On The Road & Off To St. Andrew's

Well we had 4 days in lovely Edinburgh, enough to get a sense of how the roads work, sort of. We bid farewell to innkeeper, Jim, and caught a cab to the car rental place. We were served by sweet Frenchman named Ben who had a Scottish lilt. Couldn't understand much of what he said but we signed our Visa and were on our way in a Vauxhall Mirza - comfy with just enough room for luggage and clubs.



We managed to get out of Edinburgh with only one wrong roundabout exit. OMG the roundabouts will turn my hair white before I get home and I am not driving. Nevertheless, we did well as team with RP driving, remembering to stay left, left, left and listening to me recite the GPS instructions. I have decided GPS is even better technology than iPad. Thank you, thank you Ann & Davie for having the sense to give Damon & Nicole one such tool before their trip to the UK. Thank you, thank you Damon and Nicole for sharing with us. No doubt it will save time, our marriage and probably our lives.

The bridges over the Firth of Forth are quite spectacular but there are no pictures to capture the beauty - too busy following the lassie's GPS directions. It wasn't a long drive to our B&B located in pastoral Scotland, amidst by verdant fields, grazing sheep and the gentle ocean beyond. Monturpie Guest House is a lovely converted farmhouse with 6 rooms; ours has a view of said fields and ocean.







St. Andrew's is a mere 10 miles away. We wasted no time checking in and were on our way to complete the pilgrimage. Rupee, hopeful to snare an elusive tee time was sadly thwarted, but,being the eternal optimist, he is thrilled to walk in the footsteps of Old Tom Morris. There will be no luck with tee times as the course becomes a park on Sundays and there are tournaments booked for the next 2 weeks. Our timing is off but we knew that and are not disappointed. It is only an inspiration to return. Tomorrow we will walk the course with many others, enjoy the photo ops and the ambience.







What a vibrant and eclectic town! We encountered all ages, all ilks and many golfer wannabes. Young families with strollers and toddlers, folks much older than us, students eager at beginning their term at the 600 year old prestigious university, wedding guests decked out in kilts or elaborate gowns complete with fascinators, people who knew all about golf and people who stopped us to ask golf questions. How I wish I had snapped a picture of a bride and groom - bride, somewhat homely, in an incredible ecru silk gown, groom turned out in full kilt dress sporting countless facial piercings, tattoos and the tallest spiked mohawk I have ever seen. I wonder what the photographer did with such delightful subjects. Along with all the mix of humanity is the history, the culture, the ultimate glory of the beauty of St. Andrew's.



Today we sat on a bench overlooking #1 & #18 of the Royal and Ancient and the Chariots of Fire infamous beach, used our iPad to call home and marveled at where we are in the world today compared to the souls who have walked these paths before us. We are returning tomorrow for a full day experience.
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Location:St. Andrew's