AROUND TOWN | Museums & Attractions

3.15pm). £11.30 (£10.30; under 17s £6.80; under 5s free; family £29.40). The official Scottish residence of the Queen, this Baroque palace was once home to Mary, Queen of Scots and now houses the great artworks and tapestries of its regal residents. edinburghmuseums.org.uk Daily 10am–4pm (last admission 3.30pm). £4. Commemorating Sir Walter Scott, this is the largest monument to any writer in the world. Take 287 steps to the top for a great view, plus occasional exhibitions.

EVENTS

Events are listed by city, then type. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to sport@list.co.uk for sport or aroundtown@list.co.uk for all other events. Listings compiled by Jaclyn Arndt. Indicates Hitlist entry GLASGOW

Activities & Events FREE Future City | Glasgow: Future Hacks Fri 21–Sun 23 Feb, 6–9pm. South Block, 50–68 Osborne Street, open. glasgow.gov.uk/hackathon Come together to imagine how technology and open data could improve life in Glasgow in the future, in this series of four Future Hacks. First up, Future Hack No 1 Public Safety. FREE Clyde Walkway and Commonwealth Walk Sun 23 Feb, 1–4pm. Orchard Park, Carmyle, 276 0931. Join the Countryside Rangers for this seven-mile walk, and stop off at the

SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE AND JOHN KNOX HOUSE 43–45 High Street, 556 9579, scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk Mon– Sat 10am–6pm; closed Sun. Free entry to SSC; John Knox House £5 (£4; children £1; under 7s free). A stylish contemporary building appended to the 15th-century home of Protestant reformer John Knox, housing materials relating to Scotland’s rich oral culture. SURGEONS’ HALL MUSEUM Nicolson Street, 527 1649, museum. rcsed.ac.uk Mon–Fri noon–4pm. £5 (£3). Home to permanent collections on pathological anatomy, the history of surgery and dentistry, as well as temporary exhibitions, talks and occasionally gruesome hands-on events.

HOLYROOD PARK Holyrood Park Road, 652 8150, historic- scotland.gov.uk Open at all times; Holyrood Lodge Information Centre daily 9.30am–3pm. Free. The main entrance to this large royal park, east of the city centre, is flanked by the Palace of Holyrood House and the Scottish Parliament Building. Its main feature is Arthur’s Seat, an 823-foot hill that has a number of smaller peaks and ponds surrounding it.

MUSEUM OF CHILDHOOD 42 High Street, 529 4142, edinburghmuseums.org.uk Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; Sun noon–5pm. Free. Kids can learn about the toys, clothes and lifestyles of children of the past in this Royal Mile museum. Nostalgia for grown-ups guaranteed. MUSEUM ON THE MOUND The Mound, 243 5464, museumonthemound.com Tue–Fri 10am–5pm; Sat & Sun 1–5pm; closed Mon. Free. Hosted inside the Bank of Scotland’s head office, this museum is all about money. Learn how money has evolved over the past 4000 years or try cracking a safe.

NATIONAL MINING MUSEUM SCOTLAND Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange, 663 7519, scottishminingmuseum.com Daily 10am–4pm. £7.50 (£5.50; children free). Nine miles south of Edinburgh, this museum is one of the best-preserved Victorian collieries in Europe. Learn about the life of a miner by taking a tour around the site.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789, nms. ac.uk Daily 10am–5pm. Free. Renovated in 2011, this national beacon of culture has exhibitions on natural history, science and technology, Scottish history, art and design and world cultures in galleries surrounding a naturally lit atrium space. Mammoths of the Ice Age Until Sun 20 Apr. £9 (£7.50; under 16s £5; family £25; members & under 5s free). Ever wanted to see a woolly mammoth? This interactive touring exhibition allows you to feel mammoth fur, have a close look at their tusks and meet Lyuba, a detailed replica of a 42,000 year old baby mammoth.

