The Granite City
After a quick trip to Aberdeen, I’m ready to go back! It’s cool in a quirkly little way, and is nicknamed the “Granite City” for its ubiquitous gray buildings erected with stone from its quarry. The quarry was open for over 200 years and provided granite not only for Aberdeen, but for important buildings across Scotland and England. Perched on the North Sea coast, Aberdeen has been a maritime hub for ages, and now is a major oil and gas center.
Color and Culture Abound in this Authentic City
With its concentration of gray granite buildings and overcast, misty skies, Aberdeen could seem dull and monochromatic, but the spirit of the people provide tons of color, both literally and figuratively. There are flowers everywhere; Aberdeen has won the “Britain in Bloom” community gardening competition ten times since its inception in 1964, and it shows. And the colorful culture is evident in a plethora of public parks, museums, statues, festivals and live music in concert halls and barrooms. And here’s a statistic that is close to my heart: a study in The Scotsman found Aberdeen to have the lowest number of fast food joints per capita in the ten major Scottish cities reviewed. In other words, Aberdeen is authentic.
It’s Doric, Not Gaelic
The local dialect is known as Doric, and if you’re lucky, you’ll hear a few words from an Aberdonian, or see signs that use the dialect. Some of the words are easily recognizable to English speakers.
So, in authentic Aberdonian Doric:
Aberdeen, a’m gled tae meet ye!
Digital Postcards
Here are a few picture postcards of my day and a half in Aberdeen.
For another look at the Aberdeen night sky and the phenomenon called “nautical twilight”, click here.
Copyright 2017, Glover Gardens Cookbook
Rabbie Burns would like your post title.
Awesome comment, John! You inspired me to read up on “Rabbie” Burns and remind myself of his influence on romantic poetry and status as a literary hero in Scotland and beyond.