Goodness!! Time has just gotten away from me and I need to write about our favorite leg of the UK trip - St. Andrews - so I can move onto more recent fun, like my parent's trip to Houston last weekend and our fun-to-be-had weekend in Dallas for the Passion Conference (I wrote most of this on Friday, but am just now finishing it!).
So here is the official review of our time in St. Andrews. As I said, this was our favorite part of the trip - partly because David had a personal goal of playing the Old Course (for which he had been practicing for weeks) and the University had arranged everything for us - from dinners to hotels.
So after spending some time in Edinburgh, we drove up to St. Andrews late Wednesday afternoon with just enough time to drive around the tiny town in the daylight to get our bearings. One of the top highlights of our time in St. Andrews was the completely charming hotel - and the mini suite they put us in. Here are some pics:
Hallway between the sitting area and bedroom
The sitting room.
View from our room (that is the ocean just beyond the 1st and 18th whole of the Old Course)
David felt like his best chance to play on the Old Course was Thursday morning, and since he didn't have a tee time he planned to be there when the Pro Shop opened. So he got up at 6 am and was at the Pro Shop by 6:30. The only problem was that the Pro Shop didn't open until 7:30!!! Poor guy had to wait outside, in the cold and dark, but he was determined. Once they finally opened, he snagged a 9 am tee time (after just one tiny white lie about having a handicap of 24, certified by Galveston Country Club???). He invited Rob (Judy's husband) to play with him and so after a quick shower and breakfast, he got ready to walk back to the Pro Shop to rent his clubs and shoes. Then comes snag #2 - Rob is nowhere to be found! David looks all over the hotel and finally finds him, but their tee time is only 15 minutes away and they still have none of their necessary equipment. So needless to say, they missed their tee time. At this point, David is angry but still hopeful that the starter on the course will let them on whenever there is a break. So they wait - for another hour - and finally the starter has mercy on them and they get on the course. (At this point David has already spent 4 hours trying to get on this course!)
So after a rough start, they have a great time playing with another two-some and David says he shoots one of the best games of his life. The course is fairly flat (although has some ridiculous bunkers) and luckily the weather was very cooperative. Here are a few shots of them on the course.
Proof.
This one is after David's first shot on this hole - look how close it is!
David and Rob.
This was by far one of the major highlights of the trip. While David was out on the golf course, I was attending meetings with the University of St. Andrews - meeting their new president, learning about their academic programs, etc. Not nearly as exciting as David's adventure but helpful and the purpose of our trip nonetheless.
Needless to say, after David's morning he was exhausted and missed the opportunity to go on the University tour with me. We went to a cute place for dinner with Judy and Rob that night and then rested up for our last full day in St. Andrews (already!).
On Friday, I had more meetings until about 2 pm and then David and I met up to do some touristy things. We visited the remains of St. Andrews castle and cathedral, took some pictures of the campus and began to strategize about our shopping goals.
St. Salvatore's Hall (nicknamed Sally's) - also where Prince William and Kate Middleton lived during their first year at St. Andrews
The president's house
one of the main quads
St. Mary's Quad
Outside St. Andrews castle
David alongside a golfing great (although I can't remember his name)
The entrance to the main streets of town
On our last night in St. Andrews, they treated us to a wonderful dinner, complete with many Scottish traditions such as bagpipes and haggis.
This was right after the haggis was escorted in. Then Ivar (our Admissions Rep. - on the right) and the chef shared the Scottish friendship cup with two of the counselors on our trip.
The night was so much fun and a great celebratory end to our trip. Of course, we headed back to Edinburgh the next morning for one last day (which I have already detailed) and then we headed home on Sunday. Although I did work more than I anticipated, our time in Scotland especially just sparked an even greater desire for David and I to come back one day. Since our heritage has many Scottish roots, we would love to explore the countryside on vacation at some point. Overall, great trip. Awesome that my school paid for most of it. Very thankful for this experience!
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