Chiyo: Every golfer’s dream

My parents raised me on golf. I can remember when I was a little girl, running around the golf course doing cartwheels, and perfecting my putt. I also remember when I went to the driving range, and a news reporter took my picture and dubbed me, “Tigress Woods.” The PGA Tour was considered a normal family activity, and so going to St. Andrews today to visit the Old Course was a given.

Today was devoted to visiting the town of St. Andrews, and along the way our bus took a few pit stops at some quaint little towns. The first stop, was to take pictures of the fourth oldest railway bridge, right on the coast. It was pouring rain, but luckily I brought my umbrella! Once we got our pictures, we hopped back on the bus and went to our next stop in a town called Anstruther. It is a harbor town, and had gorgeous views of the North Sea, and even though it was super cold out, it was nice to walk around and see how different towns are here in the UK compared to back in the states. We got to spend a good 40 minutes in this town before we got on the bus to go to our true destination for the day: St. Andrews.

St. Andrews is known for three things. Religion, education, and most importantly…GOLF. Our tour guide dropped us off at the Old Course, which is one of the most prestigious golf courses in the world, and every golfer’s dream course to visit. My parents and I spent a good hour running around the course, getting our picture taken at the famous bridge near the 16th hole, and yes…my dad and I even kissed the ground of the Old Course. I could taste the salt from the sea for a few hours afterwards. This course is known for its wicked bunkers, crazy rough, and gusts of wind that come off from the water which make it a challenging golf course.

Once we were done dinking around the course, we went to the town center and walked around a bit in search of St. Andrews College, where Prince William and Kate Middleton met, and went to college. While searching for the college, we stumbled upon a broken down cathedral from hundreds of years ago, with a cemetery next to it that looked like it was a scene taken straight from the Harry Potter movies. The history in the UK and Europe is just ridiculous, and this was a prime example of how old these towns really are. We eventually found the college and took pictures before heading to lunch at Bella Italia. Our waitress was American from Pittsburgh, who is getting her PhD here at St. Andrews College (it is very expensive, and you have to be very bright to get in), and whom she met her fiance at. We chatted the entire time and got on quite well, and it was just so random how you can be in such a small town, and meet an American where you can chat about football, life back in the states, and life here in the UK. It was time for us to get back on the bus and make our way back to Edinburgh for the night, with one pit stop on the way home.

We stopped at the Falklands where there is a royal palace to grab tea/coffee, and to take pictures of the palace. Twenty minutes later it was back on the bus, and home to Edinburgh. My parents and I dropped our things off in our hotel room, and then went for a night walk around the city, and picked up sandwiches and fruit from Tesco (the grocery store us CAPA kids swore by). Tomorrow is my last full day in Scotland, and we plan on exploring the city, and of course, doing a little bit of shopping :)
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