Returning back to ground level at Princes Street only to find that the Scott Monument had closed for the day. So I wandered around Princess Street Gardens where some stunning views of the castle could be seen. Surprisingly, as evening approached, it was still very bright as if it were still late in the afternoon and a party atmosphere had started brewing around Grassmarket.

Background

My next stop would be the Scott monument - constructed in memory of the famous writer Sir Walter Scott who is adorned by the white statue underneath. Unfortunately, I did not make it in time before the last admission time. Perhaps I should have gone straight up the monument first instead of wandering around the garden and park area.

Princes Street Gardens consists of two parts. There is the area around the Scott monument as mentioned above (East Princes Street Gardens), and the larger park under Edinburgh Castle, or West Princes Street Garden. Along with the great views of Edinburgh Castle, there is St Cuthbert's Church and St John's Epicopal Church and the famous floral clock and Ross' Fountain.

Although it was getting late in the night, the sun had not gone down. This gave me time to do a bit more wandering including seeing the castle lights come on, oblivious to the fact that there was still daylight around. But my choices were soon limited when the parks began to close for the day. Eventually I was left roaming the Grassmarket for another hour, listening to the sounds of the clubs and pubs from the street before returning to my hostel for sleep. Maybe nightfall will never come.

Technical

Canon EOS 300V, 28-90mm USM and 75-300mm USM lenses. Since it was still bright, most of the castle photos were taken with 1/8 second or 1/30 second exposure