One of our friends suggested to us that we visit the Camera Obscura during our visit to Edinburgh last month, and it was an excellent suggestion. When she told us about it, she said that it is quite difficult to describe, but we would know what she meant when we visited. And she was right! But this is a good thing, and you have to see it to believe it!

I couldn’t take photos of the Camera Obscura itself – it is in a darkened room, but we were shown amazing views of the city by our guide. There are fantastic views from the rooftop terrace, which allowed for more photo opportunities! It was quite a dark day, so some are better than others.

There were some amazing chimney pots, and I’m wondering if I can take some inspiration from them for a crafty project…this will require more thinking!

After admiring the views, we went through the exhibitions in the World of Illusions. There are lots of magic eye prints (including an amazing one of wolves in a wood – my description isn’t doing it justice but it’s hard to describe!), holograms and other installations to trick the eyes and the mind. There is also a mirror maze and light exhibitions which are wonderful – I’m pleased with how these photos turned out!

This final photo is taken at the end of the Giant Vortex Tunnel – you walk across a stationary bridge whilst the light wall spins around you. It made me feel so queasy but Tom was fine! He obviously has a much stronger stomach than me!

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It was my birthday a few weekends ago and we decided that we would spend it in Edinburgh. I’ve never been before, despite it being quite close – except for the time when I changed trains in Edinburgh in order to travel to Perth! Over the few days running up to the weekend, the UK was hit with rather a lot of snow, and I was wondering if we would make it. Ironically, there wasn’t too much snow there so it seemed that by going to Scotland we actually escaped the worst of it!

We hadn’t really planned to do anything in particular while we were there, but I knew I wanted to go to the castle. I love castles and find them absolutely fascinating. What was a surprise to me was that there is so much to see at Edinburgh Castle, with lots of different museums inside, barracks, a chapel – all sorts of things! Definitely a must-see if you go to visit. We spent the whole of the Saturday there and it was a fantastic day out.

I really love stained glass windows, and there were some beautiful windows in chapel. And to think that at various points through history it was nearly demolished!

The castle provides excellent views over the city, and I took loads of photos throughout the day. The snow looks beautiful but it was absolutely freezing! The sun did come out briefly though, as you can see in the next two photos.

A fantastic day out – a must if you’re visiting the city!

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