A Glimpse of Scotland

Up early thanks to jet lag, we took an early morning walk around the city. As the sun rose, we were treated to a most glorious welcome to Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Castle, guarding the city from the top of a dormant volcano for more than a millennium.

When photographers say “that light!”, this is what they mean.

When I posted a similar version of this photo on Instagram, I called it “things people believe in.” After last week’s eclipse, I think our celestial-worshipping roots are maybe closer to the surface than we might realize.

A Ferris wheel along Princes Street.

The monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. It’s devilishly hard to photograph, with its dark Gothic detail and situation along a busy street, but the golden early morning sun gave me a boost.

Next to the Scott Monument along Princes Street is the Waverly train station and, in the distance Calton Hill with its follies. Shooting into the sun does not make for a great photo, but I love how this one image shows hundreds of years of history and technology in one glimpse.

A glimpse of the Firth of Forth as you climb the hill to Edinburgh Castle.

Throughout the city, especially in the gardens, there were war memorials. I found the wild fields of poppies in the middle of otherwise cultivated gardens to be the most striking, but this expansive monument, in tribute to fallen Scottish soldiers in battles around the world was especially striking. (This is just a portion of this amphitheater-like memorial at the end of Princes Street Garden.)

Holyrood House, a palace attached to the ruins of the ancient Holyrood Abbey, is still an official residence of royal family. (in the foreground, additional excavations reveal more abbey ruins)

I know I just did a whole post on ruins, and I didn’t include this photo. But I love the detail that still remains of the old stone. In many ways it is much more lovely than the more austere stone of the modern building. (It once housed Mary Queen of Scots, so “modern” is a relative term.)

The gardens of Holyrood Palace (seem to) blend seamlessly into the public park of the Salisbury Crags. Look closely and you’ll see hikers slowly making their way up to Arthur’s Seat, the highest point in the area.

A fountain in the courtyard of Holyrood Palace. It only runs when royals are in residence because the sandstone it is made of is so fragile.

I am SEVERELY restraining myself when it comes to flower/garden shots. But let me just say that the gardens at Holyrood were stunning.

The morning we visited the interior of Edinburgh Castle was pouring down rain and overflowing with crowds. Honestly, it was kind of miserable. I snapped few pictures, but this one is a bit of stained glass from the oldest remaining building on the castle grounds – a chapel that was converted into an armory for many generations. Once again, I’m reminded of the phrase “things people believe in.”

A brief foray into the National Galleries of Scotland was a welcome respite from the rain and crowds. It’s a lovely collection. I had to snap this image because this woman’s expression captures exactly how I’ve felt at every party ever.

Only one day of rain, then we were back to exploring the city. Dean Village, a little tucked-away section of the town along the Waters of Leith, charmed us entirely.

If you’ve followed my Instagram feed, you know that I went a little nuts with the photos at the Royal Botanic Garden. But the architecture wasn’t bad either.

A herbaceous border in the Botanic Gardens. For scale, that hedge is 8 feet tall and it went on for nearly 1/4 of a mile.

A very similar shot to the one at the beginning of the post, but this time the Castle is in evening light, a few days later.

Now we cross the border into England, to the picturesque Alnwick Castle. So picturesque that portions of Harry Potter and Downtown Abbey have been filmed there. In the summer the current Duke and Duchess vacate the premises and allow their home and gardens to be visited by tourists.

We were at the Alnwick Castle gardens in the middle of the day, so the light for photography wasn’t great, but the gardens were spectacular – including the dozen or so garden rooms created from espaliered trees.

Many of my photographs of Lindesfarne were in the last post, but this photo, taken in haste from the bus window, shows the “pilgrims point” where it is thought that the first Christian missionaries came to Britain. Lindesfarne is an island part of each day as the tides sweep in and out.