Aberdeen, Scotland
April 21-26See photos below
Something that is desperately missing from American culture is the consistent use of travel and commuter trains. This was made glaringly clear as we took the beautiful ride to Aberdeen, the northern tip of Scotland. I couldn’t help but smile as we were whisked through the country side en route to the stunning vistas and views of the coast that was eerily similar to the coastline of Point Reyes in California. If it weren’t for the small fishing villages and quaint granite houses dotting the hills, I wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart.
Aberdeen is a very unique place. Almost all of the structures in the city are made from granite that is quarried there, hence why it is dubbed “The Granite City”. When we arrived, the sun was shining, making all of the buildings sparkle as we drove through town to our home for the next week. Our hosts in Aberdeen were Ashley’s aunt Jean & uncle Andy. Right off the bat I felt incredibly welcome there as they put us in our own beautiful bedroom with bay windows and photos of Ashley as a kid. On the first day, they took us to their country club where we enjoyed lunch on a bright sunny day looking out over the country side. Later that evening, Ashley’s cousin Calum and his wife Yana came over for dinner. We laughed all night, drank beer & enjoyed dinner as if we had done this every night. It was a great way to kick off our time there.
Over the course of the week, we spent lots of time with all of them, which mainly consisted of me hysterically laughing at the Scottish humor. Andy, if you’re reading this, you are one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. We slept in till 10 every morning, stayed up late watching TV with Jean & Andy every night, and of course, drank many many gin & tonics. It was a treat getting to know Ashley’s family better, and especially exciting getting to spend so much time with Calum and Yana. They have a somewhat alternative lifestyle that piqued my interest. Half of the time they live in Aberdeen, down the block from Jean & Andy, while the other half of the year they live in Prague, where Yana’s family lives. They both work remote jobs, so having the flexibility from work perfectly aligns with their lifestyle and living arrangements.
One of the days we went to Balmoral Castle with Calum & Yana, which is the Royal Castle where Queen Elizabeth recently died. It is surrounded by enchanted forests, white horses, & beautiful views of the countryside. As we were walking up to the castle, we saw an elderly man get out of his car, followed by a posh looking man in tweed kindly “suggesting” we turn around. We later found out that the gray man was King Charles. On another day we drove to Dunnottar castle that looked out over the sea, just south of Aberdeen. We walked along the designated path to the bottom of the castle when Calum noticed a pathway he used to hike down as a kid that was fenced off. We looked at each other and without saying a word both hopped the fence to make our way down to the rocky beach, which ended up being a stunning sight.
Another highlight was a pub crawl we did with Calum and Yana. It started out quite promising as we ordered pizza and beer from the original Brewdog. As Calum went up to order, he couldn’t help but notice a man standing at the bar in a kilt. In Scotland this isn’t out of the ordinary, but it was the American accent that threw him off. After striking up a conversation, the man made his way over to our table and, to our surprise, told us he was from San Francisco. He proceeded to give us a history lesson on craft beer in the Bay Area that started with Anchor Brewing. The next few places we went were closed so it didn’t turn out to be much of a pub crawl. We settled for a few games of pool and then walked through downtown Aberdeen back home.
Overall, I had an amazing time spending a week with my future family and getting to know their way of living across the pond. I can’t wait to return for more late night dinners and, hopefully, a new season of Clarkson’s Farm. I am so grateful for the warmth and hospitality we received from the whole family while in Aberdeen. This wrapped up our time in Scotland before making our way to the opposite side of the UK to visit our close pal in Portsmouth. Till next time, Scotland.
