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Visit Aberdeen, the Silver City with the Golden Sands |
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by MargieMacleod Aberdeen is the 3rd largest city in Scotland and is widely known as the "Granite City" but is also known as the "Silver City (with the Golden Sands)". Although the area shows evidence of being inhabited for over eight thousand years Aberdeen is a thoroughly modern city with a strong association with the oil and gas industries. Aberdeen is a lively and exciting city to visit with a vibrant night scene with a wealth of cafes, bars, bistros and restaurants and night clubs. For youngsters, or the young at heart, Aberdeen's two mile long beach is the place to go where you will find fairground rides and various other attractions you would expect to see in a seaside resort. If you are more culturally minded you will be pleased to hear that the city has a number of fantastic museums and art galleries. It is along the Beach Esplanade that you will find the excellent House of Fun. The House of Fun is simply huge, spread over 2 floors you will find all the latest video games, hi-tech simulators, driving games etc. together with laser tag, the foam factory, the family amusement arcade and much more fun stuff for the kids. Inside the House of Fun you will find a selection of places to eat, some focused on families while others are altogether more adult. Of special note is the Motown Bar which often features live music, has a large screen television and a BBQ terrace. You will, of course, also find places to buy souvenirs, gifts and the likes. For the avid shopper there are plenty of shopping opportunities to be found in Aberdeen with the main malls being The Bon Accord St Nicholas, The Mall and The Academy shopping centers. The main high street shopping area is based around Union Street. The city of Aberdeen has a proud tradition in sporting excellence. Aberdeen, like many other places in Scotland, has a long association with the game of golf. Way back in 1780 the world's sixth oldest golf club was founded, the "Society of Golfers at Aberdeen". In 1903 the club was awarded Royal status and was renamed the "Royal Aberdeen Golf Club" (having changed it's name to Aberdeen Golf Club in 1815) and the club has two golf courses, the Silverburn Course and the Championship Links at Balgownie. There are six public golf courses in Aberdeen; Hazlehead (3 courses, 2 x 18-hole, 1 x 9-hole Pitch and Putt), Balnagask Golf Course (2 courses 1 x 18-hole, 1 x 6-hole) and Auchmill Golf Course. In 1903 Aberdeen FC, Aberdeen's main soccer team, was formed. The team went on to have some success in Europe and, in the 1980's, the football club won the Scottish Premier League a total of three times. Much of this success has been credited to Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson CBE who was their manager at the time. Besides soccer the folk of Aberdeen enjoy all manner of sports and there are excellent facilities spread across the city. |