Attempt 2

Let's try this again...

Endinburgh Castle

Please refer to post: "Castles, Palace's and the Da Vinci Code" for pictures from the Edinburgh Castle

HolyRood House

This is the queen's official residence when she is in Scotland and it is located at the bottom of the Royal Mile.

Scottish Parliment
The scottish parliment recently moved in to their new building which is located at the bottom of the Royal Mile just across from Holyrood House. The amount that it was estimated to cost and the amount that it ended up cost were two very very different numbers. The architect said that he envisioned a parliment reaching out to the landscape. This is it's not tall enough to be seen when you are at the top of the Royal Mile. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures in most places in the building. I think the pictures I was allowed to take will give great insight into the abstract creativity of the architect.

(Mhari and I in the debating chamber)

(The architect included these figures in the debating chamber. If you look at the picture above, they are located on the left hand side, just below the cameras. They represent the people of Scotland. He wanted to remind the members of parliment that the people of Scotland would always be watching them and the decisions they made...even if they were there physically. If you look closely, you'll see that the left side of each figure is a little higher than the right. This represents a shoulder of a person and how they might look of they were peering in. Martin, Mhari and I thought they looked a bit more like whiskey bottles)

(There is much debate surroundingthese figures on the outside of the building. Unfortunately, the architect died just prior to completion, so we will never know what he fully intended them to be. When asked, he usually responded by asking the person what they thought the shapes represented. Guesses range from members of the parliment to hair dyers. Here's an opportunity for audience participation. What do you think they represent?"