Compare and Contrast

I had the distinction of being the first punter of the year to step over the threshold of Söderberg pavilion this morning when it opened after the festive weekend. I was there to meet a friend who suggested I should have got a coffee on the house to mark the occasion. I didn’t.

After lunch I walked to Café Andaluz on GeorgeIV Bridge to make a reservation for a meal after the Panto which LeeAnne and I are going to in a fortnight. Had I thought it through I should have turned around to go for a walk away from town but stupidly I continued walking and found myself caught up in the city centre crammed with visitors  with the tacky Christmas Market still in operation. It all seemed so out of place when so many people are back at work. 

My blip illustrates the contrast between the RSA galleries where Turner is having his esteemed annual January outing and the stalls of the adjacent market. 
Further west on Princes Street Gardens, the majesty of the castle is diminished by the garish clutter of Santa Land beneath it. I fear that the Edinburgh City  Council are prepared to stoop to anything to bring in money. It will be interesting to see how far they are prepared to go in choking off residential living near the city centre with increasing visitor numbers.

Late News:- Easter eggs and Hot Cross Buns are now on sale in SaInsbury’s. There’s no rush !