June 21, 2013 St. Andrews, Scotland (Home of Golf) Bus Tour – The Town, the Old Course and St. Andrews University

Below, the plaques memorializing the site where witches were burned at the stake. Christians believing witches to be devil worshipers took women accused of witchcraft and tied their hands to their ankles and threw them into the river. If they sank, they were deemed not to be a witch. An apology was issued and the funeral was paid for out of church funds. If the accused floated, she was lifted out of the river, taken to a site just outside Edinburgh castle and burned at the stake. Either way, the accused was a loser.

The rail bridge built over the Firth of Forth in 1864.  The bridge is painted similar in color to the San Francisco Bridge but is only a rail bridge.

Below, the little town of South Queens on the south side of the Forth River estuary.

Below, a fleeting view of the Smirnoff and Gordons gin distillery.

Below, various pictures from the bus on the way to St. Andrews. The trip was along the Forth estuary with little villages along the way.

Below, this part of Scotland is loaded with fields of soft fruit like strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.

The small fishing village of Anstruther, Scotland. Nice lighthouse at the entrance to the marina.

Poppies growing on the side of the road.

Barley fields for all the beers and ales.

Arriving at the old city walls of St Andrews.

Behind Elaine is at the St. Andrews clubhouse for members only and below is the 18th hole of the Old Course.

Below, thanks to a tip from a friend, we found the Dunvegan Hotel and Pub. The hotel and pub are owned by an Aggie who married a Scottish lass. There is an “Aggie X” license plate over the bar and hundreds of pictures of celebrities and famous golfers including Jack, the owner with George H.W. Bush.

I tried to make Elaine buy this Puffin head cover for golf clubs but she insisted that it was too expensive. The entire town of St Andrews is loaded with all sorts of golf shops.

We toured the campus of St. Andrews University where Prince William attended college and met Kate. I especially wanted to visit St. Andrews because my niece who graduated from William & Mary University would have been able to attend a semester here had the University of St. Andrews completed their reciprocity agreement with William & Mary a year sooner. I have told her she has to figure out a way to get her Masters in Economics from this University. It sits right on the North Sea in St. Andrews.

Below, we found the school of Economics in a building sitting on the edge of the North Sea. I do not know how you could concentrate on the subject matter with such great views of the ocean.

Below, the old castle at St. Andrews which was destroyed in the various attacks by the English on this Scottish port city.

Below, the ancient cathedral of St Andrews which not surprisingly was also destroyed by an attack by the English. There is also an ancient cemetery surrounding the cathedral.

A Princess and her Castle Cake in a shop in St. Andrews.

The beach at St. Andrews is next to the Golf Course and near St. Andrews University.

Back to the Old Course at St. Andrews after our tour of the city. Elaine is in front of the famous bridge on the 18th fairway. The building in the background is the Royal and Ancient Academy of Golf that sets all the rules of golf for those nations that do not follow the US PGA rules which are different.