Museum on the Mound

The green dome you see in the picture is the headquarters (on paper at least) of the Bank of Scotland, or HBoS as it has become. They have turned it into Edinburgh's newest museum, known as the Museum on the Mound. It details the history of the bank and banking in Scotland in general, as well as taking a look at the history of the Old Town of Edinburgh. It's free to enter, as are all the public museums, but I haven't been yet so I can't say if it's worth a look or not.

More Old Town

Pictures of the Old Town always seem to be popular so here's another shot, taken from the top of the Museum of Scotland. The church in the shot, is no longer a church, it's now a cafe and arts centre and also the main ticket office for events in Edinburgh. It's now known as the Hub.

Public Art

Edinburgh does have some rather odd public art installations, including this one of an insect in the palm of a large hand outside St Mary's Cathedral. I get what it's meant to be, just not really why it's there.

Pigeon Art

These pigeons occupy a small piece of Leith Walk by the London Road roundabout and watch the traffic go by day after day, hour after hour. It was reported in the local paper that someone made little coats for the pigeons and dressed them up to protect them from the cold...nice!

Allan Ramsay Statue

This is the statue to the Scots poet Allan Ramsay in West Princes Street Gardens. Ramsay is depicted standing with a book in his left hand and a pencil in his right. He has a plaid over his shoulder and is wearing a silk night-cap rather than a wig. Ramsay (1686 -1758) was an Edinburgh poet and publisher and involved in the early 18th century revival of Scots vernacular poetry. As a poet he is best remembered for his five-part work, 'The Gentle Shepherd'. The castle, as usual, provides a stunning backdrop.

Winter Sun

The low-level of the sun can be pretty dazzling for drivers, but it does make for some interesting silhouette shots. At least the days are getting longer, not that you'd actually notice!

A fitting start to the year

It's 2007 and what a wet and windy start to the new year it has been in these parts. What with the cancellation of the Street Party and the Concert and Ceilidh in the gardens, I'm sure many bemused tourists were wandering around yesterday wondering what there was to do...virtually nothing open and practically no public transport..such is New Year in Scotland! Today, the shops on Princes Street were open but most offices won't start back to work till tomorrow. This year is going to be a big year for Scotland...celebrating (or otherwise) 300 years of Union with England and Scottish elections in May which could spell the end of that Union. On a more global level, I thought this quotation from the paving stones outside the Writers' Museum was apt for the start of the year.

Lang May Yer Lum Reek!

A very Happy New Year to all visitors to Edinburgh Daily Photo. I wonder who will be my first foot on the comments page?? As it's Ne'erday, I should explain a few Scottish New Year traditions. One is first-footing...this is the first person who crosses your doorstep in the New Year. To bring luck, it should be a tall, dark handsome man...this stems from the fear of the blonde Viking raiders all those years ago. Second, when visiting someone's house, you would traditionally bring with you some whisky, shortbread and a lump of coal...this shows that you hope that the household will have enough to drink, to eat and that there will be enough warmth in the coming year. Bliadhana Mhath Ùr! Lang May Yer Lum reek!