National galleries

Rain, thunderstorms promised for tomorrow and Tuesday, today I'm heading for the National gallery, a walk down Leith water to Stockbridge market.

Awoke this morning to a right downpour!! Gone are thoughts of the gardens?? We'll see, bus to drumheugh place to take in Stockbridge market and the water o Leith walk..

Well, as they say, the best laid plans...I took the bus to Drumheugh place to walk the kilometre down to Stockbridge market. Everyone said it was a flat walk, even google maps calls it flat. My knees know the difference and flat it was not, it's all down hill and quite steep at times.

The market was smaller than advertised, with not so many stalls. I'd gone to see if I could find some souvenirs to take home, but very little of such crafts available. Just like markets of old in the rain, mucky! I did get very muddy feet, while others danced about trying to avoid the mud with their white runners and long skirts. I spoke to a couple of lovely stall holders, one wanting to come to live in NZ and another a glass conservator. I bought some lovely vegan deserts for the week.

The market done, I made my way "up" to the Scottish National gallery on princes street. I find the ,"art world" very pretentious and nothing more so than the selling of ultra over produced expensive merchandise based on the current artist they are promoting. So, a little disappointed in the offering of the day/week/month. I am in awe of the older paintings, landscapes, portraits of older artists and times.

I walked the length of princes street to get a bus back to Liberton before the rain. Soaking in the atmosphere of a city readying for the festival, I was glad to be going to Glasgow on Saturday.Read more