Camera Obscura

Near the Edinburgh Castle is a neat place called Camera Obscura. It boasts a camera that was built in the 19th century and has been in operation for over 150 years. A mirror and lens project a live image of the surrounding area onto a large white dish. We were able to go to the top of the tower and watch the "show" using this lens in order to see a panoramic view of Edinburgh. 

We walked to the top of the building and found that we had to wait for about 15-20 minutes before the show would start. So, we went outside and looked around. We had some beautiful views of the city, and the girls enjoyed looking through binoculars and telescopes. 

I thought it was interesting to read about the smoke stacks that you see on top of the buildings. None of them are functional! The buildings used to burn coal for heat. This is necessary since we're in late Spring and about a week ago there was snow! (Katie was MAD that they didn't see it!!!)  This caused the city to be rather polluted and dirty. Now, Edinburgh is a smoke controlled area, meaning that people are not allowed to burn coal or wood in their chimneys. They must use gas or electricity to warm their homes.

After looking around a bit, and getting rather cold, we were able to watch the "show." At least we were the only ones in there! The girls kept asking when the show was going to start and we kept telling them that it had! We were in a dark room where we couldn't see much. And, the panoramic views of Edinburgh were a little hard to see. Plus, the girls needed to be lifted a little to see the white plate where the picture was reflected. (For me it was especially frustrating since I was also fighting off a migraine!) 

In the end, we all had fun "playing" with the people and cars standing outside the castle. We would take small white cards and pretend to pick up the people, shake them around, and drop them back on the white plate. Katie and Dani thought this was especially funny. And, Claire had to try her hand at it as well!

Camera Obscura also has a lot of optical illusions, carnival style mirrors, and holographic pictures. So, after the show, we walked around and looked at the other things that they have on display. Dani really enjoyed dancing in front of the mirrors! And, there was one holographic image of leopard cubs that was particularly fun for Cole. He kept surprising the girls with them. Claire thought this was funny and kept cackling! Of course, she was a little scared, too. So, she kept a tight grip on Daddy while he was swinging her toward the picture!

By the time we left, it was time for dinner. We stopped at Deacon Brodie's Tavern. We fondly remembered going there about 8 years ago when we visited for Cole's conference. We went up to the second floor, where the restaurant is located. The girls ran to an open window and had fun staring out. Finally, we got them to sit at our table (adjacent to the window), and a man sitting nearby asked if we could close the window. Cole and I had both noticed him watching us closely and didn't realize that he was just waiting for the girls to stop staring out the window so that he could ask us to close it. We both thought it was really nice of him to wait until the girls were done having their fun! We also felt bad that he was so cold! 

It was another fun outing. We seem to be getting into more of a rhythm with our days and don't have as many "big" outings planned. Everyone seems to be doing well and enjoying our time, but the girls have definitely started missing their toys back home!