It's Bobby

It was a lovely warm(ish) and sunny(ish) day so I went for a wander around town with my camera, I took a couple hundred photographs (many multiples of the same shot!) but I don't think I've Blipped Bobby before, maybe I have, but I couldn't be bothered going back to check :-) Anyway I liked this shot, I imagine most people know the story but if not you can read about it on Wikipedia. Unfortunately it seems to have become a habit for people to rub his nose and it's all worn and shiny, they did repair him not that long ago, supposedly with some special paint, but you can see it didn't work as his nose is all shiny again :-( In the ten minutes or so I was taking pictures I witnessed several people rubbing his nose, I did want to tell them not to but I was across the street and I'm British so I said nothing. But please if you do visit him don't rub his nose, this is NOT an old tradition, it IS pointless and it damages the statue!

The pub in the background is called Greyfriars Bobby and is owned by the "Nicholson's Pubs" chain, I haven't been in for a long time as it can get pretty busy with tourists but I hear it's still a decent pub and they usually have some good "real-ales" on tap and reasonably good food. Greyfriars Kirk is behind the pub and the graveyard is open to the public which is worth a visit to see lots of interesting old gravestones and depending on the time of year a different angle of the castle (in summer the leaves on the trees tend to obscure the view) . The National Museum of Scotland is also across the road (immediately behind from where I took this photo) and is always worth a visit.