I've always enjoyed the story behind this monument. You see, you'll find these strange solitary pillars on the top of Calton Hill, not far from Princes Street, and if you haven't heard the story you'd probably be a bit surprised to find them there. They're actually part of an unfinished construction that was designed back in 1823, by Charles Robert Cockerell and William Henry Playfair. As you no doubt have guessed, it was based on Greek architecture. It was actually modeled after Athens' Parthenon itself. They started building it in 1826, though unfortunately, it proved too expensive, and so they left it unfinished. It's really just these front pillars on a base of stone, though it was supposed to be so much more. The people of Scotland have several nicknames for it, such as "Scotland's Disgrace", "Edinburgh's Disgrace", "the Pride and Poverty of Scotland" and "Edinburgh's Folly". Today, people enjoy sitting at it's base or climbing the foundation to pose for pictures. So, despite being unfinished, it's still a very interesting and beautiful part of Edinburgh's heritage, and in a way, it has fulfilled its purpose, despite everything. It's a nice thought, don't you think? Isn't it wonderful that "failure" produced something so interesting and beautiful :)
/MrsHjort
Gorgeous image, my favorite so far. Very dramatic, very well composed. The combination of good shooting and good processing work together to create this fantastic piece, well done.
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