Next steps, next places

The day we flew from Copenhagen to Aberdeen, the UK voted in a referendum to determine its place in the EU. This is not a political blog, so I am going to refrain from any long discussion, but suffice to say I was shocked at the result. Scotland as usual voted differently to the rest of the country, opting to remain in the EU. What happens next is anyone’s guess.

Clearing all thoughts of politics from our heads, we concentrated instead on enjoying a lovely day with my nephew and family in Aberdeen. The city is known for its grey granite buildings and is the third largest in Scotland. The haar or sea fog had rolled in, but didn’t dampen the day. Fortified with a breakfast of waffles and eggs, we set off into old Aberdeen and the area around the University. One of the first things we spotted was the Powis Gates, erected in 1834 by Hugh Fraser Leslie of Powis, whose family originally owned the land behind the gates. Rather incongruous, they are nevertheless a landmark.

Powis Gates

Our wandering took us to King’s College, a formerly independent University founded in 1495, now an integral part of the university and forming a central focus of the old city campus. We then headed to St Machar’s Cathedral and the Cruickshank Botanic Gardens before a much needed lunch.