EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

EDINBURGH

For all you golfers out there, St Andrews, Scotland boasts as the birthplace of golf. Golfers from all over the world come here to look, to dream, or to play the game. Those who come here are sure to brag about it, while those who have never been here, dream of coming.

Yesterday morning we took a tour bus out to St Andrews to see what all the fuss is about. Rabbis Tours was great! Our driver was great and there were only 12 of us on board. We had to head out past Queens Ferry and cross the long swinging bridge into Fife. The bridge was built in 1964. At that time it boasted to be the longest swinging bridge in Europe. Our driver said that it apparently handles twice the capacity as it was designed for but that it had been inspected and was in great shape. Next to it is another, more sturdy bridge of non-swinging design. It has been in existence for a long time. It is next to an island that has a Monastery on it. It was the home to Monks during the war. Apparently, fearing the bridge would be targeted during the war, they disguised the island as a battleship to deter enemy planes from approaching. It worked!

As we traveled on, we crossed rolling hills and farmland dotted with baled hay or sheep and cattle. We stopped in a fishing village for a break. We walked amongst the small shops and stopped into a small cafe for scones and coffee.

It was a sunny day in St Andrews. We were excited to go to the St Andrews golf course and touch the grass. There were many tourists coming to see the course; some to play, some to use the putting green to say they played, and some to stand on the grass to get a photograph. That's what Ron did. He would have liked to play but a walk-in single player is near impossible to get a game.

We did enjoy the day around St Andrews. We walked part of the course, bought a couple souvenirs and had lunch in the club house restaurant. I had Venison sausages and mashed potatoes with brown onion gravy. Very tasty!

Afterwards we hung around the clubhouse and bought some more souvenirs. We walked across the road and took a stroll on the beach along the North Sea just because we could!

As a golfer, Ron enjoyed the course. In fact, he played all 18 holes.....in his mind! And as he stood at the 18th hole watching all the great names in golf finish their under par games, he dreamed of beating their scores and they coming over to shake his hand! Well.....maybe not all that.

On the way back to Edinburgh we made a stop at Falkland Palace and toured the still used fortress. I watched a couple of Paragliders jump off of a nearby mountain and sail down past the Palace. It reminded me of Gimmelwald!

Tomorrow we visit The Queen's Yacht, The Britannia.