Bimbling Around Dundee ~ 23rd, 24th & 25th November 2018

As my birthday falls on or around the last weekend in November, over the last 5 years or so I’ve been treating myself to a long weekend in London. I thought I’ve got to do something different this year. A few months back I started seeing photos on the tinterweb of the new Victoria and Albert Design Museum which opened in Dundee on the 15 September 2018. That’s different I thought so I booked a stay at the Premier Inn, about a two minute walk from the train station and the V&A building, and right on the waterfront. I had a cheap off-peak return rail ticket and my just under 6 hour train journey north of the border stalled at Newark Northgate as we sat for 2 hours waiting for the overhead cables at Doncaster to be fixed. We then light hopped into Doncaster as only one platform was open for both north and southbound trains so we had to wait our turn. Missed my connections and arrived 3 hours later than planned. I didn’t let that spoil a very enjoyable, if a little wet and cold at times, long weekend.

Dundee christmas light were switched on the weekend before I visited and center around the Christmas tree in City Square.

View along High Street towards City Square.

Food vendor on High Street.

City Square fountains in front of Cairn Hall.

Caird Hall built between 1914 and 1923, as a concert hall.

View from City Square with Reform Street in the background.

According to the Japanese architect that won the designed competition for the new V&A museum, Kengo Kuma, the inspiration for the design was the eastern granite cliff edges of Scotland. No matter what way or angle I looked at it, it just reminds me of a ships hull.

Royal Research Ship Discovery is a barque-rigged auxiliary steamship and was the last traditional three-masted ship to be built in the United Kingdom. Discovery now sits in a dock next to the new V&A Museum on the Dundee waterfront less than half a mile to the west from where it was originally built by the Dundee Shipbuilders Company and launched in 1901.

More of the sights of Dundee to follow.

Brian