Aberdeenshire, Archeolink and Aberdeen
The day starts dull and especially windy. We first go to the Archeolink Prehistory Park, where they show very fascinating audiovisual exhibitions, but the constructions of buildings from different time periods outside are also very interesting. Just when we walk outside, it starts to drizzle. The wind is rising and the nice walk becomes a run to see as much as possible in a short time. Very annoying for Teije, because he has this uncontrolled inclination to read all the information signboards. So, he gets wet, while Elisabeth has returned to the warm and dry museum. But we can recommend a visit to this park, assuming that it is dry and not too windy. It tells about the history of Scotland from about 6.000 BC. until 84 AD. (the battle of Mons Graupius in which the Romans defeated the Picts). In the open-air there are reconstructions of buildings and archeological sites from different time periods.
We continue on our way and take arbitrarily small roads. There we see this pretty house. Because of all the curves in the buildings and often the use of turrets, many houses in Scotland look like small castles. Buildings in Holland are a bit boring, compared to the architecture in most other countries!
At Easter Aquhorthies we see this recumbent stone circle. This kind of stone circle can only be found in Ireland and Scotland. In Aberdeenshire there are almost 90. They mostly date back to 3000 BC. After a short walk, we quickly return to the warm car, because it is still quite cold and very windy outside.
The remainder of the day we pass a lot more castles (Haughton House, Craigievar Castle, Crathes Castle, Drum Castle) and older, prehistoric, sites (Tomnaverrie Stone Circle among others). Aberdeenshire has the highest concentration of prehistoric and Pictish monuments, so a must for the enthusiast.
At the end of the afternoon we have seen a lot of the neighbourhood and go to Aberdeen. The gloomy buildings are mainly made of granite; but the beautiful gardens and parks make the town much brighter and more vivid. Nice enough to spend a few hours, walking around and visiting a pub.
At night we have a long conversation with a Scot who has lived in Holland for some time and therefore speaks a little Dutch. He tells us about an amusing book about the Dutch people, which we can recommend to everybody who wants to know more about the Dutch and their strange habits: The Undutchables. It is available in English as well as in Dutch. We buy it immediately after our holiday and really like it. We have never known we are such a funny people.
© Teije and Elisabeth 2000 - 2012
We continue on our way and take arbitrarily small roads. There we see this pretty house. Because of all the curves in the buildings and often the use of turrets, many houses in Scotland look like small castles. Buildings in Holland are a bit boring, compared to the architecture in most other countries!
At Easter Aquhorthies we see this recumbent stone circle. This kind of stone circle can only be found in Ireland and Scotland. In Aberdeenshire there are almost 90. They mostly date back to 3000 BC. After a short walk, we quickly return to the warm car, because it is still quite cold and very windy outside.
At the end of the afternoon we have seen a lot of the neighbourhood and go to Aberdeen. The gloomy buildings are mainly made of granite; but the beautiful gardens and parks make the town much brighter and more vivid. Nice enough to spend a few hours, walking around and visiting a pub.
