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sashuraPortrait Gallery
We are not big fans of large art museums (sorry, mom!), but figured we had to go to at least one. I picked one that had something interesting about it besides the art - the building itself. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery opened in 1889 and is the world's first purpose-built portrait gallery space.
The ceiling of the main hall:
We expected to find only painted portraits there, but they have some sculptures too.
James Maxwell (the Maxwell's equations in PDE):
Sir Walter Scott:
Robert Louis Stevenson:
Mary Somerville - the world's first ever scientist! The word was invented for her and used first time in the English language in a review of her 1834 book "On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences".
Museum library:
St. Giles Cathedral
(free, no lines)
Founded in 1124 and pre dates most of the buildings in Edinburgh. The existing building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century. Plus, destroyed a few times here and there by the British army.
Crown steeple
Foggy night and colored lights on the crown steeple:
Edinburgh Castle
Tickets are included in the Explorer Pass, but one has to reserve entrance time. If you absolutely have to see it in the morning, make reservation really early, when I started looking at them there were no mornings left for more than a week ahead. I think this is because they run free tours in the mornings, or maybe there is another reason as well. One more thing about timing: at 1 pm every day they fire a modern(!) cannon from the castle. If you want to see/hear it, make sure you are there by 1, if you want to avoid it - plan accordingly :)
Veiw of the city from the castle wall. The big grey roof in the middle is the train station.
The Scottish Crown Jewels’ are on display in the castle: the Crown, Sceptre, and Sword of State. There is a pretty long line to see them, but it is moving really fast - you just walk past a glass case with the treasures and move on. No photography is allowed there, so not my picture:
The Honours of Scotland (the oldest crown jewels in Britain, including the Crown of Scotland) went missing in 1707 and were spectacularly rediscovered 111 years later on February 4, 1818. Fearing they would be taken to England after the Act of Union, officials locked the regalia in a chest within Edinburgh Castle's Crown Room, and their location was largely forgotten. Sir Walter Scott (yes, the writer) suspected the jewels were still hidden within the castle and obtained a royal warrant to search for them. On February 4, 1818, after breaking through walled-up doors and forcing open the great oak chest, Scott and his team found the crown, scepter, and sword intact and wrapped in linen.
We are not big fans of large art museums (sorry, mom!), but figured we had to go to at least one. I picked one that had something interesting about it besides the art - the building itself. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery opened in 1889 and is the world's first purpose-built portrait gallery space.
The ceiling of the main hall:
We expected to find only painted portraits there, but they have some sculptures too.
James Maxwell (the Maxwell's equations in PDE):
Sir Walter Scott:
Robert Louis Stevenson:
Mary Somerville - the world's first ever scientist! The word was invented for her and used first time in the English language in a review of her 1834 book "On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences".
Museum library:
St. Giles Cathedral
(free, no lines)
Founded in 1124 and pre dates most of the buildings in Edinburgh. The existing building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century. Plus, destroyed a few times here and there by the British army.
Crown steeple
Foggy night and colored lights on the crown steeple:
Edinburgh Castle
Tickets are included in the Explorer Pass, but one has to reserve entrance time. If you absolutely have to see it in the morning, make reservation really early, when I started looking at them there were no mornings left for more than a week ahead. I think this is because they run free tours in the mornings, or maybe there is another reason as well. One more thing about timing: at 1 pm every day they fire a modern(!) cannon from the castle. If you want to see/hear it, make sure you are there by 1, if you want to avoid it - plan accordingly :)
Veiw of the city from the castle wall. The big grey roof in the middle is the train station.
The Scottish Crown Jewels’ are on display in the castle: the Crown, Sceptre, and Sword of State. There is a pretty long line to see them, but it is moving really fast - you just walk past a glass case with the treasures and move on. No photography is allowed there, so not my picture:
The Honours of Scotland (the oldest crown jewels in Britain, including the Crown of Scotland) went missing in 1707 and were spectacularly rediscovered 111 years later on February 4, 1818. Fearing they would be taken to England after the Act of Union, officials locked the regalia in a chest within Edinburgh Castle's Crown Room, and their location was largely forgotten. Sir Walter Scott (yes, the writer) suspected the jewels were still hidden within the castle and obtained a royal warrant to search for them. On February 4, 1818, after breaking through walled-up doors and forcing open the great oak chest, Scott and his team found the crown, scepter, and sword intact and wrapped in linen.
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Date: 2026-07-24 12:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-07-24 12:40 pm (UTC)