Friday 26 November 2010

Edinburgh portraits

Good to be back in Edinburgh - shame it's only for less than 24 hours. Early flight in from London on Thursday, even earlier flight back on Friday, a business lunch and evening seminar in between, so precious little time for seeing the sights. And weather gorgeous - much sunshine.

Above: view from above Waverley station. Edinburgh's hilly location and grandiose architecture lend it an imposing, enchanted air. Turreted Victorian stone and winding cobbled streets, buildings of commerce and finance, hotels and guesthouses; The Mound and North Bank Place.

Left: battlements and turrets - the Balmoral Hotel, overlooking Waverley Station, and the North Bridge spanning the railway line. The five-star Balmoral fronts onto Princes St, Edinburgh's main shopping thoroughfare (and the northern end of the A1 road that runs to London). It's a favourite among wealthy Japanese tourists. Taxis dropping off passengers outside the Balmoral are greeted by Scotsmen in kilts and full Scottish regalia. To the left of the shot, the Nelson monument, at the foot of which, the Pivo Café.

Above: Scotland's capital is not far from the sea. The Firth of Forth, being the estuary of the River Forth, which flows eastwards into the North Sea. To the south of the city, there are the Pentland Hills. The atmosphere and location make Edinburgh number one choice for where Brits would most like to live and work.

Above: Edinburgh by night - looking down Thistle St. A magickal klimat, what the city's good at doing.

1 comment:

basia said...

Just finished reading the novel "one day" by David Nicholls. A couple sections of the book are set in Edinburgh. Describes Arthur's Seat and the magnificent view (including the Firth of Forth)
I quote:" Turning, he saw the council estates, the spires and crenellations of the Old Town beneath the great hulk of the castle, then beyond that in the haze of the warm day, the Firth of Forth."

nice to see photos so soon after reading the book.