol for this, as they'd very kindly given us Tesco vouchers which got us all in for the princely sum of one pound eighty pence! It's an amazing place, full of lots and lots of optical illusions, mirrors, mazes and we had a wonderful few hours there. At 4.30 we lined up for the camera obscura show - this is a Victorian invention which uses mirrors to show the scenes around the outside of the top of the building. Unfortunately because by then it was heavily overcast, it was a bit dark, but I'm sure it would be wonderful on a sunny day. From there we went out onto the deck at the top where there were fabulous views of the city. As I said, it was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon and well worth a visit if you're ever in Edinburgh!
After we'd finished at the Camera Obscura, we headed back up the hill as Lex thought he would like to have a bit of a look at the castle. Unfortunately just as we were getting there, they were closing the gates and not allowing anyone else in, so we had a bit of a look around the nearby shops then headed back down into town to catch our bus home. It started to rain in earnest at around this stage so we were all glad to get back on our bus and enjoyed the views again on the ride home (through the rainswept windows).
Since then we've had tea (Hunter's Chicken, yum) and are staying snug and warm inside while it rains outside. Forecast tomorrow is cloudy but hopefully no rain. Fingers crossed!
12th July EDINBURGH!
Robyn writes: Have had a lovely day today. Cait and I were up fairly early, around 7ish, but Lex and Mikeal managed a nice sleepin. Our original plan for today had been the Bruce Festival at Dunfermline, but a perusal of the weather forecast confirmed that rain was forecast for today and NOT tomorrow, so we put that one off and made other plans.
Mikeal and Lex were anxious to visit one of the Whiskey Distilleries on their passport list, so they headed out to Glenkinchie, about half an hour's drive away. They were impressed with the tour, which they got for free, and the whiskey sample, which had honey and fruity tones. They even got to see the mash bubbling away (looks like beer in a giant keg, they said, Meggsy!) But it smelt nasty. They then used their 3 pound gift vouchers in the store. Of course. This was a most enjoyable way for them to spend the morning!
Edinburgh landscapes
Cait at the castle
Setting up for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Edinburgh Castle certainly dominates the city from its position on the top of the hill. They are already setting up the huge stands for the Military Tattoo which runs over three weeks in August (the parade area they march in is somehow much smaller than it looks on TV, having grown up seeing the tattoo on New Year's Eve many times over the decades!) We went in to the front of the castle and looked in horror at the huge lineup for tickets. It was starting to rain, and at this point we both lost our will to visit it! We took photos and wandered down the hill to the cathedral instead. This is a beautiful building and well worth a look.
We enjoyed looking around the castle precinct and walking along the Royal Mile and had a lovely afternoon tea at the Deacon's House Cafe. Then at 3.30, we met up with Lex and Mikeal (who had had lunch at a seafood restaurant and then taken the bus into town) at the Camera Obscura just near the castle gates. We owe many, many thanks to Glen and Carol for this, as they'd very kindly given us Tesco vouchers which got us all in for the princely sum of one pound eighty pence! It's an amazing place, full of lots and lots of optical illusions, mirrors, mazes and we had a wonderful few hours there. At 4.30 we lined up for the camera obscura show - this is a Victorian invention which uses mirrors to show the scenes around the outside of the top of the building. Unfortunately because by then it was heavily overcast, it was a bit dark, but I'm sure it would be wonderful on a sunny day. From there we went out onto the deck at the top where there were fabulous views of the city. As I said, it was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon and well worth a visit if you're ever in Edinburgh!
After we'd finished at the Camera Obscura, we headed back up the hill as Lex thought he would like to have a bit of a look at the castle. Unfortunately just as we were getting there, they were closing the gates and not allowing anyone else in, so we had a bit of a look around the nearby shops then headed back down into town to catch our bus home. It started to rain in earnest at around this stage so we were all glad to get back on our bus and enjoyed the views again on the ride home (through the rainswept windows).
Since then we've had tea (Hunter's Chicken, yum) and are staying snug and warm inside while it rains outside. Forecast tomorrow is cloudy but hopefully no rain. Fingers crossed!
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