The real castle!

And here's a picture of the 'real' castle, high on the rock in the background. In the front left is the Fruitmarket Gallery, next to Waverley Station (right). The blue bus is the Airport Bus 100, waiting at its stop on Waverley bridge. Above it you see the National Gallery on the Mound. The blue domed building at the top of the Mound is the Bank of Scotland HQ. This well-known view can of course be seen from North Bridge.

Five Pound Fringe

Over the last few years, ticket prices for Fringe shows have shot up quite a bit. Expect to pay at least £8 pounds for lesser known shows, and £15 for the big names! This is why some venues - like the Tron on Hunter Square - have decided to support initiatives like the Five Pound Fringe, or even Free Fringe, each of which does exactly what it says on the tin!

Oddfellows

When you walk past this bar on Forrest Road you will probably not notice the interesting facade of the building, let alone know about the history of this place. Built in 1873, Oddfellows Hall was the gathering point for members of the Oddfellows Order. I understand that these were guilds with members from an odd assortment of trades (rather than all from the same trade), hence the term 'odd fellows'. Oddfellows Hall was a Lodge where they would congregate, with lecture rooms, meeting rooms and domitories.

Many Edinburgh people will remember "Bar Oz", previously located in this building, which was accessed through a narrow passage and laid out over two floors. In 2006, £1.05 million was spent on redesiging and opening up the space, and many of the original features can now be seen again.

Stone - Crown Office

I think this blog is due another 'stone' picture, so here's a nice one! This decorative stonework can be found on columns on either side of the entrance to the Crown Office on Chambers Street, the body responsible for prosecution of crime in Scotland.

Colourful shops

Some long-established, colourful shops on Greyfriar's Place, opposite the Museum of Scotland.

George IV Bridge

After serving as starting and finishing point for the Great Edinburgh Run on Sunday, this is George IV Bridge returned to normal. It's really more a high-level street than a bridge, although it does bridge the Cowgate (just behind the bus).

Great Edinburgh Run part 1

Today saw some 10,000 runners take part in the Great Edinburgh Run 2009! This 10k road run followed a route across the Royal Mile, past Holyrood Palace and along the Meadows to a finish on George IV Bridge. I was there merely in a supporting role and to take pictures of various friends who are much more sporty than me. This picture was taken about half way along the route, from South Bridge looking down on the Cowgate. As you can see the weather was gorgeous.

Well done to all of you!!

Waverleygate

This is Waverleygate, on the corner of North Bridge and Waterloo Place. This wonderful classical building was once the General Post Office and went through a series of improvements in the 1890s, 1900s and 1960s but by the 1990s all post services had moved out and the building stood empty for several years. More recently it has been redeveloped into fancy new office spaces. Take-up has been slow, however, and I believe the building is still largely empty.

RSA on the Mound

The Royal Scottish Academy on the Mound, basking in the winter sun. Originally built as an art school by William Playfair in the mid-19th century, it is now used by the National Galleries of Scotland as its primary exhibition space.

Graffiti in Potterrow

This is the footpath from South College Street along Potterrow, in the University area just to the south of the city centre. Graffiti such as this is rare in Edinburgh's city centre, but here the walls and wooden boards along the pavement have been full of it for as long as I can remember. Great for colourful pictures on a dreary January day!

Students protest against war

Anti-war protest by students on Bristo Square, yesterday lunchtime.

Torchlight Procession

On 29 December we took part in the annual Torchlight Procession, which starts on the Royal Mile and finishes with a bonfire and fireworks on Calton Hill. It's an amazing experience being part of this river of light with around 20,000 (!) people taking part. You buy your torch for £6 on the Royal Mile (the money goes to a city charity) and queue up, or you can simply watch the procession snake down the Mound and onto Princes Street. Highly recommended if you find yourself in or around Edinburgh for Hogmanay! (pic courtesy of Difa!)

Balmoral Hotel

Opened in 1902 as the North British Hotel, the Balmoral hotel is one of Edinburgh's most famous landmarks. It was originally a railway hotel and at 1 Princes Street it still towers over Waverley station. Its name and ownership changed after a refurbishment in the 1980s, but the clock is still always set a few minutes fast so that travellers don't miss their trains (except for at New Year when it is set accurately!)

Interesting fact: Edinburgh author J K Rowling finished the last Harry Potter book at this hotel. Rowling left a signed statement written on a marble bust in her room saying; "JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (552) on 11th Jan 2007".

Sunrise over North Bridge

On our way to work this morning we were treated to a beautiful sunrise - this was the view from North Bridge looking south-east at about 9am.

West End

A view of the West End of Princes Street - the main, though not the best, shopping street in New Town - as seen from the Mound. The church on the left is St Cuthbert's on the corner of Lothian Road. In the distance you see Costorphine Hill, home to Edinburgh Zoo.

HBOS Takeover

On Friday it was announced that HBOS shareholders agreed with the takeover of their bank by Lloyds TSB. Shares fell by 23% but the HBOS headquarters on the Mound stood tall and proud, basking in the sun (OK this may have been the previous day...!).

Old Town winter sun

A low winter sun over the Old Town skyline as seen from Princes Street whilst doing some (rather unsuccessful) Christmas shopping at lunchtime!

Greyfriars Bobby

Outside Greyfriar's Churchyard stands the much-photographed sculpture of Bobby, the Sky Terrier who watched over the grave of its owner for 14 years. Rather than put up with all the attention, do you think Bobby might like to be somewhere else for a change? Taxi!

National Museum of Scotland Tower

Yesterday I had a go on the digital SLR from work - way more sophisticated than my normal apparatus. I can't say I really got the hang of all the settings straight away, but this was one of my better attempts. This is the 'Tower', part of the National Museum of Scotland, built in 1998 to house the Scottish collections of the National Museums. For me, this is a very special building - not only is it a previous workplace, but it also is where Mr Dido and I got married.

Ironwork on George IV Bridge

This nice iron fencework can be found on the west side of George IV Bridge, here.