Dundee Revisited
"First time in Dundee?" asked the taxi driver as I gave him the name of my hotel.
"Not at all, " I responded and then proceeded to give him my account of childhood summers spent in a holiday hut near Monifieth and how Saturday trips into Dundee city centre formed part our family folklore. Then, two minutes later, as he dropped me at the hotel, I realised why he'd been asking. It would actually have been quicker to walk.
Dundee has certainly changed a lot since I was a boy and, from what I can see , the city is still in the process of a major transformation. From my hotel window I've been looking out as rows of little quay-side diners and restaurants and beyond that I can see the coast of Fife.
But some things never change. Such as the traffic system which isn't great for people in cars but provides a form of purgatory for pedestrians. Tonight, for example, I realised that my hotel had one of those wi-fi systems that simply don't connect with the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's IT infrastructure. No problem, because across the other side of the dual carriageway I spied a Borders/Starbucks and knew I could get online there and stuff my face with a rasberry muffin at the same time.
Except...how do you get across the road? I had to walk a hundred yards just to find a pavement and then twice that distance again to flocate a crossing point. Soon I was on the central traffic island waiting for a little green man to signal I could complete my journey. I waited and waited and then thought it might be fun to time how long it would take me to cross the road. After five minutes I began to think I might be stranded on that island forever. I felt like Tom Hanks in that movie Castaway. Perhaps I should think of forming some kind of shelter out of traffic cones.
Just as this kind of insanity theatened to overwhelm me, I saw a gap in the rush-hour columns of cars and buses and made a dash for it. And guess what? I survived to tell the tale.
Just not sure how I'm going to make it back.
