Deep Sea World

On the way home we stopped off in North Queensferry and visited Deep Sea World. Always entertaining with its underwater conveyor belt and resident sharks and rays. A very good attraction. The photos of the sharks and rays didn't turn out too good unfortunately because of the bright backlighting.

Follow the signs.


The girl in the rockpool kept the kids mesmerised with her crustaceans and starfish!


One of the locals.


How colourful is that?
There are 2 Clownfish. Can you spot them both? Click on the photo to enlarge if you need to.


You could be excused for inadvertently stepping on this stonefish.

PIRANHAS. They don't scare me!

Butterfly & Insect World

Butterfly and Insect World was our first stop on Wednesday.

A few photographs of the butterflies we saw.






Newly emerged and waiting for its wings to dry out before taking to the air.


Learning to fly.


Fire-bellied toads

Green & black poison dart frog

Bearded Iguana.

K with python. Don't worry there's glass between them!

Anybody fancy a banana. I'd give them a few weeks to ripen!

K with butterflies in the shop!

Camera Obscura

After visiting the National Museum of Scotland we headed up the hill a short distance to Camera Obscura. You can't take photographs in the main show but the link to their official video clip is http://www.camera-obscura.co.uk/camera_obscura/obsc_vid.asp

There were numerous displays and visual illusions. Some were excellent but impossible to photograph as you need to move around the display to see the changes. Well worth a look.

K with Cats Choir


Putting on the beef.


2 heads are better than 1


FREAKY!

The flash spoiled the following 3 photos but they should be clear enough to make out what they are. After taking your picture you can apply effects to change your appearance.

K the monkey morph

K the baby morph

K the Manga morph (Japanese Comic)

View towards the Scott Monument (distant spire mid photograph) from rooftop of Camera Obscura

The Castle from the roof top of Camera Obscura. It will take another 2 weeks to fully dismantle the seating framework left over from the Tattoo.

National Museum of Scotland

We visited the National Museum of Scotland on Tuesday. Free entry; a surprise considering the other expensive attractions all around the area. The Museum was opened by the Queen in 1998 and is well worth a visit.

Dad and K examining some small exhibits, housed in strange looking figures.


Dress up time! What am I?


Very, very heavy chainmail tunic . Weighed over 10 kg easily and it's only a child sized jacket.


K delighted to be a spacewoman, considering her recent School project.

The Gemini Space capsule, designed to land in the desert rather than the sea.

K learns about pulleys and manages to hoist herself up off the ground.

K testing her reaction times.

Dolly the sheep.

Seems fitting she resides in the National Museum when she was "born" at the nearby Roslin Institute.

Right outside the National Museum can be found the Statue of Greyfriar's Bobby. The graveyard made famous by this little terrier is only a few yards away.

The famous little Skye Terrier

Dynamic Earth

After the Zoo we headed over to Dynamic Earth for some time travel. Difficult to get photos during the simulations but we got a couple in the 50m years ago area. If you haven't been before, the simulations are quite good and at times you do feel like you're flying over a landscape in a flying machine. It's all about Scotland's history since the big bang.
We had been around 5 years ago and it's changed quite a bit since then.

A Sabre tooth tiger


Creepy bug thing


Interactive fun.

And right next door to the hugely expensive Scottish Parliament.

Edinburgh Zoo

On Monday we headed for the zoo. Weather wasn't the best and many of the animals were sheltering from the cold.

K at entrance with fluffy friend.


K on carved leafy seat


An unfinished project. Soon to become a woven shelter.


K with some monkey friends.

K and Mum with monkey friends.


Man meets monkey.

Some of the other inhabitants who braved the cold.

Red River Hog.


Leopard

Pumba. Don't stand down-wind

Whatchoo lookin' at