I’m not sure if our last attempt to see a camera obscura in action was during my break from my photo diary or whether I was still doing it. I took David to Bristol to see the one there a couple of years ago but failed in our attempt because they only open it on really sunny days. So, when I realised there is one here in Edinburgh, we decided we MUST fit it into our schedule.

Today is the big day, because the weather forecast is good. We agreed to get up and get there in time for its opening because we’d noticed yesterday that the Royal Mile gets very busy in the afternoon relative to the morning. So, at just after 9.30am, we were buying our tickets and trudging up the stairs to the camera’s spot at the top of the building it’s housed in.

I have to say, it was an amazing thing – not least the picking up of people off the pavement then crashing them down again – delightful. (Go and see for yourself if you think this last sentence is crazy.)

The camera is housed with a load of other visual attractions, presumably so they can charge more to get in to see the whole thing. We thought the rest’d be naff but actually they were not in the least. This is, of course, DM getting shocked…I love it and am particularly pleased with the shot given that he said “oh you’ll never get a decent shot in this light hand-held”. I know it’s not technically without its shortcomings but nonetheless I’m chuffed to bits with the shot.

We walked along the “water of Leith walkway” to the Botanical Gardens in the afternoon and it could have been a summer’s day. It was a lovely walk and a surprisingly rural look at city life.

Edinburgh is a truly lovely city. It’s not just the architecture, the history or the magnificence of being Scotland’s Capital city, it just has a warmth that most of the cities I’ve been to lack. From loving Scotland but knowing little about Edinburgh, I’ve found myself feeling wonderfully at home here too. You know what? This trip to Edinburgh has enhanced the country for me…..made me see that it’s not just a beautiful fairy-tale land of mountains and lochs but a thriving modern country too. Does that sound cheesy? Or weird? Or plain stupid? I’m sorry if you think any of the above applies but I am struggling to say just how much I’ve loved my trip.


Post script: I looked back in my diary and found this account of our trip to Bristol to see the Camera Obscura there - so, it was before I stopped!