The Granite City

To the Granite City of Aberdeen for the weekend, partly to rediscover some of the family roots (who include a controversial Victorian Episcopalian minister and a 17th century academic). I have never been to Aberdeen before, and the city lives up to its name. There is a beguiling attraction to the rows of granite houses, and the Old Town around the university is particularly impressive. We enjoyed a splendid fish dinner by the harbour at the Silver Darling restaurant and an excellent Italian meal at Rustico. And we were impressed by the all-frills service on Eastern Airways, which does the Bristol-Aberdeen route. But we were also left in no doubt that the city deserves its reputation for grim weather (though we were assured last weekend was different) with plenty of rain and chilly winds giving it a distinctively Northern atmosphere.