Update November 7th!!

Three Days In Scotland

As the train rolled across the plains and into the Scottish highlands, the fog mixed with the smoke from chimneys. The sheep grazed slowly and the clouds crept ominously. Old farm houses marked the terrain, and an occasional loch made its way into the scenery. The clouds seemed ominous, but they subsided and sun peeked through.

This weekend I journeyed to Scotland, where me and my friend Mike experienced the culture to the fullest. We left London Saturday morning bright and early, but due to "unprecented delays" the train took 7 hrs instead of the usual four. Due to severe flooding in northern England, we had to stop in Newcastle and take a bus to York, but no matter. This only afforded us the opportunity to see more than just the views from the train. From Newcastle we hopped back on the train and proceeded to Edinburgh, Scotland, the nation's capital and future home of independent Scottish Parliament.

Edinburgh, we both agreed, is perhaps one of the United Kingdom's most beautiful cities, old castles, churches and monuments creating an surreal skyline. The city sits on an inlet of the North Sea, on the eastern part of the British Isle. Its most famous monument is the Edinburgh Castle, which sits atop the city's highest hill, overlooking the both the rest of the city and much of southern Scotland. We arrived into Waverley Station at around 3PM, and in no time found a hostel. There, we randomly met three other exchange students from the States, who were studying at a woodworking school in Haddington, Scotland. The school enrols only 16 students in a vocational course which aims to train students in the art of furniture repair and construction. The three guys that we met were from Aaron from Tennesee, Ken from New Jersey and Brock from Indiana. Brock had a lot to say about the recent firing of legendary coach Bob Knight, and just being able to talk college basketball with someone was a treat in itself. These aspiring restorators asked us if we wanted to go to the United States vs. Scotland rugby match that night, and without hesitation we agreed. After all, though we were beaten handily by the score of 53-6, we had to go and support our country in what is, as someone wise once said, not American football.

Rugby is no doubt as physical a sport as they come by, but as a game I didn't enjoy watching it as much as football. No need to expand on the reasons here, but I thought it demanded mentioning. It was, however, unbelievably ironic that there was a United States team of any type in Edinburgh at the same time we were. We had no idea of the match, and so we were really excited when we heard of it.

After the game, we took the bus back to the city centre, where our hostel was located, and there we washed up and got ready to go out. That night we went first to a pub called the Scotsman's Lounge, where two men were playing live music. One played the acoustic guitar and the other played the violin. But the violin that he played sounded like a fiddle at times, and he even picked it like it was a banjo. The two played some traditional Scottish music, like "Whiskey In The Jar", but also played classic American songs like Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" and Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here." They were magnificent; some of the best live music I have heard in some time.

When we left the Scotsman's, we headed to a restaurant called the Filling Station, where we ate dinner. It was actually a second dinner but we all agreed that the fish and chips which we had stood in line for at the Rugby Match was not much of a meal. After the Filling Station we headed to a late night club called the Three Sisters, but for Mike and I the day was becoming a week, as we had been awake for more than 20 hours. At around 12:00 we headed back to the hostel.

The hostel which we stayed in was by most standards very nice. For me it was the first time I had ever stayed in a hostel, but Mike assured me that the accomadations were first class. For 11 Pounds, a warm bed anywhere is more than acceptable. When we arrived back at the hostel we met a group of people in their mid-20's from Sicily. They were on vacation as well, as they were studying at the University of Aberdeen in Northeast Scotland. After a while of listening to their incoherent giggling, I fell asleep.

When Mike and I woke up at 8:00 we headed straight for the Waverley Train Station, where we gathered breakfast and hopped on the first train to Sterling. Sterling is northwest of Edinburgh, and it most famous for its castle and its university. Though we didn't get to go to the university, we did visit the Castle, best known for the Scottish defeat of England in the 1300's. William Wallace, who led the Scots in that victory, was glorified in the movie Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson. The Castle was extraordinary, as it sits on a hill overlooking all of Sterling and the Forth River Valley. Unfortunately we visited in the early morning, so a thick fog masked the view that might have been, the nearby Scottish Highlands. Nonetheless, the experience was memorable.

What was perhaps most memorable was a spontaneous visit to a nearby cemetary in Sterling. On our way from the Train Station to the Castle, we walked through and to the top of a hill in the middle of the graveyard. There, we both stood silent, looking off into the distance, though the distance was itself indecipherable due to the fog. It was one of those moments which needs no explanations, but perhaps the accompanied pictures will tell part of the story.

From Sterling it was off to St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf. Being a frequent player, I felt it necessary to visit the course, and though Mike had been there only two weeks before, he kindly obliged. We arrived at around 1:30 or so, and decided to eat lunch in a nearby pub called "The Dunvegan". We ate mammoth portions of burgers and fries and made friendly conversation with the proprietor. The Dunvegan is only a block away from the Old Course, ostensibly the oldest golf course in the world, and also the occasional home of the British Open, one of the four major championships of golf. This year, Tiger Woods won the event. On the wall at the Dunvegan were autographed pictures of all of the world's most famous golfers, from legends Sam Snead and Bobby Jones to relative newcomers Woods and Ernie Els. A very exciting, educational, and stomach-filling meal.

The day was Sunday, so we were able to walk the famous Old Course free of charge. St. Andrews, like the Green Bay Packers NFL franchise, is owned by the city of St. Andrews, and thus playing the famous course is not subject to a "Member's Only" rejection. It was reasonbly nice weather for a November afternoon in Scotland, and we did it up in style, walking the 18 with camera and cigar in hand. Golf is said to have been played since the 15th Century, and its beginnings were on grassy lowlands called links. Links golf today usually means seaside courses and this usually means wind. Despite limited rough and very few water hazards, links courses can be more difficult for professionals than any other type of course. To a fan and a player of golf, visiting St. Andrews was a experience to remember, right up there with my visit to Wrigley Field in Chicago and Fenway Park in Boston.