Sir Walter Scott Monument
We never made it close enough to really explore this landmark, but once again I took a score of photos of it. It looks remarkedly like the Prince Albert Memorial in London primarily because it too is a Victorian era creation. There are steps leading up to observation decks but seeing how the Scots took care of ice on the sidewalks I didn't want to risk climbing a couple hundred feet of glacier. We assumed the fair going on would close shortly after Christmas Day but in Scotland New Year's or Hogmanay is an even bigger celebration than Christmas. In fact, during our 4 days in Edinburgh we watched the size of the market/fair/carnival grow. By the time we left the grounds had expanded up the sides of the Mound with lots of brightly lit carnival rides dotting the hillside.
Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the ear... ... read more 
