Scotland!

After an amazing couple of months in Scandinavia, we flew south and spent almost three days in Edinburgh, Scotland! Unfortunately, the rain which had accompanied us for so much of this summer had not been leaving Scotland uncared for. Our first day was mighty wet! Thankfully, it cleared up in time for the evening. This was really important, because we had tickets for the closing show of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo! What an amazing spectacle that was! "Smashing!" says my son.

The combination of narrative as the announcer guided us through stages of Scotland's history--from the Ancient Celts to the modern digital age--and the truly impressive musical and precision performances of the various military groups from Scotland and around the world, was just astounding!

They also tied in impressive visual effects using lighting on Edinburgh castle, itself, and with pyrotechnics.






On our second day, we woke to the impressive sight of Arthur's Seat and the Salisbury Crags in the sunshine right outside our window!  How's this for a start to the day?

Taking advantage of the improved weather, we went shopping and sightseeing in the city and visited the Camera Obscura and World of Illusion. That was fun!!! We saw the whole city laid out before us; we walked down hallways through a vortex and a hall of mirrors; we looked at holograms and optical illusions. It was really neat.

The camera obscura has been in place next to Edinburgh Castle for over 150 years and uses much the same technology as a periscope to show realtime scenes of the city, complete with moving people in the streets.

Our time in Scotland was short, but we certainly found it interesting! Perhaps one day, we'll make it back again.