National Gallery

Last night, we spend a while drinking coffee and chatting infront of the telly. We had the Glastonbury festival on, and were eagerly waiting for the Rolling Stones to perform. There was this whole issue going around where somehow the media was relaying that none of the Stones' performance would be televised, because they claimed it was not in their contract. SO we didn't think we would get to see them. But finally around 8:30pm last night they performed. It was a pretty good show! I'd really like to come back to the UK for Glastonbury at some point. I'll just skip the other screamy and intimidating headliners they had performing in some of the other evening slots.

Today I spent another day in Edinburgh. It was a shorter day than I would have originally planned for, but I got a lift into the city, so that's ok. Today I decided to walk all of Princes Street Gardens...and that I did. It was beautiful! It's basically like NYC's Central Park. Being a sunny day people were sunbathing, eating ice cream, playing with their dogs. Groups of students were sprawled out on the grass, playing guitars and picnicking. It was nice to just walk around an explore. As every time I have been there, you can hear the faint sound of bagpipes coming from somewhere in the Old City.

I've seen this band perform a few times now on my walks from Prince's Street into Old Town. They're called "The Spinning Blowfish." 

And yes. That child ran in circles nearly the entire performance.

Since I got to the city in the afternoon, I knew I only had a few hours to explore the museums before they closed at 5pm. So the one I picked for today was the Scottish National Gallery. Along with works by some of the "greats," including Van Gogh, Monet, and Raphael, there was a whole exhibit dedicated to Scottish artists. Some of the landscapes in this exhibit featured places I have been or see frequently, such as Bass Rock. Due to the lighting in the museum, it was difficult to get pictures inside without flash (I only brought my phone), so you'll just have to check it out for yourself someday!

Rodin's "The Kiss"

After exploring the museum for a few hours, it was almost time for it to close. So I grabbed a coffee at the museum cafe, and headed out the back to Prince's Street Gardens. I brought Neil Gaiman's "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" with me, so I found a shaded spot on the hill and stayed there for a while.

But the sunshine did not last too long. Eventually clouds moved overhead to block the sun, and it began to rain. Since my usual plan of ducking into a museum was void at this point, I went down to Chamber's Street and grabbed a toastie to take-away. When the rain did not give any sign of letting up, I walked all the way back down to Prince's Street and found the bus I needed to take home. Next weekend I think I will do the Writer's Museum and if I have time, the Mary King's Close - the city underneath the city!