Seeing the number of times we literally went up and down the Royal Mile, the more befitting title would be Up and Down the Royal Mile" but ... oh well. :)

Anyway, continuing on from the castle. We came down to Edinburghs Camera Obscura and World of Illusions where we surprisingly had a really fun and educational time. Hahaha. Sounds so much like a schools field trip.
Now if youre wondering whats a camera obscura?

 
This is a Camera Obscura!
It sure looks very simple dont you think? Well, of course it does. This technology?goes all the way back to the 10th century. The one here in Edinburgh had arrived around the 18th century, which still gives it over 300 years ahead of us, no? So for something so old, we really werent expecting it to be all kinds of amazing but it turned out to be more delightful than expected.

 
 
Its like owning the biggest spying camera and using it to spy on people out on the streets.

Our host was a pleasant lady who kept telling us how lucky we were to arrive on such a sunny day. Edinburgh havent seen sun for quite some time now and today just so happened to be all bright and cheery. It was then that Nana and I started to believe that we brought the sun with us from home, especially after my dad told us that it had been raining back home while we were away for the entire week.

At the end of the commentary, our host even let us play' with the passer-by reflected on the projection dish. Using a simple folded card we can actually pick' a passer-by up and place' him or her back into the scene. Its hard to explain but it sure makes one feel very god-like powerful' to be in control of this little people'. Though theres also the thought of us being picked up' by other visitors later on while were strolling outside.

The Camera Obscura was located at the very top floor of the building. After the show, we headed on down floor by floor where various illusions were exhibited. The best thing about illusions is that theyre interactive and you get to play along and experience them.

The best and probably the most famous one of them all was?

 
...the Ames Room.
Or more commonly known as the Shrink and Grow room whereby two persons step in, stand at each corner of the room and from the outside appears to be?

SO MUCH DIFFERENT IN SIZE!
Pretty nifty huh? Too bad my modest camera could only capture that much but still, sooooo cute and cool at the same time. *grins* Theres a whole lot more stuff going on in this place.

Like the funny mirrors. :P

And scary head on a platter. Hahaha.

 
Even the toilets make you think twice before actually using them.
There was also this crazy maze filled with mirrors where you see reflection upon reflection of yourself until you don't really know which is real.




Dont believe me? Watch this video I took where I went after Nana. In all that craziness, I actually banged into one of my own reflections. Malunya. I might not be as smart as I thought I was after all. Hahaha. OMG! Half a post later and well still at Camera Obscura?

Okay, okay. Lets head out to the streets now.

 
The thing about a place being that old is how much history there is in every building and monument you see. *sigh*

Not to mention, the people there sure are an expressive bunch too.

This was our next pit stop.
 
We went on one of the Historic Walks organized by Mercats Tours. For your information, there are a few tour companies organizing similar types of walks and tours in Edinburgh. So, do your research and find one that suits your taste and well... time. :)
 
 
St Giles Cathedral.

One of the many closes along the Royal Mile which looks out to the newer part of town.

There you can see the Scott Monument too. So you can imagine how much walking we did for that day.

 
Hume. Smart man, interesting story, couldn't remember it in detail. LOL. Fail memory.

 
Down the Grassmarket.

 
And up the stairs back to the Royal Mile again. The Edinburgh Castle was a pretty sight from this angle, especially since the sun has begun to set.

 
Finally we reached the top of the stairs and the sign mocked us. GRANNYS GREEN STEPS!!
 
Go figure.

 
Our first McDonalds meal in the UK. Hahaha.
 
Its a shame we didnt get to try any of Edinburghs local food. I really wanted to try Haggis but we couldnt decide on the many cafes down the street. Not to mention we were too poof from all that walking that all we wanted was to spend the next hour or so sitting down, resting our poor feet. Thats when we decided McDs was the best choice since we can order our burgers and just hang-out as long as we want without having a waiter glaring at us.

 
McDonald's Chicken Legend with Salsa sauce.
 
I always make sure to try flavours that are not available at home whenever I travel. Chicken Legend with its awesome name turned out to be a disappointment though. I know the picture I took makes it look reaaaally good. But it was a little bit too dry, a little bit too bland and not the least memorable. Till today, I still talked about how awesome the Ebi (Prawn) Burger was in Japan and how satisfying to have McBreakfast come with bacon and latte. Even the unique mince meat rice burger in Taiwan gets a point if not in taste, at least in creativity. After a somewhat good rest, we head out again for our last itinerary for the day. The Murder and Mystery Tour. *shivers*

 
On our way, we met Mr Bagpipe! Finally. I mean how can you be in Scotland and not see a man in a Scottish kilt and a bagpipe?! *grins*

The now much deserted Royal Mile.
 
 
And finally our guide, Adam Lyal (Deceased) arrived.
 
Yes. Hes dead and now hes back to share his tales and those of others. A funny guy he is but not a very punctual one, too. He came later than scheduled because of the delay of an earlier group. So Nana and I ended up leaving half way through the tour to catch our bus back to London.

That marks the end of our one day tour to Edinburgh. A lot was done in that little time we had. I need to come back to Edinburgh again one day, some day. To finish the tour, to eat haggis and to venture out of the city and to the countryside, to see lochness, the lake and all things pretty. Edinburgh is loved and Ill leave you this time with another video. Do turn your volume down a bit before you hit the play button. Till then!