So long, Dundee, and good riddance indeed.

Today was an adventure like all the others. I spent my usual hour in the morning finding my way to Buchanan Station in Glasgow; everything in this city looks the same! I boarded the bus to Dundee and slept most of the way there. Upon my arrival, I luckily tracked down a taxi to the conference so that I wasn’t stuck walking miles uphill as I was in the days prior. I was able to attend a few sessions for the first time the entire conference, and Ali gave our presentation. The presentation was fairly well-received by the conference attendees.

Following the conference, Ali and I made our way to the botanical gardens at the University for yet another refreshment session. The gardens were absolutely stunning:

Ali and I were having a jolly good time, joking and bantering down the street trying to find a restaurant that didn’t serve fish and chips or pizza. He was meeting some Norwegian fellows at a pub in Dundee at around 22:00. I had to catch my bus back to Glasgow at 20:40. At around 20:10, we settled on a Pizza Hut and made our way in. I lost track of time and, without surprise, missed my bus by thirty seconds in a rage running to the bus station. I walked the walk of shame back up the hill, pizza in hand, and told Ali the news.

I weighed my options. I could bum around town with Ali and the Norwegians and “figure something out,” or I could find another way home. Luckily, the folks working at the restaurant tracked down the next train to Glasgow that evening. We walked to the train station and I purchased my ticket. £20.40, which is approximately $40 USD for those of you keeping track at home.

The train station in Dundee is kind of like everything else in the city after 19:00: cold, dark, lonely, and terrifying. There was a young chap banging sticks up above the station looking down at me. The station was eerily quiet. To be honest, the only sense of security I had came from the CCTV cameras placed throughout.

It’s good to know that the only bus I have left to board is back to Prestwick to return to London.

I’m off to see Paul Strachan at the University of Strathclyde. Further updates to follow!