An Edinburgh taster

I had around two hours this morning for sightseeing in the sunshine - took many shots, too many to process properly (all those converging verticals!) so here, before I set off for an afternoon and evening in Glasgow, are some taster photos of Edinburgh enjoying glorious spring sunshine.

Above: the National Galleries [pl.] of Scotland. Below: a characteristic view of Edinburgh's skyline - turreted Victorian tenements jostle with church spires, imposing government buildings and chimney pots. Notice the scaffolding mid-frame; Edinburgh is an ongoing work-in-progress - there's always something being renovated. It will never stand still.

Below: looking up towards The Mound, a huge man-made slope leading down from Castle Hill.

More pictures and researched captions to follow on return to Warsaw. Edinburgh is a beautiful city offering much delight to the eye, rich in British Imperial history. An absolute must-visit.

Since my last visit, the new tram line running down Princes Street has been laid, ripped up again and is now being re-laid, proving that fuszerka is not the unique speciality of Polish public sector infrastructure development. A taxi driver told me that Princes Street will finally be ready in 2014.

All over the city, rebuilding work is going on; lovely old buildings covered in scaffolding. It is of course something that is ongoing. There will never be a moment when a historic city is 'done' - and photographers can relish every single turn. Select, zoom in, crop - and you can remove the eyesores. But on the ground, the city - indeed every historic city - will have views blighted by closed thoroughfares, scaffolding and construction work.

This time two years ago:

First long bike ride of the season

This time three years ago:
Life returns to Jeziorki

This time four years ago:
Early spring dusk