#old aberdeen

[fallbabylon]

St Machars Cathedral- Old Aberdeen, Scotland 

[navigatingcobblestones]

Aberdeen

Dunnottar Castle

Dunnottar Castle

Dunnottar Castle

Marischal College

Castlegate

Old Aberdeen

University of Aberdeen (King’s College)

University of Aberdeen (King’s College)

St Machar’s Cathedral 

Old Aberdeen

Old Aberdeen

18/3/19 - 24/3/19

On Saturday I went on another IESS trip to Aberdeen and Dunnottar Castle. Aberdeen is only 2 1/2 hours from Edinburgh, so we had much more time to explore than in Inverness. 

First we visited Dunnottar Castle. The Castle sits on a granite headland, surrounded on three sides by the North Sea. It was home to significant figures such as William Wallace and Mary Queen of Scots. During the English Civil War, the Scottish Crown Jewels were stored here, safe from the wrath of Cromwell’s army. Also, Dunnottar Castle inspired the castle in the Disney Pixar movie Brave. Due to its location, standing on picturesque granite cliffs contrasting with the gorgeous blue sea, this is the most beautiful castle I have visited in Scotland thus far.

Once we arrived in Aberdeen, we had three hours to kill. Aberdeen is known as the ‘Granite City’, because most of the buildings are made with granite stones (obviously). Here stands the world’s second largest granite building in the world: Marischal College. The building used to be a university, but now houses city council offices. We also visited Castlegate, which is the previous location of Aberdeen Castle, that was destroyed in 1308.  

Next we went to a part of the city called Old Aberdeen, which is the location of the University of Aberdeen. I absolutely loved walking through Old Aberdeen, the buildings are so charming, and the stones have so many colours in them. King’s College is the oldest part of the University, and was founded in 1495, making it the third oldest in Scotland, and fifth in the UK. It is certainly much prettier than my classrooms in Edinburgh, but I mainly study in the newer buildings there.  

Finally, we went to see St Machar’s Cathedral. The Cathedral was built between 1136-1552, and is said to have one quarter of William Wallace’s body buried here (a medieval hero for Scottish independence). It is also interesting due to the timber ceiling inside the cathedral, which depicts the crests of European sovereigns, ecclesiastical figures and Scottish nobles in the early 16th Century.

I really loved my day in Aberdeen. I definitely think its worth the visit!

[nudnikheadache]

Aberdeen University is my favourite campus! 

[britishdailyphoto]

Granite houses in the winter sun, Old Aberdeen

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[imnorden]

Mehr Old Aberdeen;)

[the-busy-ghost]

Snow on St Andrew’s Day 2017, Old Aberdeen

(Excuse the excitement, it just doesn’t usually lie here because the wind blows it away because we’re so close to the sea so this is a big occasion for me)

[scotianostra]

King's College, Aberdeen.jpg by ___INFINITY___ Via Flickr: 'Youth with split apple' by award-winning Scottish Artist, Kenny Hunter.