November was yet another busy month full of uni work in Aberdeen – but with lots of field trips in the mix!
Destinations visited in November 2023
Scotland
- Aberdeen
- Aberdeenshire (Forvie Sands Nature Reserve and Dunnottar Castle)
England
- Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Top 3 favourite new destinations
- Newcastle was the only new place I visited this month!
Daily life
Life in Aberdeen
November started with rain and ended with the first snow of the year! I continued being busy with uni work, even more so than in October as I had several assessments and presentations due in November. Minnie loved our long morning walkies with her dog friends, and she also started enjoying our Tuesday quiz nights more (she is now trying to steal people’s food!).
On the first weekend of the month, I hosted a T-Swift party to celebrate her new re-recording, 1989 (Taylor’s Version). I invited a bunch of my friends and we had a lot of fun with games and Tay-inspired cakes! The following day was Guy Fawkes Night, which is celebrated all over the UK with firework shows and bonfires. I didn’t know how Minnie would react to fireworks, so we didn’t go too close to the main event. Instead, we took an evening walk through the golf course and along the beach, looking at all the cozy little bonfires and watching the fireworks from afar. She didn’t care much about the noise but there were a lot of people around and she doesn’t like crowds, so we didn’t stay for long.
The second week of November was extremely busy as I had two deadlines at the end of the week as well as three (yes, THREE…) field trips during the week (read more below!). Once those assignments had been handed in, it was onto the next. I hardly had time for anything fun in November, and even had to neglect the blog. But at least I enjoy what I’m studying!
On November 18th, a cloudy Saturday, Minnie and I went to the Christmas market in downtown and had a wonderfully cozy time. Unfortunately, the day turned bad shortly after we got back home. I had just started working on an assignment when I heard a loud bang on the door. Minnie yowled and ran under the sofa, and didn’t come back out for over an hour. I went to the door to see what was going on, and saw a man attempting to break into my neighbour’s apartment. As I fumbled with the phone to call the police, I heard another bang on my door, and then it sounded like he was trying to kick it open. I was so scared that I whispered to the police, not wanting the man to find out that I was a woman alone in the apartment. The police told me to lock myself in the bathroom and wait for them. They came within minutes and caught him red-handed as he tried to break into my other neighbour’s apartment. Apparently, he had mistaken his building and forgotten his keys. But that doesn’t explain why he tried to break into three apartments, nor why he had brought a wedge for the endeavour… After the police had gone and taken him with them, I noticed that my door had been badly damaged, and any further attempt to break-in would most likely not take much effort. I was so scared and knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I was alone there. Thankfully, a friend of mine came to my rescue and stayed in my spare room until the door got secured!
The last two weeks of the month were BUSY as I had assignment after assignment to do. I didn’t find time for any adventures, unfortunately, but I did spend some valuable time hanging out with my friends, and watching Minnie become more and more comfortable around them! Oh, and Minnie met a snake which she ignored for the most part (not how I expected that to go…!).
Travels and local adventures
Field trips in and around Aberdeen
November was a month FULL of field trips. We had three in one week and then the last one a week later!
The first field trip was a voluntary graffiti walk in downtown Aberdeen, and while I could’ve skipped this, it wasn’t something I wanted to miss. I’m glad I didn’t as it was a really interesting walk and made me appreciate the city a little more (Aberdeen has some truly quirky street art!).
The other two field trips that week were mandatory and the work we did during the trips will be graded. We visited Forvie Sands Nature Reserve and had a historical walk through Aberdeen’s centre and Footdee, an old fishing village which is now part of the city. For both of these trips, we had to record everything we saw during the days in a field notebook. It was very cold, especially in the morning at Forvie as it rained and was really windy, but it was a fun concept nonetheless. I only wished that the field trips hadn’t all been in the same week as I was exhausted by the mid-week! Minnie, of course, came with me on all three trips, and she was just amazing. Especially at Forvie, where I let her go off-leash and she ran around like crazy, sniffing all the plants and playing in the sand dunes. She kept close to the group and came back to check on me often, before running off again to play. I love my child so, so much!
The following week, Minnie and I joined my heritage class to Dunnottar Castle, a gorgeous place that I visited back in September with my family. We spent a few hours exploring the castle and discussing the current interpretation of the place and what could be improved. Minnie was off-leash for the most part and loved it as always!
The beginning of our journey home
On November 30th, our long-awaited journey home for Christmas began; three days of overland travel across five countries! We set off from Aberdeen and travelled by train to Newcastle-upon-Tyne in England, where the ferry awaited to take us across the North Sea to Amsterdam. We had 45 minutes to spare in Newcastle, which I spent searching for Taylor Swift CDs in thrift shops. I didn’t find any, but I did find a shrine dedicated to her in a record store (she deserves nothing less!). And then we sailed off into the night, and woke up after a wonderful sleep in our private pet-friendly cabin on the first day of my favourite month.
As always, Minnie is just the easiest little dog to travel with. Always well-behaved, quiet, curious and kind to everyone. I’m so, so lucky!
New on the blog
Most popular post
- Learning to love Berlin: 18 reasons it’s now my favourite city – A huge guide to my favourite places in the best city on planet Earth!
The other posts
- My October 2023: Busy autumn in Aberdeen – Everything Minnie and I got up to in October!
Most popular Instagram picture
I only posted twice on Instagram in November, and this post from a late October visit to Dundee and St Andrews got the most love!
Coming up in December 2023
CHRISTMAS IS FINALLY HERE!!
December is all about family and Christmas fun. Minnie and I are currently on a train towards Germany, and soon, we will meet up with my family for some Christmas market fun in Flensburg in northern Germany, before driving home to Denmark. I can’t describe how excited I am for Minnie to finally meet my family!!
Unfortunately, I have two essays and a dissertation to write while I’m home, so most of my days will be spent staring at a computer screen. However, I will make sure to go for plenty of long walks with Minnie in and around my beautiful hometown, visit with family and friends, eat all the Danish food that I miss and watch my favourite TV shows with my family. Come Christmas, I hope I’ll have time for a few days off for pure hygge!
I wish you all a jolly and festive December! ✨
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