Aberdeen

After checking out of my hotel in Inverness I grabbed a bite to eat before heading to the train station. I was off to Aberdeen for the week, moving over to the north east of Scotland. Last year I had planned on just renting somewhere for a month in Aberdeen to use as a base and save some money for a while. I didn’t end up needing to do that as Damo was kind enough to let me spend 3 weeks at his place instead. I wanted to check out Aberdeen though so I booked myself a stay here for a week. It ended up being another pub stay. The owner was nice, and he and his wife had recently taken over ownership so there were a few changes and updates happening around the place.

Once I settled in I went for a bit of a walk to find a supermarket to pick up some supplies and have a look around. I was staying near the River Don so I checked out the walking path alongside it. I found my way into Seaton Park and went for a lovely walk around. The weather was so lush and there were many people out and about having picnics and barbeques by the river.

I’ve had a bunch of work to do so I just had a chill evening and the next day I had a not getting dressed or leaving the room kind of day. It’s nice to make sure to have time to have lazy days like this while travelling. Not so lazy, in I did stuff. I practised juggling, and did some work, watched YouTube.

On Monday, I got dressed and left the house. I saw that there was a good walk from where I was along the beach front down into the city so I headed off to explore. It was about an hours walk to the city from where I was staying. The weather was lovely and I took advantage of it. I didn’t really do much research on where to go or what to see, I was just plodding along. I decided to find somewhere to eat and that became my destination. After eating and being out for a few hours, I headed back to this week’s home to do some more work.

The next day I pretty much did the same thing. Got some work out of the way in the morning and then headed out to check out Old Aberdeen. I walked around Seaton Park, and checked out the St.Machar’s Cathedral (Old Machar) grounds. Technically it’s no longer a Cathedral as a Bishop hasn’t been there since 1690. I get really distracted walking around cemeteries and these old church grounds that I don’t even go and look inside the churches. I then headed towards the University Campus. These old streets and buildings are amazing. I think there really is something beautiful about getting to go to school to learn inside some landmarks and space that is so rich with history.

I had some meetings the next day and was planning to do a day trip on Friday so just stayed in again and smashed through a bunch of work. It’s nice to stop in a place long enough to not feel bad and that I have to be doing things all the time. Obviously travelling I like to see lots, but slow travel is definitely my jam. I can do some sprints here and there, but I do like to stop for a bit, process things, and keep on top of everything else. Of course, what I am trying to do currently is whatever I want to do sustainably, so there is no right or wrong. I’m feeling it out and a big part of it is working is prioritising the things.

Alternating days in and days out is good too. Thursday seemed like a good day to walk back into the city again, and this time I swung by the Maritime Museum. It was pretty interesting and I learnt a bit more about Aberdeen and it’s history from fishing to offshore oil and gas. After the museum I then took myself on a bit of a street art walking tour and followed my graff nose. I love just stumbling upon a piece that leads me to the areas in town where artists move. There was actually a group out working on a piece which certainly helped tip me off.