Scotland and photos
Sep. 7th, 2006 11:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moonwiseAs stated previously, yesterday I got back from a trip to St. Andrews, Scotland. It's rather ironic that I'd go, because it's Mecca for golfers, and I've never picked up a club in my life. The countryside was lovely, with rolling hills and hayfields everywhere, and badly kept small roads that aren't kidding around when the signs tell you to slow down. We did see one horrible accident where someone didn't.
The Good
Small, pretty, rambly seaside towns
High availability of alcohol (like, everywhere. You could get it on the train.)
Rugby
Pubs
Dependable, clean trains
Much nicer than NJ Transit, though I think everything is. Because I am a complete dork, I had to get something off the trolley, and I gushed to husband later that "it was just like Harry Potter!"
Tartans, and accompanying men in kilts playing bagpipes
The royal castle in Edinburgh
Ginger Beer from Schweppes! Also Scrumpy Jack, which our hosts thought was very funny, and I was afraid that drinking it was on a level with drinking PBR or Milwaulkee's Best.
The Bad
Breakfast at The Scores Hotel
I have NO idea how they made toast, sausage, and eggs so execrable, but it was nasty.
THE EXCHANGE RATE, HOLY SHIT.
Because everything that costs a dollar here costs a pound there, and it's easy to look at a price and say "huh, that's not bad," until you consider that you have to double every price you see. This is why I brought back very little.
Driving on the left
I didn't do any driving, but this freaked me out all the same.
The WTF
Separate hot and cold taps
This boggled me. Having hot and cold water come out of the same tap is hardly a new concept, and yet almost every single sink in Scotland had separate taps, even new sinks. So, either you burn your hands/face or freeze, and I've never been a big fan of filling the basin and washing my face in water that gets progressively soapier.
This is the tiny fishing village of Crail. As you can see, the weather was "dreek," which is Scottish for "cold and wet."
One thing I quite liked were the brightly painted doors. It seemed traditional to paint your door something very eye-catching, like turquoise, blue, red, or orange. Makes sense when most houses are made of stone.
Another little fishing village, Anstruther.
Moonrise over a hayfield near our friends' house. I loved these hayfields and the big wheels of straw - they were picturesque, and everywhere.
Taken at Scotland's Secret Bunker, which was intended to be the seat of Scottish government in case of nuclear war. It's funny - you go to these places, and the concept of nuclear war seems almost laughable because it didn't happen, but at the time, it was a big deal. The locals seemed to feel that this site was
On to St. Andrews. This is a ruined castle in the town that was once used by the archbishops when Catholicism was the norm. It's home to the infamous bottle dungeon, which is more or less a pit in the ground that you would have no hope of escaping.
A counter-mine to a siege mine built to get under the castle and collapse one of its walls. The diggers of the counter-mine were in a big hurry to find the mine, so there's just enough room to squeak down. Eventually you break through into the mine, which is much more spacious. Not a trip for the claustrophobic.
The ruins of what was once a gigantic cathedral in St. Andrews, which was the religious center of the country for a period of time. Not much is still standing except the bell tower and what would have been the back of the church, shown here. The day we went, there was a piper playing outside, and it added quite a lot to the atmosphere. No doubt, all the pipers know this.
The Scores Hotel, where we stayed. Usually visible in photos of the Old Course.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club.
Some golfers out on the Old Course.
On Monday, I took the train into Edinburgh to see the royal castle where such storied historical figures like Mary Queen of Scots lived before her sister chopped her head off. The castle was impressive, and it was the first intact castle I'd ever seen, but the royal apartments themselves were smaller than I'd thought. Inside the pale, you could also visit the Scottish War Memorial, St. Margaret's Chapel, and the Scottish War Museum. They also displayed the Scottish Honours or crown jewels - a large ceremonial sword, a sceptre, and the crown. I particularly liked the Stone of Destiny, which is a large sandstone block on which the kings and queens of Scotland were crowned. It seems that the Celts were enamored of this idea of a big rock for royalty, because the Lia Fail of Ireland was said to roar when a rightful ruler stepped on it (until Cuchulainn broke it.)
The Great Hall, still used for state functions. Swords, polearms, and pistols line the walls.
Another piper, this one on the Royal Mile. Good shopping there, but see note about exchange rate. I did buy a kilt, though!
The USGA and the R&A lift a glass in St. Andrews. We were all well on our way to being schnockered at this point.
Street sign in St. Andrews. YES I AM FIVE YEARS OLD, KTHX.
Very good time. I would definitely go back, if for no other reason to see more of Edinburgh and also of Glasgow. We thought we'd get to look around Glasgow, but thanks to traffic, not knowing where to return the rental car, and the hotel being hell and gone from the city center, we didn't get there. Flight home was uneventful, picked up the car, got home after noon. Back to work!
The Good
Much nicer than NJ Transit, though I think everything is. Because I am a complete dork, I had to get something off the trolley, and I gushed to husband later that "it was just like Harry Potter!"
The Bad
I have NO idea how they made toast, sausage, and eggs so execrable, but it was nasty.
Because everything that costs a dollar here costs a pound there, and it's easy to look at a price and say "huh, that's not bad," until you consider that you have to double every price you see. This is why I brought back very little.
I didn't do any driving, but this freaked me out all the same.
