Single Steps in Aberdeen

Arriving in Aberdeen quickly became an adventure. The discovery that the hotel really was city centre... a river... parks... shops...ships... the sea...followed by the realisation we are here to work...

It's our first 'Designing for Learning' event in Aberdeen. We know we will see old friends and meet new faces. A perfect combination. The venue preparation went smoothly...with the expert help of another Andrew from Aberdeen. This left us with a few hours to explore the sights and sounds of the city on a sunny Tuesday evening.

Sounds: seagulls, sirens, chatting, singing (from one little girl as she walked along Union Street), more seagulls, bagpipes, shouting, cars, camera shutters (tourists, including us!), someone asking for money, clinking of glasses, more seagulls, beeping from the road crossings, footsteps, someone thinking I was from New South Wales and expressed disappointment at finding it was just South Wales, talking on phones...and more seagulls.

Sights: spires, towers, turrets, shops, at least 3 Starbucks and 2 Waterstones, interesting side streets, cobbles, monuments, seagulls, seagulls, seagulls on monuments, hotels, restaurants, 'To Let' signs, families, tourists, people in business suits, tattoos, workers, ships, pubs, cafes, churches, museums, seagulls, more spires, river, park, gravestones, flags.

We absolutely love walking around the locality and getting a feel for the community we are joining for the next few days. People watching is a skill we are honing with great enjoyment.

A shout out for Gavin, the manager in Jamie's Italian restaurant, Aberdeen. Superb knowledge...eager to accommodate different dietary requirements. Honesty, passion about food and a friendly attitude. We came away knowing new facts about Italy, Italian cooking and buffalo mozzarella...as well as having a tasty dinner!

Aberdeen City - thank you!