Judy's Postcards: Edinburgh

We decided to have a museum day and we began the day with a visit to the

Museum of Childhood. It was very interesting. Childrens toys and games from Victorian times to the present day. It is the first museum in the world dedicated to the history of childhood. scary though when you recognise toys and games from your own childhood.

We then visited the Edinburgh Museum dedicated to the history of Edinburgh and housed in 16^th century buildings.

Centuries of Edinburgh’s history from the Old and New towns. Highlights including the National Covenant of 1638, which led to civil war and the collar and bowl of Greyfriars Bobby, the Skye terrier whose dogged devotion to his dead master touched the hearts of many and inspired numerous books and film adaptations.

The Museum also houses spectacular collections of decorative art which reveal a rich history of Scottish craftsmanship, from beautifully cut and engraved glass and intricately made silver from Edinburgh and Canongate, costume, longcase clocks, along with Scottish pottery and Scottish porcelain dating from the 1760s.

On our way to the Scottish Parliament we visited Canongate Kirk. This is the church visited by the royal family when they are in Edinburgh. At the front of the church is the Royal pew. Zara Phillips was married in this church. It is a lovely church painted in a pale blue colour.

We then went on to explore the Scottish Parliament. Scotland's Parliament sits at the foot of Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile in front of the spectacular Holyrood Park and Salisbury Crags. Constructed from a mixture of steel, oak, and granite, the complex building was hailed on opening as one of the most innovative designs in Britain today.

Drawing inspiration from the surrounding landscape, the flower paintings by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the upturned boats on the seashore, Enric Miralles, one of the world's premier architects, developed a design that he said was a building "growing out of the land".

The building is not everyone’s cup of tea but I happen to love it, especially the debating chamber with its beautiful wood, glass and steel.

On the ground floor was a temporary photographic exhibition of world events, some of which were very confronting such as terror attacks in London.