Atop Calton Hill | Edinburgh.

East of Edinburgh's New Town, Calton Hill was my favourite spot to take in view of the city. Walking around the perimeter, you have a perfect panorama of Arthur's Seat, Holyroodhouse Palace, the sea, Edinburgh Castle, and all of the winding streets below. The hill hosts an art gallery and cafe, multiple monuments, plenty of green space to sit and relax and trails to explore.

Looking north towards the Firth of Forth (say that five times fast).

Working my way clockwise around the hill, I stumbled upon a perfect view of Holyroodhouse Palace from above with Holyrood Park and Arthur's Seat looming in the distance.

On the left is the Nelson Monument, commemorating Admiral Nelson's death and victory over the French and Spanish in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. To the right, the National Monument of Scotland, intended to celebrate the soldiers and sailors from the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800s, but ran out of funding and became an incomplete parthenon. It's very odd looking juxtaposed against the rest of the city, ancient Greek-looking architecture planted high in the capital of Scotland.