Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland

A building about the size of the Balmoral Hotel that is planted on the side of a main street of a major city like Edinburgh is bound to be a landmark. Add all of that space that surrounds it, and you are going to have free rein on making a photo of it from a number of locations. It is no accident that it's situated right next to Edinburgh Waverley train station for both were built by the same company. The railway company gave its name to the hotel too and so began the North British Hotel with its clock tower reputed to show time as two minutes beyond what it was to stop anyone missing their train. The name became the Balmoral after a refurbishment in the late 1980's, and it now is part of the Rocco Forte Hotels group of upmarket hotels and resorts. Curiosity drove me to check out the rates, and they are far from cheap. Little wonder then that I was stopped from locking my bicycle to a pole (for a parking sign as far as I can remember) near the establishment's front door. Apparently, total attention to detail is what's on offer so that little encounter shouldn't be too surprising.