There are two companies running ferries to the island, Forth belle and Maid of the Forth. Prices are similar, about 10 pounds. The ferry services are not very often (about 1 per hour) so it is better if you check the timetable before hand.
Inchcolm and the whole of the firth of Forth is also home to some wild sealife. It was very nice to see seals lying lazily on the rocks and charming puffins with their bright colors. Just to keep in mind: Seagulls are not so friendly during their nesting period, in this season watch out where you step on.
Some seals in the firth of Forth, with snowed mountain in the background
Then we wanted to see the curious Camera Obscura, which is very close to the Hub and to Edinburgh Castle. The large exhibition of optical toys is really interesting. I liked the part of pinhole photography most. A pinhole camera is very simple, though it should be prepared with much more care. The lense is replaced with a pinhole. As only a small amount of light can pass through the hole, a long time is needed to acquire image onto the film; some of the pictures exhibited had been exposed for hours! The resulting images are more softer and different. A question crossed my mind I don't know why, if the images of the universe could be stored in black holes?
Camera Obscura is a giant pinhole camera. With the help of a periscope you can see the live image of the Edinburgh Castle's parking lot, with the people walking around; because of this, it seems that during the first demonstrations (in the 19th century), some people fainted! The demostration takes 15 minutes. Then we enjoyed the beautiful view of Edinburgh from the tower.
The Royal Mile from the roof of Camera Obscura building
Late again but we should try Haggis-vegetarian version of course. Deacon Brodie's (435 Lawnmarket) was our stop to do it. It is a bit touristic but the service was fast and the atmosphere was warm. The pub is named after the city council member Deacon Brodie who had a life story that later inspired the novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
On Sunday, our first destination was exhibition of nature photographer Steve Bloom in the frame of Edinburgh Science Festival. The swimming elephant was my favorite among the photos. It was more flying to me. Bee was impressed by the size of this shark (note that the "small" thing in front of him is a seal!)
Going up and down around the Royal Mile made us a bit tired and hungry, so we stopped by Turkish café-restaurant Truva (251-253 Royal Mile) to enjoy baklava and Turkish coffee. It is a very nicely decorated café, and the staff were very friendly with us.
Then we made our way to the famous Edinburgh Castle. Waiting in the queue and paying 13 pounds... The clerk asks "what is your purpose of being here, what is your nationality" and so on with a fake smile on her face. My Bee answered her "to enjoy the sunshine..." I simply refused to give any information. We accepted it as a Scottish way of humor.
Coming out of the Castle, we were just in time for a free organ concert at St. Giles Cathedral. It was a nice way to relax after so much walking these days!
Afterwards, we decided to walk through the small streets of the older part of the city. We arrived at the old campus of Edinburgh University, which was so abandoned in the Easter holiday. By this time, we had learnt not to wait too much to start looking for a place for dinner. We ended up in a Sudanese restaurant called Nile Valley, were we enjoyed quite good food again at a reasonable price.
By the time we came out, it was late, so this time we took the bus to our hotel. The bus went right through the city center, so we could see again all those views, with the special light that things have at night, especially the things that you've enjoyed visiting.Altogether, we enjoyed our holidays in Edinburgh, and we would recommend anyone to visit the city. On the down side, the weather was colder than we would have liked, and we think that the City Council should consider investing some money in cleaning up the buildings in the city center. They are covered in a black layer of smoke that does not suit them at all!
No comments:
Post a Comment