Edinburgh Castle On a rainy day in September. A castle has been on this rock since the 12th century, and it was the royal seat until the merger with England in 1603. The monument in front is to the soldiers who died in the Boer wars.

Hirsel Park 2010-10-21 The Hirsel Country Park is one part of the Hirsel Estate in southern Scotland. The estate covers about 3,000 acres. The house (still private) was built in the early 1700s. Walking here is very pleasant. And the Tea Room provided a very good lunch. That swan, so photogenically landing, was actually an interloper and was immediately chased off by two other swans. Thanks to everyone for their comments on my Avon Aqueduct shot. @Ted. Thanks for the comment. I processed this on my new laptop and am very uncertain about the colors - I've adjusted the color corrections, but I'll keep looking.

Stad Amsterdam seen here in the harbor of Ijmuiden, near Amsterdam. This 60 m. three masted clipper ship was built in the year 2000, and is used for training and events. She won the 2001 Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Race. This shot was taken from the walkway on the 9th level of our ferry boat to Scotland.