Cruising in Aberdeen, not Aberdeem

I've got a master's degree in English, I've been to Britain about six times, and I've seen every episode of The Simpsons, with Willie the Groundskeeper. I must have heard the name spoken, or read it, a hundred times.

Until about 2 years ago, I thought it was Aberdeem

Aberdeen, a city in the Scottish Highlands, was originally Aberdon, meaning "Mouth of the Don River" in Gaelic.  Though it dates from the Middle Ages, most of the historic architecture is Victorian.  It is the birthplace of famous bisexual poet George Gordon, Lord Byron, as well as swimmer Robbie Renwick.







Although not many people in Aberdeen speak Gaelic as their first language, you can major in Gaelic Studies at the University of Aberdeen, there are various Gaelic-speaking clubs, and in 2015 the City Council introduced a plan to teach Gaelic in the elementary schools. 

It met with some resistance.   A 2015 newspaper op-ed stated: "We don't want Gaelic up here....it's a dead language that was never native to the Northeast in the first place. Let's concentrate on teaching kids the stuff they need instead of playing lip service to the PC brigade."

To which a Gaelic speaker might reply, tilgeadh dheth  (Toss off!).

There's a popular gay bar, Cheerz, no gay saunas, but a lot of gay students at the University of Aberdeen -- 15%, according to a Tab survey.  So cruising at the Sports Centre or the Kings College Chapel is always possible, but you don't really go to Aberdeen for the gay scene.

You go to see St. Marchar's Cathedral, a 14th century Gothic cathedral dedicated to the Church of Scotland.













And King's College at the University of Aberdeen, which dates to the 15th century.



You go for the Tolbooth Museum (covering crime and punishment over the ages, not toll booths),  to walk the narrow streets of Old Aberdeen, to watch the city rowing team.

And to speak Gaelic.

I have a big sausage.
tha siosag mòr agam

Fancy a bit of snogging?
a bheil thu airson pòg








Scottish settlers, or settlers who just liked the name, have founded Aberdeens in Australia, Jamaica, Hong Kong, and more than twenty towns in the United States.

Here's a wrestler from Aberdeen, North Dakota.









Swimmers from Aberdeen, South Dakota.

The top photo is a swimmer from Aberdeen, Washington.

Not one of those towns is named Aberdeem.