Student Life 2013/14 January 2014 | Page 21

HIDDEN GEMS Aberdeen is formed mostly of King’s Street and Union Street, but there are plenty of corners and little alleyways that lead off to fantastic hidden gems. For example, there’s a little archway on Union Street, opposite the CEX. Look around, check no-one’s watching, and duck inside – then head to the end of the street for the greatest, most enormous bowl of home-grown Hungarian goulash you’ve ever faced. The Botanical Gardens, located just north of the University, are gorgeous in winter or summer. Head towards the beach for a different kind of BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CITY There are so many great things about Aberdeen that to pick out only one is impossible. The Student Show, a musical parody in Doric, is a yearly highlight. So too is the Torcher Parade, the biggest torchlit procession in Europe. Remember that Aberdeen is the Silver City; when the sun shines, the quartz embedded in the granite glitters and the entire city sparkles. The people are universally friendly, if occasionally incomprehensible – here in the northeast of Scotland resides a dialect called Doric – mentioned above. It’s absolutely fascinating from an academic point of view, but from a literal, www.accommodationforstudents.com 21 ABERDEEN Road and onto the Spital to Grub, the greatest sandwich shop in Aberdeen. If you can’t spare the time, grab a coffee at Kilau – those guys know more about coffee than anyone I’ve ever met. art installation – I won’t ruin the surprise, but it combines a view with a change of perspective and is well worth a visit. Finally, if you want a sneaky treat, Mrs Smith, on Orchard Street, bakes the best cupcakes in the country, or head to the Eatery on Thistle Street for a Mars Bar panini. Sounds awful. Tastes great.