Travel writing- London Renee Alle

The day started out great. We woke up at 7 in the morning, for Granddad to drive us to the train station on Princes Street. At the station we grabbed a hot chocolate and a cinnamon role and went on the train. I was really looking forward to Dundee. We were visiting one of my mum’s old school friends, who had moved to Dundee with her husband and 2 girls. It seemed like a great day to go on a day trip; I could see the sun reflecting on the window. Two train stops ahead the train started getting very full. Two obese men sat themselves across from us, one with a family meal from Mc Donalds. It was disgusting having to watch this man gobble up his Big Macs but even if you looked in the other direction, you could here his companion coughing. It was a surprise to us that we weren’t, deadly sick after this disturbing journey.

Walking the streets of Dundee should have been amazing after the journey we had on our way ; it was wrought with a heartache.

The station was our first disappointment; no toilet, no kiosk, no service. The sky was dark and misty and it was bound to rain soon. Just 10 minutes after arrival Monica (my mum’s friend) picked us up. We walked through the dark musty car park, which was more like a nest for bats and spiders. In the car Monica told us about all the great things she had planned for us to do and see.

While we were driving through Dundee I realized how industrial the city was. Where there used to be a promenade was now a ginormous shopping mall. Factories were blocking the sight of the countryside round about.

After we greeted the rest of the family, who were waiting on us at their townhouse, we made our way to a café.

Have you ever been to a restaurant, in which you feel uncomfortable? I mean sticky chairs, unfriendly waiters, tables with bits of food, doors that open to a unsanitary kitchen or smelling toilets. Well, that is exactly how this place was.

“Mandy’s Kitchen” was located at a garden shop selling seeds, flowers and accessories, which may sound nice, nut believe me it wasn’t. With the dimmed lighting it was hard to read the menu. The café claimed to sell a wide range of traditional Scottish foods, which I thought sounded great, as I was determined to try haggis, the Scottish national dish. But looking at the menu, all I saw was a bunch of sandwiches. I decided to go for the classic ham and cheese sandwich, as there is not much to go wrong. When the waiter arrived, I tried to order my dish. It sounded a bit like this. “Ay n you mi Lassie whit cun I getya? After asking him to repeat himself several times, Monica ended up ordering for me.

When the dish finally arrived, the bread was soggy and the ham grisly. As a side dish I was served cold baked beans.

Eventually as we had all finished our meal, we stepped out into the now pouring rain. It was the typical Scottish weather, we knew so well.