Oct 15, 2024 - Calton Hill, Dean Village and National Galleries of Scotland: National

Today’s weather forecast was cloudy but no rain, therefore, we took the opportunity to visit Calton Hill and Dean Village.

 

Calton Hill is just a short walk from our hotel.  When we got there, it was still early and had less crowd.  The top of Calton Hill is dominated by a columned structure with 12 columns, known popularly as Edinburgh's Shame, but formally called the National Monument.  It stands as a tribute to the fallen Scottish soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars. Architect Robert Mills worked on the monument without funds, he worked on the monument slowed to a halt. For more than two decades, the monument stood only partly finished, doing more to embarrass the nation than to honor its most important Founding Father.

There is Nelson Monument next to the National Monument. It was designed to resemble an upturned telescope as a tribute to Admiral Nelson, who had commanded the victorious British naval forces in the battle of Trafalgar.

The other large building on Calton Hill is the City Observatory, set up in 1776 for the study and observation of astronomy. It was used primarily by students at the university, but also held public seminars and evenings designed to educate and enlighten the masses.

Then, we walked along the Princes Street and Princes Street Gardens to Dean Village. We took more pictures of backside of the Edinburgh Castle.

It was about 20 minutes walk to the the bridge over "Water of Leith", a small waterway that snakes its way through Edinburgh.  It was Kodak moments for us.

Then, we walked along the "Water of Leith Walkway" which is a beautiful walk or cycling route along the river "Water of Leith".  We did not do the whole route, just enough to enjoy the beautiful surrounding along this walkway.  We also had opportunities to take some reflection photos.

On the way back, we got fast food and enjoyed them in the Princes Street Gardens, prior to visit the National Gallery of Scotland.  This is a huge museum which is home to world-class international and Scottish art from 1300 to 1945. You can experience paintings by internationally renowned artists such as Vermeer, Titian, Rembrandt, Velázquez and the Impressionists.

After visit of the museum, we walked to the Dome for our dinner.  When we got there, we noticed that they just put up Christmas decoration and lighting.  It made this restaurant even more beautiful. 

We had a wonderful time there and the food and services were great too.  We were so happy and appreciating the review from Tripadvisor.