Adventures in Perth, Scotland

Melissa Thompson University of Aberdeen, Scotland

Date

March 28, 2016

Not all those who wander are lost”
– J.R.R. Tolkien

This past weekend I decided to go to the lovely little town of Perth which is just a little less than a two hour train journey from Aberdeen. While it was a dreary day with rain, my adventure was still one filled with great memories and wonderful sights.

I went with a few of my friends that I’ve met here who are also exchange students at the University of Aberdeen. We weren’t exactly sure what we were going to do or see there which made it even more of an adventure. Our first stop when we arrived in Perth was the tourist center where we got a map and some advice on the best places to go.

The place that stood out the most to us was Scone Palace with its interesting background history. Plus, it was indoors and meant getting out of the cold rain which was a double win. Scone Palace is the site where the crowning of Scottish kings took place including the crowning of Robert the Bruce, Macbeth and Charles II. When we arrived, I was absolutely taken away by how beautiful it all was. The grounds of the Scone Palace were absolutely stunning! When we arrived at the entrance of Scone Palace we were told that it was closed due to a wedding happening that day. Though we were disappointed that we were not allowed to see the inside, we were still allowed to explore the grounds of the palace which was still a sight to behold.

We discovered many amazing sights including peacocks (yes, real peacocks!), a maze and gorgeous landscape. The peacocks that were roaming the Scone Palace grounds are apparently a very common sight there. I’ve never seen peacocks that close which was really amazing! There were even white peacocks called white peafowl chicks, or ‘peachicks’ which are pretty rare. We also explored through a maze that was designed by Adrian Fisher and planted in the shape of a star.

Soaked with rain, we decided to head back to the city center of Perth for a much needed cup of warm tea. There we discovered a small tea and cake place called ‘Small Talk’ which was absolutely amazing! I had a cappuccino and their famous carrot cake which was probably one of the best carrot cakes I’ve had. After a warm, delicious coffee and cake break, we headed back home to Aberdeen.

Overall, I had a wonderful and adventure filled weekend in the cozy town of Perth. After all, some of the best adventures are the ones where you don’t have any plans and instead make your own adventures.

Categories

Scotland Semester