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Published: July 30th 2015
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRB-DOG!!!
Warning: Lengthy entry. Get a glass of wine, relax and enjoy todays events. Also, I am not a historian so do not study for any history exams based off this blog. Oh, don't tell me I am wrong about any of the history. Please let me live in my ignorant bliss.
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Waking the boys up this morning was chore. The curtains were wide open, tv blarring and every light was on and these boys were not moving an inch. I tried every trick outside of throwing cold water on their face. After about 20 minutes of harassing they finally woke up.
The hotel we are staying at has an option to purchase breakfast with your room reservation. They serve continental and a hot breakfast. We opted to include the breakfast in our room reservation because of the convenience. Good move on our part! The breakfast options had a little something for everyone and we were in and out in about 30 minutes.
Our day started out with our driver picking us up from the hotel in his van. Our driver/owner Mike makes a very good first impression and made us feel at
home right away. The van was very roomy and comfortable. We ordered a private driver through
www.goscotlandtours.com. I thought the neatest touch was that he wore a headset and when he spoke and the entire van could hear his commentary through the speakers in the van.
Mike is very knowledgeable on all of the history in Scotland. They way he explains the history is so that everyone can understand.
As we drove out of Edinburgh he pointed out different history markers in Edinburgh. He explained the difference between the New Town and Old Town, he pointed out some historic buildings that we would not have read about.
By the time we got out of the city he began telling us about the next city or landmark that we were coming up on. He told stories about past Queens and Kings. He taught us some Scottish words and phrases. He told us about the pilgrimage to St. Andrews, history of some of the Queens and Kings and a Scottish folklore. The conversation flowed so nicely that you thought you were in the care with an old friend. We were in St. Andrews before we knew it.
As
soon as you drive into St. Andrews the Old Course was on the immediate right. I was amazed. Mike told us that St. Andrews population was 14,000 with included 7,000 students but I didn't realize that the Old Course was right there in your face right as you entered from the main highway. They still have some of the bleachers up from the British Open so you couldn't see the whole 18th hole but you could see the end of 17th and the beginning of 18th. I was a little giddy inside. I can't believe we are so close to a place where people that I have watched and admired from 10 years old have played and won Championships. I just watched Tom Watson walk over the Swilcan Bridge (18th hole bridge) a week ago and now it is in my face. How exciting!
We were able to meet up with Jeff and Alton at their hotel which is situated on the 17th fairway.
The Old Course is a public course so people can walk around the course as they wish. There were so many people walking the course that were just sight seeing. I was taken back
by this. I've grown up around golf courses. People don't just walk around a golf course as they please. Well, when in Rome...we walked out to the 18th hole to take pictures on the bridge. We were able to get a few pictures but not too many because we had to take pictures between the golfers teeing off the 18th and other people that were in line to take the pictures. My camera isn't the easiest to work so me, Jeff and the boys were not able to get any pictures. None the less, we stood on the bridge and I now have bragging rights!
After saying goodbye to the Alton and Jeff our tour began.
St. Andrews University Mike began the tour with by telling us about Patrick Hamilton. Patrick Hamilton was convicted of crimes (feel free to google the actual facts - it had something to do with something) and was ordered to be burnt at the stake in the town center. It took 6 hours for his body to burn and they say that since this execution took so long that his soul made an impression in the steeple walls. Mike pointed
out what looked like a face. We (including Gigi) could clearly see a face that was imprinted in the bricks.
The town has since placed his initials in the pavement as a reminder of the story of Patrick Hamilton.
As a tradition/superstition the students of St. Andrews college are said to avoid these initials on the pavement at all cost. They believe if they stand on these initials they will be cursed by Patrick Hamilton and that they will fail their degree. Immediately following the students receiving their degrees they come out to the initials and stomp on the initials of Patrick Hamilton. I guess to say 'you can't get me now Mr. Patrick Hamilton!'
