Saturday to Church and a Museum

On a crisp Saturday morning I take a short walk around the Old Town while William catches up on e-mail.  Fergus and Merida are also out; hiking to Calton Hill then strolling down Princess Street and exploring the New Town.  My walk gives me an opportunity to take photo's including close-ups of the Scott Memorial, the narrow stair filled alleyways  (the Scot term for alleyway is "close") off the Royal Mile as well as the street entertainment, both friend and fowl.

William and I start out at the Adam Smith monument then walk the half-block to St. Giles Cathedral.  On the top of this impressive building is the lantern tower, which was built in the 1490's.  Inside we are treated to an incredible Presbyterian cathedral.  As we depart we see that a true Scottish bagpiper is positioned outside in preparation for the upcoming service.

We join up with Fergus and Merida to visit the National Museum of Scotland.  The museum is free and explores world cultures, the natural world and Scotland's story.  We make time part of the way through the museum to go across the street to Greyfriars Pub for a filling lunch.  Then back to the museum to attend a special exhibition  - Photography: A Victorian Sensation.  It lays out the early pioneers and their accomplishments including Louis Daguerre of France, William Henry Fox Talbot of England and George Eastman of the US, the founder of Kodak.  There are over 1,500 early photographs.  It is interesting to see the evolution of photography since the 1800's and humorous to compare the early photographic processes to today's instant digital world.

This evening the four of us walk up the Royal Mile to the Edinburgh Castle then down again to enjoy dinner at Decon Brodie's.  The tavern is named after William Brodie, one of the inspirations for Robert Louis Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde. Born in 1741 Brodie was a deacon of the Guild of Wrights. By day, he was a respectable citizen, a member of the town council but by night, he consorted with lowlife; gambling and drinking. His dark side meant he had to take to burglary to pay his gambling debts, leading to his hanging in 1788.

We close out the night relatively early (certainly before midnight) in preparation or our 6:30 am taxi to airport.