Edinburgh 6. Scottish Parliament Interior

From the outset, the building and its construction were controversial, scheduled to open in 2001,it did so in 2004, with an estimated final cost of £414 million, many times higher than initial estimates of between £10m and £40m. Enric Miralles, the Spanish architect who designed the building, died before its completion.The building aimed to achieve a poetic union between the Scottish landscape, its people, its culture, and the city of Edinburgh. The Parliament Building won numerous awards including the 2005 Stirling Prize. Here some interior shots - Barry, its exterior with its abundance of concrete will follow. 

Edinburgh 5. Glasshouses Botanic Gardens

Unfortunately, the Palm House was not open so it was straight into the tropical zones and hence misted up cameras. I got impatient waiting for the lens to clear so the first few images are (in the words of my school reading - never forgotten) “through a glass darkly” i.e. to have an obscure or imperfect vision of reality. the last two are double exposures.

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!