From Inverness we took another mega bus to Aberdeen, this time with the prized £1 ticket. And they have free wifi on board, so at £1 for a three and a half hour journey, they could put Internet cafes out of business and just have people going back and forth on the bus while they get connected!
Lots of people are dismissive of Aberdeen, saying it is an ugly city with little to offer. Perhaps it is just that our expectations were low to start with, but we were pleasantly surprised.
Yes the city is largely made from granite, which can make some buildings look like they're made out of breeze blocks, but there are a lot of large and very grand buildings, and when the sun catches them the silvery flecks in the granite sparkle beautifully. There is a big park in the centre of town, the small cobbled streets add character alongside the big wide ones.It isn't the grandest city, or the prettiest, or the most interesting, but I have certainly seen a lot worse.
We were only really going to Aberdeen as a stopping point on our way to Braemar, so we had no real plans to do much here. We did have a few very lazy days in the hotel - it was nice to have a hotel room for a change - feeling decadent about doing nothing but drinking some wine and watching the Paralympics. Otherwise, our time in Aberdeen was largely spent just wandering around the city and finding a few pubs to eat in while we took advantage of the free wifi.
Mind you, one thing we definitely refused to do was to get any washing done in our hotel. I know that hotels can be expensive - as we found out to our cost that time in Curitiba - but this was truly extortionate. I have pictured the price list in case you need a scare, but if I just tell you that a pair of pants costs £3.20, then you'll see why we decided not to bother lining the pockets of the Ibis!
