Holiday Photos #23

I was shocked to discover that it's been two months since I've posted a Holiday Photos post. At this rate it will take ten years to get through even the few photos per day I've been sharing. I'm going to try to speed up and post them more frequently.

So, we're still in Edinburgh. I think what William and I enjoyed most were the ghost tours we took. The first one we took was with a company called Mercat Tours. We were taken into the vaults built underneath and covered by the South Bridge. We didn't know that's where we went at the time. In fact I just learned that interesting fact in a new History Channel series called Cities of the Underworld. It was the premiere episode in a new show and I really enjoyed it, all except the rather herky jerky camera technique. I'm sure it will show again if you're interested. I'll keep an eye out for future episodes.

Anyway, although for William's sake we chose the Ghost tours over the more educational history tours offered, we soon discovered that a lot of history was slipped in anyway and so we learned while having fun. Here's a picture I took with a flash, showing William checking out a sealed off corridor.

This is what it really looked like to stand there without the flash. Shi-i-i-i-verrrrr! It was a small group for this tour and we had a good time. We also had a couple of pretty convincing "psychic" experiences. I'll say no more. Mystery. WOooohoooOOoooh.

We went below and then we wandered a bit more above. Edinburgh was the only place where we happened to catch Evensong. We slipped into St. Giles Cathedral for it although William wasn't interested.

I thought this shell holding angel was beautiful. I wonder what the shell symbolized and what it was meant to hold. Holy water? Contributions to the church?

This next photo was the top of a tomb (is that what it's called - a marble coffin above ground? Not a mausoleum, that's the building that would hold a tomb/tombs, right?) - anyway, this was a real red rose wrapped in floral wrap and laid in the crook of the statue's arm. (Is it still a statue if it's horizontal?) Despite my confusion, and I have no idea who he was, it was very striking, very touching, in the dark corner of the church. I just wish my camera wasn't having all those low lighting/focus issues.

As you can see, William was ...... thrilled at this activity. I only made him sit through one song and then we slipped out quietly.


Back at our B&B, which was really more like a small hotel, this was the chandelier on the first floor landing. I can't remember the name of the hotel and I'm too tired to go look it up, but isn't this a cool chandelier? That pink tinge isn't just a trick of the light. The tear drop glass crystals were the palest pink.

And last but not least - look who was in town! Doctor Who!!!! I admit I wondered if they really still used the tardis.... er, I mean, the "Police Information Box" - hand quotes, wink, wink - or if they just left it there for sentimental purposes and so people like me could snap photos of it.