Camera Obscura

This is one for kids of all ages.

I have decided I need to do some more exploring in my wonderful home city so after a quick flick through trip advisor the decision was made that Thursday would be spent at Camera Obscura and World of Illusions.

Hopping off the train in Edinburgh it was a walk up the Royal Mile to our destination for the day.

There was a small queue to get in but nothing we couldn't handle, I think the bigger shock was the entrance fee. Its a little pricey at £13.95 but I think its definitely worth it!

As soon as you're in you are confronted with a giant kaleidoscope that had me mesmerised for a good five minutes.

Not wanting to hold up others we decided it was time to head up to the first floor where we were confronted with the hall of mirrors. This was a tricky one to manoeuvre. 

Remember to keep your hands out in front of you or you will suffer the same fate as some young boys we encountered who thought running around was a good idea....that was until they ran face first into their own reflection.

We thoroughly enjoyed our wander around the maze, I kind of wish it was bigger but then again it would be way too easy to get lost!

After finding our way back out of the mirrors you come across the vortex. It looks like a bridge through the middle of a large tube that is spinning. Standing at the entrance I watched a man struggling to walk through, claiming he couldn't walk straight. At this point I thought he was just being silly and there was something wrong with him.

About 10 seconds later I realised that actually he did a pretty good job of walking through the Vortex. I could barely keep up right and felt totally sick although that didn't stop me from making the trip through 3 times!

I highly recommend you try that one for yourself!

We realised it was almost our turn inside Camera Obscura so we stumbled up to the top floor for some fantastic views across the city before being ushered into a small dark room and shown how this wonderful camera works. I won't spoil it for you, but its very fascinating.

After a few snaps of the city we worked our way back down through the other illusions, lights and sounds. I really did feel like a kid again, its one for all the family to enjoy!

I highly recommend you take a trip here, we were lucky with the weather which allowed us to make the most of the rooftop views but you could easily have as much fun on a rainy day.

All tired out from my day as a big kid it was time to head back for the train home.

Sorry these photos are the best, I didn't feel like carrying around my camera but my phone doesn't produce the best quality. Time for an upgrade I think.