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morsla"Scotland Not Britain" reads one oft-repeated chalking on the buildings of Edinburgh's Old City. "End English Rule!" is proudly marked on a building across the laneway. Nationalistic pride is strong in Bonnie Scotland, but I think they have it all wrong - far from being under English rule, this part of the world appears to have quietly become Australia's most northen city.
The Australians are everywhere - if it's not a recolonisation attempt, it must be some sort of infestation. I've been served by them in pubs and shops. My hostel seems to be a breeding ground for them - all the staff are aussies, and well over half of the 200+ guests. TripleJ is playing in the shop down the street. I always thought Australia ended somewhere a little bit north of Rockhampton, but apparently we've managed to annex part of Scotland along the way...
Yesterday I joined a walking tour of the Old City, and then headed off to the Royal Botannic Gardens - mainly to see their huge glasshouse complex, filled with relic species a few million years out of their comfort zones. After finding most of the exits closed for renovations, I took an unplanned detour across 92 acres of parkland - wandering through a Chinese medicinal garden before finding my way out.
Today, I went to Our Dynamic Earth - a new museum, focussed entirely on the Earth Sciences. They have a pretty heavy bias towards geological exhibits, with a tiny bit of atmospheric and oceanic science - not that I'm complaining, mind you :) A good mix of exhibit types kept even the smallest members of the audience amused, although the scripts used in the film displays are aimed well over the heads of the kids. Some nicely built displays, especially in their evolution area.
My favourite section was the very last - using a planetarium-style dome projector to show complex decision making at work. The audience is divided into three groups by rotating floor panels, and each is assigned the task of voting (via armrest buttons) on Energy, Population or Water issues. After each vote, the three areas combine as the display jumps ahead a few decades - showing the benefits and problems caused by each step.
Unfortunately, my camera has died some time in the past 24 hours - possibly from the humidity of the glasshouses. The colour balance is shot to hell (electronics problem), and the focus is out across half the field of view (lens problem?) - all I can really do is hope that any trapped moisture evapourates, and that the camera will fix itself. That means I'm unlikely to get any photos of the Highlands over the next few days, though.
The Australians are everywhere - if it's not a recolonisation attempt, it must be some sort of infestation. I've been served by them in pubs and shops. My hostel seems to be a breeding ground for them - all the staff are aussies, and well over half of the 200+ guests. TripleJ is playing in the shop down the street. I always thought Australia ended somewhere a little bit north of Rockhampton, but apparently we've managed to annex part of Scotland along the way...
Yesterday I joined a walking tour of the Old City, and then headed off to the Royal Botannic Gardens - mainly to see their huge glasshouse complex, filled with relic species a few million years out of their comfort zones. After finding most of the exits closed for renovations, I took an unplanned detour across 92 acres of parkland - wandering through a Chinese medicinal garden before finding my way out.
Today, I went to Our Dynamic Earth - a new museum, focussed entirely on the Earth Sciences. They have a pretty heavy bias towards geological exhibits, with a tiny bit of atmospheric and oceanic science - not that I'm complaining, mind you :) A good mix of exhibit types kept even the smallest members of the audience amused, although the scripts used in the film displays are aimed well over the heads of the kids. Some nicely built displays, especially in their evolution area.
My favourite section was the very last - using a planetarium-style dome projector to show complex decision making at work. The audience is divided into three groups by rotating floor panels, and each is assigned the task of voting (via armrest buttons) on Energy, Population or Water issues. After each vote, the three areas combine as the display jumps ahead a few decades - showing the benefits and problems caused by each step.
Unfortunately, my camera has died some time in the past 24 hours - possibly from the humidity of the glasshouses. The colour balance is shot to hell (electronics problem), and the focus is out across half the field of view (lens problem?) - all I can really do is hope that any trapped moisture evapourates, and that the camera will fix itself. That means I'm unlikely to get any photos of the Highlands over the next few days, though.
