Day 4 (Afternoon) in Scotland

For my last afternoon in Edinburgh, I headed toward the museums and galleries.

The National Museum of Scotland is everything that you hope for in a museum--uncluttered but comprehensive, innovative, and just full of surprises. There are smaller rooms showcasing artifacts from prehistory days up to the present, like the Bute Mazer, a communal drinking cup. The shields surrounding the lion are thought to represent Robert the Bruce and his close comrades.



There are also large airy spaces enclosing giant machines such as some early automated looms, a two story tall machine for digging mines, and enormous copper tubs and tubing for whiskey distillation. Plus I learned that Scotland had its own version of the guillotine, called "The Maiden".



You can go up on the rooftop at the National Museum, which gives great views of Edinburgh castle and the Royal Mile. For my last stop I headed over to the National Gallery (open late on Thursdays!) to check out the collection. This is a wonderful gallery, full of the 16th and 17th century paintings I love so much. And like the National Museum, all of the Gallery buildings are free!