Camera Obscura

I spent two days in Edinburgh, Scotland with really only one day to see the sites the city had to offer. I heard about this place on a travel show I saw on TV, so I figured I would check it out.
I had a lot of fun in there. It has a lot of optical illusions, hands-on exhibits, holograms, and of course the live panoramic view of the city. From the roof of the building, you can also get a nice view of the city. One of the sillier things that I enjoyed was a glass box with singing cats and a dog playing the piano.
If you go to Edinburgh and want something fun to do, I would definitely check this place out!

Another attraction that is a bit more pedestrian, but certainly a fun
departure, was the Camera Obscura.  Easy
to find as it is right on the Royal Mile, this is a tourist stop that began in Edinburgh in the
1850’s.  A camera obscura is a device
using an aperture plus convex lens to cast images on a flat surface in a
darkened room.  It really appears like a
“movie” since it is in color and of course you are watching real time so the
images move.  I grabbed a picture from
the web to give you an idea of what it is like. 
I’m sure this was much more impressive a century ago, but we had never
enjoyed one before and found it intriguing.

 

After you purchase admission, you climb up about five or six flights of
stairs (no elevator or handicap access that we noticed), past exhibits of art
and similar ‘optical illusion’ devices.  When
you get to the top, there are outdoor platforms and telescopes which have great
views of the city.  You wait there to
catch the next demonstration (I think it is an hour between shows) and then
indulge in the camera obscura experience. 
Our demonstrator was enthusiastic and we were delighted by her amusing
commentary in addition to the fascination of this device.  It isn’t the Louvre, but the entrance fee is inexpensive
and we found it a fun and interesting diversion!