Photos and the City

Author: Ursula Schmitz

  • Edinburgh

    It was one last drive over the Forth Bridge, leaving the car at the airport and a bus ride later I arrived at my final destination: Edinburgh! The last two days of my British summer!

    edinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival, castle

    I wondered why everything was especially expensive when I was looking for a place to stay. I didn´t know that the Fringe Festival is going on in Edinburgh the whole of August and it´s just huge! Baskers and streets artists everywhere, thousands of shows all over the city and then there was also the “Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo” in front of the castle. The city was crammed with people!

    edinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival

    My Airbnb was just a short walk from the castle and so I decided to explore the area a little bit.

    Greyfriars Kirkyard

    edinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festivalThe graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk (church) in the Old Town exists since the 16th century and is a beautiful calm spot in the busy city. Quite nearby is one of the coffee shops where JKRowling used to write the first Harry Potter books and I can imagine how she strolled around the graveyard to get inspired.

    edinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festivaledinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festivaledinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival

    Greyfriars Bobby – a loyal dog who guarded his master´s grave.

    edinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival

    Performances everywhere…

    edinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival

     

    Edinburgh Castle

    The last time I was in Edinburgh I missed visiting the castle, so it was on the list for this time. Along with millions of other people…. but as I still had two days left on the “Explorer Pass”, which gives you access to hundreds of landmarks and sights in Scotland, I just decided to quickly go in, have a look around, enjoy the view and come back another time.

    edinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival, castleedinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival, castleedinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival, castleedinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival, castle

    edinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival, castle

    Erin and I had planned to meet at Loch Lomond for her photo shoot but as it was raining cats and dogs we rescheduled for Edinburgh, not thinking about the masses of people (it was a Saturday after all), delayed trains and some other obstacles. But we made it work and found some quieter places..

    edinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival, portrait photography, ursula schmitz, destination scotlandedinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festivaledinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festivaledinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival, portrait photography, ursula schmitz, destination scotland

    More from Erin in Edinburgh

    edinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festivaledinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival, the balmoral

    The Balmoral – one day I´m gonna stay there and enjoy all the Scottish luxury!

    edinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival, the balmoral

    Later in the day, I met Meg who had just finished university and wanted to celebrate this milestone with a photo shoot in the city where she had spent her student life before she would head back to Yorkshire (or maybe somewhere else – the whole world stood open for her). We went to Calton Hill and Meg danced above the city!

    edinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival, portrait photography, ursula schmitz, destination scotlandedinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival, adam´s seat, edinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival, portrait photography, ursula schmitz, destination scotland

     

    More about Meg

    edinburgh, scotland, uk, photos and the city, fringe festival

     

     

  • St Andrews

    st andrews, scotland, city, university, where kate met wills, travel, ursula schmitz, beach, abbey, scotland, uk, travel, holiday

    It was my last day in Cellardyke and I started it with a little drive to St Andrews to explore the charming University town a little bit. And finally, buy me a wee bit of tartan.

    st andrews, scotland, city, university, where kate met wills, travel, ursula schmitz, beach, abbey, scotland, uk, travel, holiday

    The University of St Andrews is the third oldest university in the English-speaking world, the oldest one in Scotland and one of the best in the United Kingdom. It´s the one fit for future kings…

    st andrews, scotland, city, university, where kate met wills, travel, ursula schmitz, beach, abbey, scotland, uk, travel, holiday

    St Andrews Cathedral

    The former Roman Catholic Cathedral was built in in 1158 and became the centre of the Medieval Catholic Church in Scotland. After the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century, it was disused and fell into ruin.

    st andrews, scotland, city, university, where kate met wills, travel, ursula schmitz, beach, abbey, scotland, uk, travel, holiday

    The square tower remained from the even older church of St. Regulus, a Romanesque style church built in the 11th century to house the relics of St Andrew.

    st andrews, scotland, city, university, where kate met wills, travel, ursula schmitz, beach, abbey, scotland, uk, travel, holiday

    St Andrew harbour

    From the cathedral, I went down to the shore and the harbour.

    The history of St Andrews Harbour is one that spans the centuries and is inseparably linked with the life of the coastal town it serves; indeed at one time the very life-blood of it. No doubt the Harbour’s footings are to be found in nothing more than the unimproved shores of the Kinness Burn, around which the early inhabitants of the town, then still known as Kilrymont, would go about their simple lives of fishing and farming. (St Andrews Harbour trust)

    st andrews, scotland, city, university, where kate met wills, travel, ursula schmitz, beach, abbey, scotland, uk, travel, holidayst andrews, scotland, city, university, where kate met wills, travel, ursula schmitz, beach, abbey, scotland, uk, travel, holidayst andrews, scotland, city, university, where kate met wills, travel, ursula schmitz, beach, abbey, scotland, uk, travel, holidayst andrews, scotland, city, university, where kate met wills, travel, ursula schmitz, beach, abbey, scotland, uk, travel, holiday

    View of St Andrews Castle from the harbour.

    st andrews, scotland, city, university, where kate met wills, travel, ursula schmitz, beach, abbey, scotland, uk, travel, holidayst andrews, scotland, city, university, where kate met wills, travel, ursula schmitz, beach, abbey, scotland, uk, travel, holiday

    St Andrews Castle

    St Andrews castle was a fortress, a bishop´s palace and state prison, now it´s mostly in ruins.

    st andrews, scotland, city, university, where kate met wills, travel, ursula schmitz, beach, abbey, scotland, uk, travel, holidayst andrews, scotland, city, university, where kate met wills, travel, ursula schmitz, beach, abbey, scotland, uk, travel, holiday

    View from the castle towards the cathedral.

    st andrews, scotland, city, university, where kate met wills, travel, ursula schmitz, beach, abbey, scotland, uk, travel, holiday

  • Perth

    I crossed that bridge again, said goodbye to Queensferry and drove further north to Perth to meet with Katie, who always wanted to have a portrait photoshoot in her hometown and also had promised to show me around a little bit.

    perth, scotland, photography, city, portraits, ursula schmitz, uk, travel, fife,

    Perth is also known as “The Fair City”  since the publication of the story Fair Maid of Perth by Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott in 1828. It was once a “capital” of Scotland because of the many visits of the royal court. The status of “Royal Burgh” was given in the early 12th century. Today Perth is a city of trade of the surrounding areas.

    perth, scotland, photography, city, portraits, ursula schmitz, uk, travel, fife,perth, scotland, photography, city, portraits, ursula schmitz, uk, travel, fife,

    Strolling around colourfull streets with shops, elegant Georgian townhouses and cobbled streets, trough stunning gardens and along the River Tay.

    perth, scotland, photography, city, portraits, ursula schmitz, uk, travel, fife,perth, scotland, photography, city, portraits, ursula schmitz, uk, travel, fife,

    perth, scotland, photography, city, portraits, ursula schmitz, uk, travel, fife,perth, scotland, photography, city, portraits, ursula schmitz, uk, travel, fife,perth, scotland, photography, city, portraits, ursula schmitz, uk, travel, fife,perth, scotland, photography, city, portraits, ursula schmitz, uk, travel, fife,perth, scotland, photography, city, portraits, ursula schmitz, uk, travel, fife,