I think when you’re young it’s all too easy to catergorise your home town as a dump and you can’t wait to get out of it. I was born in the city of Dundee but only lived there until I was five years old. When I spoke of my place of birth it was in rather disparaging terms.  I didn’t really spend time in Dundee until recently, more than forty years later.

Now I’m impressed by Dundee and can say that researching and writing aGuide to Dundee for  Europe a la Carte has been a a personal rediscovery. That ties in pretty neatly with Dundee’s slogan, “City of Discovery“, coined in the 1980s when the ship “Discovery”, built in Dundee, which transported Scott on his first expedition to the South Pole, was returned to its birthplace.

City Square, Dundee

One of the best things is the friendliness and sense of humour of the residents, the Dundonians. The city has picked itself up by the boot straps and moved on from its industrial past and embraced its future. The city centre is looking great with pride of place in the city centre to some of it’s best known comic book characters from the Dandy and Beano, Desperate Dan, Minnie the Minx and Gnasher, Dennis the Menace’s dog.

Desperate Dan, Minnie the Minx and Gnasher sculptures in Dundee

So, you exiles, before you diss your home town, check it out and do some reappraisal, it may not be as bad as you remember. In a a full circle, we’re thinking of going to live in Dundee in the future, in the Broughty Ferry area close to the sea. If you’d told me thirty years ago I’d choose to live in Dundee and be promoting it as a great day out or short break destination, I’d have burst into laughter and uttered, “No Way”.

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