Saint Andrews - Golf Mecca

I'm up in Scotland for work. I had one afternoon to do some sightseeing. I talked to lots of work friends up here, the top recommendations were Glencoe, Loch Lomond, Edinburgh, Saint Andrews and Glasgow. I flew into Glasgow and drove an hour or so up to Saint Andrews.

I saw a huge Quaker Oats factory and a massive Amazon.com warehouse. I didn't see any drones though. The drive was beautiful. Picture a two lane road like you'd see in a car commercial. Lots of rolling green hills lined with perfectly lined up trees. 

I arrived at Saint Andrews and it was unreal. Here's a course I've watched on TV for decades, never thinking I'd actually be there. Much like Wimbledon, it has such a nice quaint, real feel to it. I walked straight into the pro shop, looked around and bought a framed photo also with a scorecard in it. 

I walked into the main lobby and they said I'm free to walk the course as much as I'd like. What?? Apparently on Sundays they close the course for playing and it's open for people to walk and enjoy. It's like a park, only the greatest park you'll ever walk :) 

My ankle hurt no more. I guess it was adrenaline or something, but I walked those 18 holes like I was 110% healthy. Walking the 18th, heading to those famous buildings was stunning. It seemed as though I could see and hear the crowds, and of course I'm looking at the divets wondering which top golfer put  them there.

Maybe this is embarrassing, but I actually felt a touch of sadness driving away from the course. I think I wanted to sit there and soak it up for as long as possible. I did walk across the street to west sands beach, which was great too - they have real seashells everywhere!

I drove back to Glasgow, but I went through Edinburgh to check it out. The drive down was even more beautiful than the drive up. I think that's because it was closer to the water. Picture green fields with sheep and lots of long little handmade stone walls. Lots of little villages to pass through as well.

Edinburgh is great! I knew it was a college town, but wow is it. It's got a proper castle (eg stunning) and cathedral, but it's mostly got an exciting vibrant group of people actively making the place fun. I was shocked to hear lots of American accents, not to mention other diversity. There were many cobblestone roads, I walked them for hours.

I used the Yelp app to find a good restaurant and sure enough it was amazing. 

I had heard Edinburgh was one of the most haunted places. There were many tours happening, they take you into castles, cathedrals, etc. I didn't make it on a tour this time, but maybe next time!