Blogs from Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe - page 9

I didn't go to any Halloween parties this year, because Halloween fell right before my massive biology paper and organic test. I was surprised to find that Halloween is just as big a deal over here as it is in the US - everyone kept putting on costumes and going to parties for a full week leading up to Halloween. However, there is one difference between the UK and the US: over here, people just make simple costumes using clothes they already own. At home, I get the idea that a lot of people rent really elaborate, expensive costumes. That could just be the Dubyuhnell effect, but St Andrews is a pretty wealthy school too! Anyway, I did one thing to celebrate Halloween: I dressed up for my bible study! I went as a mad scientist, ... read more

Petite excursion à St Andrews, la ville chic des Golfeurs! Après seulement 1/2 heure de bus depuis Dundee (mais avec une conduite assez mouvementée dans la campagne écossaise de la part du chauffeur qui accélere dans les virages...), je suis arrivée à St Andrews en compagnie de Roxane et Chloé (deux idraciennes de Lyon). La ville en elle-même n'est pas très grande mais sympa à visiter. Après avoir feuilleté plusieurs guides nous avons voulu aller visiter la cathédrale et le château... Seulement il n'en reste que des ruines, donc nous avons préféré ne pas payer tout en ayant quand même pu jeter un coup d'oeil. St Andrews est surtout connu pour la beauté de son terrain de golf, qui comprend un des plus célèbres parcours au monde. Après un petit tour dans la ville, entre ferraris ... read more

So we woke up after a good night's sleep (Lonely Planet didn't lie about that) and had breakfast. Breakfast at Heather and Giorgio's was way better...I have a feeling we'll be comparing every B&B with them :) This one still makes us feel uncomfortable and we're happy to be on our way. We head to Stirling Castle but we're too early and they're not open yet so we just parked the car and walked around for a little while. We explored town around the castle and took some beautiful pictures of the Wallace Monument since we could see it from the castle. It's a gorgeous misty morning and we took great pictures. Stirling Castle is smaller than Edinburgh Castle and way less crowded...probably because we got here so early. Ali and I seem to go our ... read more

Had a great day in St. Andrews today. Walked around the beach and around the Old Course (only the oldest golf course in the world). Watched some golf...was dissappointed. I thought that St. Andrews required certain handicaps before you could play on the Old Course. Apparently one group of Americans we watched either forged their documents, or somehow slipped by, because they were terrible. One guy hit a car, another almost hit me. We visited the Castle at St. Andrews where they had a Medievel festival going on. Walked around most of St. Andrews...it's a small town so it only takes about a day. I loved it here. I'm from Arkansas so I like small towns. I like fresh air and open spaces even more. ... read more

I was lucky enough to score a fascinating work trip to audit part of Constellation Brands up in Scotland. I went up the weekend before I had to start work in order to get in a quick trip to the Edinburgh Castle and onto what I really wanted to see in Scotland, St. Andrewsand the famous Old Course. It was a typically bleak March day in Scotland and we drove through lots of green rolling hills on our way to St. Andrews. St. Andrews itself is a pretty little town and we parked just near the university where Prince William and his girlfriend Kate attend (although being Saturday there was nobody around). We went to the very large and impressive ruins of St Andrews Cathedral, which I'm sure in its day was an incredibly grand, impressive ... read more