We entered the quad and we were told about traditions between freshman and seniors on the quad. I guess hazing is legal over here. One time they filled the entire quad with foam. Basically the seniors give the freshman hell and are pretty creative in the hazing traditions. Kind of makes you reminisce about your college days. Oh what fun we had, anywho, back to the tour.
We entered the looked around the quad and then we walked into the chapel.
To my amazement there was someone that was practicing the organ. The sound filled the chapel and it was enchanting. As they played the stain glass windows seemed to come to life and you could feel the power that a service might have on an individuals soul. How lucky are we to have experienced that brief moment that the organist happened to be practicing.
We exited the chapel and took a few more pictures of the quad. The architecture is amazing and the grass is so green. It is a beautiful place to visit.
St. Andrews Town Square Our next stop was St. Andrews Town Center.
Mike took us by a statue of a cat named Hamish McHamish. He had an actual home but during the day he would roam around the Town Center. He was known so well by the shop owners that each of them has a special chair just for Hamish. When Hamish passed away the shop owners had a statue erected to honor him.
We all cooed over this story. When we heard stores like this I said in my mind, 'I am so glad we hired Mike!'
We then went to a franchised bakery called Gregg's. I am not sure if they are specific to Scotland or the UK. Mike explained the whole menu prior to going and it seemed very Scottish. We all ate a variety of pastries. The pasties were filled with beef (roast beef), chicken with white sauce and beans and onions. There was also a Scottish pie in a pastry shell. Some we liked and some we didn't.
The thing that all the kids loved was a soda called Irn Bru. This soda out sells Coca-Cola in Scotland. It is made in Falkirk, Scotland (we will be visiting Falkirk tomorrow).
We are all satisfied so we head onto the next adventure.
Old Course Guided Tour I found this tour buy visiting the Old Course website. I will say that I was very disappointed by this tour. The tour was supposed to be a guided tour that took you along the first hole, the 17th and the 18th hole. At the end of the tour you would receive a Old Course scorecard and a St. Andrews golf ball.
Well, it was more like a lecture at the
top of the first hole about Tom Morris. While I appreciate Mr. Morris and his contributions to golf I would have liked to walk the course a little more. After about 30 minutes of this gentleman telling us about his love affair with Mr. Morris we finally walked half of the first hole.
We ended up on the 17th green and then we took pictures on the 18th hole bridge.
Keep in mind, St. Andrew in a public course and all of this could have been done for free and we could have save our 10 pounds ($15).
We got our 'free' golf ball and scorecard and moved along our way.
St. Andrews Castle The next stop was the ruins of St. Andrews castle.
As we rode or walked to the next tour, monument, town or monument Mike gives us a little history about it. He has Blue Badge certification. This certification takes 2 years to complete. He explained some of his training exams and they are intense. When he told us the history he made it so that we could understand the stories. He really prepared us so that we could
get the most out of the next site.
There is a very impressive history about this castle that involves George Wishart. I can't tell you all the details but Wishart was a Protestant preacher that spoke out against the Catholic church. He was convicted of heresy and locked in the tower. He was burnt at the stake in front of the St. Andrews castle.
There is a tunnel under the castle that visitors can walk through. One side of the tunnel was built by one 'team' and the other side was dug by the 'other'. The eventually battled it out in the middle of the tunnel somehow. It is had to understand how people dug tunnels in the 1500's. They had a pick ax and a chisel. The tunnel is quite impressive (that was written with a Scottish accent).
All that remains now are the ruins. The Great Hall feel into the ocean years upon years ago but you can tell where is was. The front of the castle remains and you can tell where the sleeping quarters would have been.
There is a well that remains. This well inside the castle was not meant for
drinking water however it was used for cooking and maybe bathing.
It is said that beer was safer to drink then the water. Even children were given diluted beer to drink.
Walking around the castle grounds was pretty cool. To think that people lived on the land we were standing so long ago is had to imagine.
St. Andrews Cathedral We walked along the shoreline to the St. Andrews Cathedral. I was a little confused when I walked in because it looked like a cemetery to me.
