Day 5: July 21st, 2024

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Howdy y’all!

Our final full day in Scotland begin with several intrepid travelers braving the 3:45 AM chills to summit Arthur’s Seat once more and take in the glorious sunrise. Another visitor even brought a guitar and played “Here Comes the Sun.” For the rest who valued sleep, the day started with the now-familiar traditional English breakfast.

After our meal, we met our guides, Joe and Fergus, to drive up the coast to the town of St Andrews. Along the way, we paused at a viewpoint where we could see three different bridges over the River Forth, each created in a different century and in a different architectural style. As we crossed the Queensferry Bridge, we observed the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth undergoing repairs.

After a beautiful drive through lush farmland and quaint villages, we arrived just down the street from St Andrews Cathedral. We received a primer on the history of the church as a major pilgrimage site, the visible shift from Gothic to Romanesque architecture, and the fact that the monks in charge would sell badges of Saint Andrew on his cross to eager Christians. According to Fergus, some things never change.

We then walked to the old castle, long a battleground between Protestant and Catholic forces. In a few short months, Protestant masons stormed the fortress, murdered the cardinal living there, dug a tunnel to resist Catholic soldiers attempting to bring down the walls, and finally surrendered in the face of a French bombardment.

Before lunch, Fergus took us through the grounds of his alma mater, relating a tradition of the seemingly serious school—a fight with shaving foam taking place in the main quad.

 

Walking back into town, the whole group shared a scrumptious lunch (courtesy of Valerie) at Pret a Manger. When we strolled outside after finishing our sandwiches and wraps, many of us witnessed a brutal seagull dive bombing of a Scottish man and his coffee. As many of us traveled to the historic St. Andrews golf course, we were surrounded by more of the old stone of a medieval city. Previously, the tour guide had mentioned that many of these stone bricks had belonged to the ruined cathedral and been intently deconstructed to build the city. The idyllic green golf course was packed with tourists, as the course is publicly owned by the local community, and always open to tourists for walkthroughs on Sundays. At 15:00, we all made our way back to the bus to exit the town of St. Andrews and drive back to Pollock Halls.
Upon arriving at Pollock Halls, many groups diverged to make the most of the last full day in Edinburgh in their own unique ways. While one group embarked on a hike up the ridge underneath Arthur’s Seat for some picturesque views, my group embarked on a scientific pilgrimage to the Edinburgh birthplace and statue of one of the great men of physics: James Clerk Maxwell. After a long walk that took us across the city and the famous Royal Mile, we arrived at the statue of the physicist. A small plaque commemorating his accomplishments and one depicting his famous equations were a delight for our tired legs. After some pictures and another small walk to his birthplace, the site of an unfortunately closed museum, our stomachs were craving some pub food.
Our small group of three dined on some fine pub food, baked mac and cheese and chicken schnitzels among the delectable items. The BBC news report on the TV suddenly flashed with the headline of President Biden stepping down from the democratic nomination for president! We were all shocked, both to learn of the news and to learn of it in such a place, but it made for quite interesting political conversation to accompany our food. Thanking the waiter, we walked out satisfied with what would be our last Edinburgh dining experience of the trip.
Making our way to the Meadows, the ‘Central Park of Edinburgh’, for a game of soccer (or football?), we were told by another group to divert our path to the Crags Centre, an athletic facility with an outdoors caged soccer pitch. Quickly, we started a 5v5 game of soccer on the mini field, going well into the night with the company of a Scottish local named Abdullah. While the short games were incredibly competitive, with physical tackles and fiery sprints, one side remained undefeated until the sun disappeared, begging our group to call it for the night. Walking back, a section of the soccer group wanted one more taste of the Scottish city: the Sainsbury’s meal deal.
After strolling down to the convenience store and obtaining our delicious yet scandalously cheap meal, drink, and snack/dessert, a triumphant walk home sealed our night and trip in the town of Edinburgh. Tomorrow, our Aggie group would take the train to the delightful English city of York, hoping for a city half as fun and memorable as Edinburgh.

“Tìoraidh an dràsta,” or, “bye for now,”
Carson and Christian.

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