The WTF
This boggled me. Having hot and cold water come out of the same tap is hardly a new concept, and yet almost every single sink in Scotland had separate taps, even new sinks. So, either you burn your hands/face or freeze, and I've never been a big fan of filling the basin and washing my face in water that gets progressively soapier.
This is the tiny fishing village of Crail. As you can see, the weather was "dreek," which is Scottish for "cold and wet."
One thing I quite liked were the brightly painted doors. It seemed traditional to paint your door something very eye-catching, like turquoise, blue, red, or orange. Makes sense when most houses are made of stone.
Another little fishing village, Anstruther.
Moonrise over a hayfield near our friends' house. I loved these hayfields and the big wheels of straw - they were picturesque, and everywhere.
Taken at Scotland's Secret Bunker, which was intended to be the seat of Scottish government in case of nuclear war. It's funny - you go to these places, and the concept of nuclear war seems almost laughable because it didn't happen, but at the time, it was a big deal. The locals seemed to feel that this site was
On to St. Andrews. This is a ruined castle in the town that was once used by the archbishops when Catholicism was the norm. It's home to the infamous bottle dungeon, which is more or less a pit in the ground that you would have no hope of escaping.
A counter-mine to a siege mine built to get under the castle and collapse one of its walls. The diggers of the counter-mine were in a big hurry to find the mine, so there's just enough room to squeak down. Eventually you break through into the mine, which is much more spacious. Not a trip for the claustrophobic.
The ruins of what was once a gigantic cathedral in St. Andrews, which was the religious center of the country for a period of time. Not much is still standing except the bell tower and what would have been the back of the church, shown here. The day we went, there was a piper playing outside, and it added quite a lot to the atmosphere. No doubt, all the pipers know this.
The Scores Hotel, where we stayed. Usually visible in photos of the Old Course.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club.
Some golfers out on the Old Course.
On Monday, I took the train into Edinburgh to see the royal castle where such storied historical figures like Mary Queen of Scots lived before her sister chopped her head off. The castle was impressive, and it was the first intact castle I'd ever seen, but the royal apartments themselves were smaller than I'd thought. Inside the pale, you could also visit the Scottish War Memorial, St. Margaret's Chapel, and the Scottish War Museum. They also displayed the Scottish Honours or crown jewels - a large ceremonial sword, a sceptre, and the crown. I particularly liked the Stone of Destiny, which is a large sandstone block on which the kings and queens of Scotland were crowned. It seems that the Celts were enamored of this idea of a big rock for royalty, because the Lia Fail of Ireland was said to roar when a rightful ruler stepped on it (until Cuchulainn broke it.)
The Great Hall, still used for state functions. Swords, polearms, and pistols line the walls.
Another piper, this one on the Royal Mile. Good shopping there, but see note about exchange rate. I did buy a kilt, though!
The USGA and the R&A lift a glass in St. Andrews. We were all well on our way to being schnockered at this point.
Street sign in St. Andrews. YES I AM FIVE YEARS OLD, KTHX.
Very good time. I would definitely go back, if for no other reason to see more of Edinburgh and also of Glasgow. We thought we'd get to look around Glasgow, but thanks to traffic, not knowing where to return the rental car, and the hotel being hell and gone from the city center, we didn't get there. Flight home was uneventful, picked up the car, got home after noon. Back to work!
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no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 05:08 pm (UTC)What blew my mind was the plumbing. Oh god, trying to flush a public toilet in Britain is an art. :$ And I get to do it all over again in three months! Whee!
I'm glad you had a great trip. I hope to see more of Scotland someday, including the highlands.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 05:16 pm (UTC)Fabulous pictures - glad you had a good time other than the water and the sausage :)
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Date: 2006-09-07 05:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 05:47 pm (UTC)What, now pictures of your friend and mine, Grant M?
no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 06:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 10:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-08 01:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-08 03:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-08 05:18 am (UTC)It's kind of annoying being a Brit who comes to the US - what do you mean, I have to go to the liquour store for over 20%? And the liquour store doesn't open on Sundays? WTF?!
Driving on the left
Brits tend not to have issues with switching, with France being right next door. Most people who drive have done both. I guess Americans are far less likely to get the practice!
In Britain, mixer taps are the norm for kitchen sinks, but not for handbasins. I've never really thought about it, it just is....
Did you go to the pottery in Crail? There seem to be a lot more pots on the inside than could fit in the building seen from the outside, and there's some pretty unique stuff in there.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-08 12:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-08 12:43 pm (UTC)Honestly, I can't think of any country on the North American continent that drives on the left besides some of the small Caribbean islands (St. Maarten is one of them, IIRC.) So, no practice, you're right about that.
In Crail, we walked around a bit, but it was rainy and nasty and we were disinclined to explore too much. We had lunch and moved on to Anstruther. There didn't appear to be much open when we were there - everything closed early on Saturday. :(
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Date: 2006-09-08 12:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-08 02:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-08 02:46 pm (UTC)Welcome to small town Britain, yeah. Having lived in London, it's always a shock to go back to places where everything closes Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, and nothing even opens briefly on Sundays....
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Date: 2006-09-08 03:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-08 03:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-08 06:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-09 06:09 pm (UTC)I desperately want to visit Scotland. Thanks for sharing your pictures!
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Date: 2006-09-09 06:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-10 02:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-11 08:35 pm (UTC)Great pics! Looks like fun!