[Photos] - Edinburgh, Princes Street Gardens

[moonvoice]

The Princes Street Gardens were created in the 1770s and the 1820s and a lot of love goes into them. They are sunken, situated in a drained loch (Nor Loch - an artificial lake) that lies in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. We were in the East Gardens, after visiting the Scott Monument. Among the many works of public art, it also had the world's first floral clock (Kings Park in Western Australia has one too, so I liked this).

Anyway, it's a stunning place and I'd like to go back one day, and with one of my poetry or sketchbooks, and just spend the day.






Edinburgh Castle



The view to New Town



Looking down into the West Princes Street Gardens, which used to be an artificial loch.



I dearly wanted to go across to the other side but health matters said no.







The restored Ross Fountain. Originally made of iron in 1872, it was down for maintenance some time, and then restored.







Wojtek the Bear Memorial





Rumours of a selfie cannot be confirmed...



Primroses. I always thought they looked different for some reason. I think because I grew up never seeing them as a child, I'd somehow confused them with like a mix between daffodils and lilies. They were always described as graceful flowers, so I'd just imagined them as *tall.*







Scottish-American War Memorial, erected in 1972, I think.



The Morton Hall Baby Ashes memorial was roped off, I'd say they're trying to rehabilitate the ground / grass around it.



So happy. Also very queer scarf. I loved it.



The Genius of Architecture crowning the Theory and Practice of Art





The Gardener's House



I think this is a statue of the poet Allan Ramsay



There was this grove of young birches, that I found really interesting, and I wondered down some small stone paving stones into it partly to experience the trees, but there I found a beautiful memorial:



A Man of Letters: Robert Louis Stevenson - placed in 1987.




Next: The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Comments

[silverjackal]

I'm just over here admiring the trees. Oh, and that gardener's house. I would be very happy living in such a house (provided the plumbing and electric worked). :D I'm also touched that people have petted the bear's nose to shininess. Your selfies are great -- it's nice to see you looking so happy.

[moonvoice]

I'm pretty sure they now use that gardener's house in a TV show! (Sadly, I don't think anyone actually lives there). But the enclosed gardens were really beautiful, and it was nice seeing it within the Princes Street Gardens. :D

I'm also touched that people have petted the bear's nose to shininess.

The ears too! But yes, that nose made me so happy. Incidentally, re: Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon, a lot of people had rubbed his *clears throat* to shininess as well. I guess for luck? Lmao.

[silverjackal]

:D I don't know what fondling Shakespeare's brass balls is supposed to accomplish either. Transmit artistic inspiration perhaps? I'm sure he would have found it hilarious to know that his "venerated image" was used so, and maybe worked it into a comedic play.

[auntiesuze]

That fountain is amazing! And you are so adorable! I remember having the same revelation about primroses. I expected them to look like your standard red bouquet roses, but no! Although, I shouldn't have been so surprised. We have "beach roses" here that are much more similar to primroses than the standard rose.

[moonvoice]

That fountain was incredible. I think it was only painted relatively recently, but I actually really love the colours they chose and in person it was pretty impressive. I loved watching the doves bathing in it.

I remember having the same revelation about primroses. I expected them to look like your standard red bouquet roses, but no!

Right?? :D In all the things I read as a child, they were always sort of mentioned in the same line as daffodils, roses etc. so I think I just assumed they were tall and not clumpy, I had no one to sort of go 'here's some primroses!' when I was a child (I think I only saw snapdragons when I was an adult). I found them very beautiful, but it was a bit surprising at first. :D Beach roses can be so lovely.