We got up in time to talk to a few of the 16 member golf tour of all guys who were dressed in either red or blue to make up their ow Ryder Cup teams on tour. Sounds like fun!
They each had their own room and came in a huge bus. We found out that was the American tour operators third trip. Based in Chicago, he arranged for the group to play: Royal Dornoch, Brora, Castle Stuart*, Dumbarnie*, Trump National*, so far. They were off to play Turnberry and Machrihanish next to finish off the trip. While many of those courses are American style* and not true links, this tour went all over Scotland!
We also heard from a friend aboard a Regents Seven Seas golf cruise where she will be playing with Annika Sorenstam. Very cool and perfect for those who want to do it all in comfort.
Now, back to Aberdeen. After John bandaged his foot with a “Blister Plaster” (ha ha!), we were on our way. Aberdeen is not far from Cruden Bay, so an easy drive down a gently curving country road. When there’s road work, they put up a temporary stoplight on each end to regulate traffic. On we went, past acres of sheep farms, with ocean views and colors that ranged from yellows to green. Approaching Aberdeen, we were met with giant work ships and portable orange barriers. Always roadwork in these areas, probably because of tough winter conditions and truck traffic. Even though the trucks are rather small, there are a lot of them! We were also met with the LEZ signs, which signal “Low Emission Zones.” Luckily, we’re driving a hybrid and we’re not ticketed!
Our destination was the Aberdeen Maritime Museum near the harbor, so we had a good look at the huge work boats that move oil rigs out to sea. They were orange and white with names like The Aurora Rig. We also discovered that car-carrying ferries take passengers to the Shetlands and Orkneys from here. We wished we’d had time to tour the Girdle Ness Lighthouse, nearby on the bay.
Just around the corner was the museum, built to look like the inside of a work ship, built of steel with cross bars and girders. The museum was great. We started downstairs with the sailing ships and offshore rescues. RNLI is very big here—The Royal National Lifeboat Institution— after all, this is a country surrounded by water. The museum dedicated a whole floor to show how lifeboats save lives.
From there, we read about clipper ships, deep sea diving, and the importance of half-hull models in shipbuilding. In fact, one of the totally cool things about this museum was its use of models and lots of artwork.
After the Maritime Museum, we walked a few short blocks to the Aberdeen Art Museum where we had lunch and nosed around. This is the big cultural center for this part of Scotland, so it was good that we came. They feature lots of Scottish artists and had a special exhibit called “Monsters of the Deep,” which was largely imaginary beasts. We were feeling a bit pooped, so we looked at the brochure and moved on.
Our final impression of Aberdeen is that it’s a mix of Dundee (shipping and oil rigs) and Glasgow, with buskers and hip new city attractions.