Maps: Aberdeen

I've always loved maps. I study them for fun, I collect them, I decorate my house with them. They're great. When I was in a fourth/fifth grade split class (I was a fourth grader), I got the highest grade on our final geography exam of the year - 250 out of 100. When I travel, I always make sure that I have an adequate idea of the local geography.

I started assembling maps of Aberdeen and the University last year. I harnessed the power of PowerPoint to synchronize satellite maps with street maps, and add labels.

1. University of Aberdeen
2. Aberdeen Sports Village
3. potential employer
4. potential employer
5. Kirk of St. Nicholas/kirkyard
6. Aberdeen Railway Station
7. Northlink Ferry Terminal
8. former Jimmy Chung's location
9. SYHA Youth Hostel
10. Cathedral Church of St. Mary
11. former Safeway location
12. William Wallace Statue
13. Aberdeen Central Library

A number of things have changed since I was in Aberdeen eight years ago. (I'll be arriving almost eight years to the day since I left Scotland.) A Chinese joint that I enjoyed apparently closed down (at least, the location I'd eaten at), and the Safeway where I bought some crumpets has apparently been sold and possibly closed down as well. I suppose I'll just be forced to find another supermarket closer to campus, and a neighb(u)rhood pub.

The plan is to paste all of this into a sort of field journal for easy use in navigating around the city while I work to get my bearings once again.

One thing I have to mention is how much easier a lot of this stuff is than it used to be, thanks to the Internet. Wikimapia, Google Maps, Google Street View, and even Wikipedia - the infallible and undisputed source of all knowledge and wisdom - have made what I'm preparing to do much easier than it was when I spent the Summer of '04 in the United Kingdom.

Next up, the University of Aberdeen campus.