Adventures of an Adventurer: St. Andrews and Other Shenanigans

Hey there,

I've gotten a bit detained this week (or finally a little lazy in relation to blogging-I'm surprised it didn't happen before now!) But never fear, here's another one for your enjoyment…

About a week before the 5th of November I found out about this crazy holiday they have here in the UK: it's called Guy Fawkes Night. It celebrates the fact that Guy Fawkes, a man who attempted to blow up Parliament in the 1600s, failed to do such! Some traditions that come along with the holiday are a fireworks show and having a bonfire with an effigy of Guy Fawkes within it…a little cruel I'd say- even for a traitor! From the stories I've heard from my friends from the UK, it sounds like a lot of times they just burn a paper face of whomever they hate most at the time; to me it just sounds like a national holiday to be openly angry, which is okay I guess! The only part we celebrated that night was the fireworks, especially seeing as I come from Minnesota, we're too nice to hate on anyone ;) Anyway, the fireworks were beautiful, it was right on the beach and the rain even decided to hold off for us. We were able to get so close that we could see the firework sparks falling in front of us, a little bit different than the US restrictions I believe :) It was great to see all of the buzz around the city center after that- it really reminded me of the Holidazzle back home and instantly a cup of Caribou's coffee sounded so good.

This past weekend was filled with yet another trip, this time to the ever beautiful town of St. Andrews. We arrived there Friday night at the bus station and we decided we'd make a quick stop at the Tesco. On our way we saw three guys in suits and enough women adorning non-Primark wear to be able to see that our level of class was a bit below par here (get it- it's a golf reference…being in St. Andrews and all :D) Anyway, we met up with our Couchsurfing host and then pretty much called it a night. The following morning was an early start to see the sites (and tastes) of the town. We stopped in a bakery where we tried the popular UK treat: butteries. Needless to say, it tasted just like butter- so similar to a croissant, but even worse for you.

We headed off to venture around the town, really we had no idea where we were going- I have literally said that in every place I've visited in the last three months. It's a really liberating feeling, for all of my life I've had someone to guide me in the right direction- but here I've had no idea what I'm doing while I'm doing it. Mama, I'm growing up!

…Anyway, we walked toward the cathedral ruins and although the 900 years of its existence really didn't preserve it well. We headed off toward the castle, which had less to see, but when you turned around the neighborhood was a delight! It was the old portion of the university and my oh my, what I would do to live in those dorms. It's crazy to think that Will and Kate met there- then again it was not too hard because my fellow travelers reminded me quite frequently of the royalty that St. Andrews had recently seen! Next up was visiting the Old Course- one of the most famous courses in the world. Little did I know that one of the weirdest pictures I took during the entire trip was on the stone bridge there- which I later realized was quite famous as well. Shows how much I know about the history of golf! Next to the course we came across a rugby game, something I hadn't had the chance to witness yet in Scotland. It was definitely worth seeing- especially after witnessing the two spectators wearing kilts and bearing pints in front of us- I don't think that situation could have gotten more stereotypical if it had been planned! Any way, we cut back and hit up a free whiskey tasting. Although we were sampling quality whiskies aged 10-12 years, I wouldn't have been able to tell if my life had depended upon it. The employees were explaining the tastes and delicacies of each one and all I could do was pucker up and nod- I don't think that's a taste I'll ever get used to!

That night we treated ourselves to a nice dinner, which marked my 4th taste of haggis- it's actually quite good when you don't think about what's in it :) And then we went out for a drink- and they even had a local cider on tap, it honestly tasted JUST like apple juice. I think that hard cider should definitely become a thing back in the states!

Sunday was the day of remembrance in Scotland and the three of us happened to stumble upon a memorial service. It was such a unique experience because we were able to see it through the eyes of the Scots. The processional itself was so traditional- about 20 men with bagpipes were playing, it was really powerful. We moved on to check out the East Sands and spent a good chunk of the morning and afternoon walking along the coastline. The beach is where you see the best of people- humans and puppies, young and old simply enjoying the creations of the Earth, I love it! After the sun went down around 4 (yes 4…it's ridiculous) we traveled to a little coffee shop and spent the remainder of our stay in St. Andrews playing, 'Never Have I Ever'. With most people I would get bored of such a game, but with the two lovelies I was far from sick of it (or them for that matter)!

We got home without too much of an issue- beside for the hour train delay! Thank goodness for train waiting areas and the British version of Harry Potter.

That's all for now. My traveling is about to get a lot less extensive now that essays are rolling up- like now I actually have to do what I came here for, yuck!

Toodles :)