Edinburgh 4. Botanic Gardens: Trees and Architecture

A selection of trees and structures from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, starting with the Ladies loos!! Images insode the glasshouses follow.

 

Edinburgh 3. Leith Walk to Botanic Gardens

On Monday, I walked from my hotel next to Donaldson along the River Leith (well where I could) to the Botanic Gardens. The Donaldson Building was opened in 1851 by Queen Victoria as a hospital and community centre. It is the work of William Playfair. whose other designs include The Scottish National Gallery and the Parthenon-style National Monument. By 2008, the building had fallen into such disrepair that its tenant at the time, a school for deaf children, was relocated.  Now, the sandstone structure that some say should have been the Scottish parliament is being turned into luxury flats.

The walk along the Leith has unfortunately been closed due to landslips so I had lots of diversions through the streets and spent time photographing the tenaments , chimney pots etc.

Edinburgh 2. Evening on Princes Street

The cloudless skies continued into the evening yesterday - here a few images from my walk back to West coates as darkness took over. The last two images are what happened when I forgot camera was on bracketing and mvoed the camera around during the long exposures!

  

Edinburgh 1. Christmas Market

I am in Edinburgh prior to lecturing to the Photographic Society on Wednesday evening  and today spent the afternoon photographing the enormous Chrismas Market in Princes Gardens. The last image is looking towards Waverley Station as the moon rose.

Tale of Two Cities

We visited Perth in the morning on Saturday to meet friends for lunch.
There are quite a few of the original tenement houses there with the communal entrances and staircases. In the afternoon we went on to Edinburgh - a great contrast to quiet Perth as it is the start of the Festival so the city was all youth and noise though I did find one back alley way that I liked.

Blue staircase

I have quite a collection of coloured staircases. This one was taken recently in Edinburgh at their discovery centre near the Scottish Parliament.