Mike began to explain everything to us and it came together.
We first visited the site of Tom Morris (surprised we didn't find the previous tour guide kissing the grave). I did find it neat that there were golf tees on the gravesite. As we were walking out of that area we saw about 8 golfers (they were actual the 2 foursomes that finished on 18 as we were listening to the Tom Morris lecture) walking to his gravesite. I thought that was pretty cool.
After looking at a few of the tombstones Mike started explaining the layout of the cathedral.
There were
monks that were residents of the cathedral. They kept the grounds, tended to gardens and all the other things monks do. The monks did have to attend chapel each day. I think the room was actually call the Chapter House because they read a chapter each day. This was the only time a monk was able to speak but when they spoke it was only in a whisper.
Each day the monks went to confessional. If they did not have anything to confess they were encouraged to make something up. They would sometime receive harsh punishments. One punishment was when a monk would have to lay on the ground at the doorway and the other monks would use them as a stepping stone.
The monks were permitted to wash their hands and face for some occasion but the monks never bathed. Bathing was seen as luxury. Can you imagine not bathing for years at a time. I hope they maybe got stuck in a rain storm or something from time to time so they could rinse off a little. Gotta appreciate their dedication to their religion though. Good for you guys!
It gets very cold in Scotland
and there was a single warming room for the monks. This structure still stands today and houses the sarcophagus that held the 3 bones of St. Andrew and some of the oldest tombstones from the now cemetery.
The cathedral took 100 years to build. If you look at the remaining windows you can see the different styles of architecture. One window has rounded top whereas the others are a more gothic style with a pointed top.
There were three entrances to the cathedral. One was for the monks off to the side in the middle of the cathedral. It was near the area of where their living quarters were. The other entrance was for dignitaries and the third entrance was for lay people (like me and you unless Kate, William or Queen Elizabeth are reading my blog).
When the cathedral was opened King Robert the Bruce rode through the entryway on his big white horse. That should give you an idea of how huge this cathedral was. Dude rode up on a horse through the doorway!
These poor lay people made a pilgrimage to St. Andrews to the Cathedral. Who knows how long it took each
person and Robert the Bruce strolls in on a white horse. In these days it's like he was saying 'what up folk, you better recognize the greatness that is walking up in here! 'Maybe it's a 'had to be there' thing but we found it pretty funny.
Once you got the picture in your head of the layout of the cathedral and some of the history it really came together and the greatness of this Cathedral really started to dawn on you.
It had to be a beautiful and magnificent sight to behold back in the day.
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As we walked out of the Cathedral Mike pointed to the left and explained the St. Andrews was a gated city. The entranced to the city still remains and we were going to exit the city through it. I found that to be pretty darn cool.
Before we got to the car we stopped by a shop called Northpoint St. Andrews. This is the café were Kate met William for coffee for the first time. They both attended St. Andrews College and had class together. I did not know that but it was a fun fact to
learn and a cute photo opt for Kelsey and Megan.
As we headed back to St. Andrews Mike shared more history about Scotland. Most of his stories end in murder but I guess that was the thing back then.
We stopped off for coffee at a little coastal town. There is a shop there that had a line out the door. This shop has been voted the best fish and chips shop in 2014 and 2015. We had a long day and had experienced 3 out of the four seasons of weather so we did not wait for fish and chips. We were ready to get back to the hotel and lay down for a little bit.
We thanked Mike for an AMAZING day and told him we would see him in the am.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) we head to Falkirk, Callander House and The Kelpies.
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Aunt Linda aka Duddah
non-member comment
OMG
I am so enjoying your trip - love the blog and can't wait until your next page, I'm also looking at Kelsey's FB and yours too to check for any additional info = take LOTS AND LOTS of pictures: Video's too: love you and Kirby's videos keep it up - the girls look good in them too - have lots of fun. Love you all Aunt Duddah (Linda)