OUR DYNAMIC EARTH Holyrood Road, 550 7800, dynamicearth. co.uk Wed–Sun 10am–5.30pm; closed Mon & Tue (last entry 4pm). £11.50 (£9.75; under 16s £7.50; under 3s free). Take an interactive journey through the history of the earth. Go to the tundra or the bottom of the ocean, never being more than a stone’s throw from the Scottish Parliament and Arthur’s Seat. PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE Royal Mile, 556 5100, royalcollection. org.uk Daily 9.30am–4.30pm (last entry

REAL MARY KING’S CLOSE 2 Warriston’s Close, High St, 0845 070 6244, realmarykingsclose.com Sun–Thu 10am–5pm; Fri & Sat 10am–9pm. £12.95 (£11.45; children £7.45). Beneath the Royal Mile lies a warren of hidden closes where citizens of Edinburgh lived and died in the 16th and 17th centuries. The underground tours are led by guides in the character of real people who lived there.

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN EDINBURGH Inverleith Row, 552 7171, rbge.org.uk Daily 10am–5pm until Fri 28 Feb; from Sat 1 Mar 10am–6pm. Free; glasshouse entry £5 (£4; children free). These gardens, founded in the 17th century, cover over 70 acres and are just one mile from the city centre. There are glasshouses and cafés within the grounds, as well as high-profile art exhibitions at Inverleith House.

ROYAL OBSERVATORY VISITOR CENTRE Blackford Hill, 668 8404, roe.ac.uk/vc Entry by arrangement or at Public Astronomy evenings (weekly, Fri 7.30–9pm). Public Astronomy evenings £4 (£3). See the stars through the research centre’s magnificent copper domes at weekly astronomy evenings. ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA Ocean Terminal, Leith, 555 5566, royalyachtbritannia.co.uk Daily 10am– 3.30pm. £12.75 (£11.50; under 18s £7.75; under 5s free; family £36.50). Take a guided tour of the ornate floating royal residence and learn about life aboard the yacht, which served the royal family for almost 50 years.

SCOTCH WHISKY EXPERIENCE 354 Castlehill, 220 0441, scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk Daily 10am–6pm; entry is as part of a tour. Tours £12.75–£52 (£10.25–£26; under 18s £6.50). Learn more about Scotland’s tastiest export with a tour and tasting session. There is also a bar and restaurant if you need a few more drams to help decide which is your favourite. SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT Horse Wynd, 0800 092 7500, scottish. parliament.uk Opening hours vary according to whether Parliament is in session, see website for details. Free. See Spanish architect Enric Miralles’ magnificent (and controversial) Holyrood building, take a tour of the interior, sit in on a debate or look at the artwork on display.

SCOTT MONUMENT Princes Street Gardens East, 529 4068,

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34 THE LIST 20 Feb–20 Mar 2014

MIDDLE EASTERN SPIRITUALITY AND PEACE FESTIVAL Various venues, Edinburgh, Sat 1–Sun 23 Mar

Although the cultural image of the Middle East is too often overshadowed by the region’s political battles as displayed in the news, this part of the world remains one of the most richly diverse in terms of its art and culture. The 11th Edinburgh International Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace Festival, taking place in the capital this March, offers an opportunity to learn more about this part of the world and make some changes to your life at the same time.

There are no shortage of forums, workshops and talks lined up. At the Gillis Centre you can take part in a day dedicated to spiritual dancing, health and wellbeing (Sat 1 Mar); later in the month you can spend an evening exploring personal healing and enlightenment (Augustine United Church, Sun 16 Mar); and a Mindful Peace Walk (pictured) focuses on (literally) taking one step at a time in the Royal Botanic Gardens (Sun 16 Mar). There are also several art exhibitions and storytelling events including Kingdom of Fire and Clay: Iran vs Israel (Scottish Storytelling Centre, Fri 21 Mar) in which an Iranian and Israeli artist bring together classical Jewish and Iranian tales and stories from their own lives to explore the conflict between their two countries.

With no fixed position on politics or ethics, the festival’s intention is to create an environment where people can talk freely with an open mind and heart. As director Neill Walker says, the festival seeks to ‘engage a progressively wider and more diverse range of participants who have been active in spiritual, secular and artistic and cultural approaches to non-violent conflict resolution and world peace’. (Barry Gordon) For the full programme visit www.mesp.org.uk