There are a number of reasons why one blogs about their travels. A huge factor for me is simply documenting the trip for myself. I enjoy reliving the trip as I recreate it and knowing that it will be here for reference at a future date. I am nothing if not forgetful so I try to blog about my trips as soon as is do-able.  However, I had two book deadlines coming up when I returned home from Scotland in July 2015 and I did not get to blog as much as I would have liked. As such, I made an error in the timeline. It is one that should hardly concern you, gentle reader, but for my own sake, I need to fix it. So, let it be known that the first day of the Scotland tour, I was sick and stayed in my room with my daughter as company. The second day she went off to see Holyrood Palace, (pictures of which I am yet to see), while I stayed again in my room. The third day, I rose from my sickbed and we boarded the bus bound first for St. Andrews (some of which will appear in this blog post) and on to Glamis Castle (scheduled for another post in the future) and on the fourth day (the fourth!) I stayed in the hotel again while my daughter went to Clava Cairns and Culloden Moor (to have missed that being one of the greatest tragedies of my life).  So, now that things are all squared away in my head, I can return to our driving out of Edinburgh and heading towards the highlands.


These photos taken through the coach window as we drove through Edinburgh turned out really quite well.  I am surprised.



Downtown Edinburgh, somewhere near Princes St. (I am guessing).


It was still quite early in the (misty) morning when we passed by the shadowed Forth Bridge built over the Firth of Forth; it is actually red.  You can read about it HERE. For those who are disinclined to click on links, it is the second-largest single cantilevered span in the world and was opened in 1890 by Prince Albert of Queen Victoria fame. (What makes me think he would not cherish that designation?)


 We entered the city through the West Port, one of the few ports (or town gates) that still exist in Scotland. Per Wikipedia: The central archway which displays semi-octagonal "rownds" and "battling" is supported by corbelling and neatly moulded passageways.  Side arches and relief panels were added to the port, during hte reconstruction between 1843-1845.


St. Andrews is not large but there is a lot to see. It houses a university (the very one attended by Prince William where he met Kate Middleton), a world-famous golf course (we were there just a few days after the big tournament in July) and lots of ruins. I have so many photos that I am splitting St. Andrews into two posts. In honor of Halloween, I am sticking to photos of the burial grounds at the Cathedral of St. Andrew.  This 100 foot wall is most of what is left of the cathedral built in 1158. (1158!!!)


It does rather dominate the landscape.  It's also so very Scottish.


This amazing structure is St. Rule's tower.  It predates the cathedral and served as the church of the priory. It was retained as a place of worship while the cathedral was constructed. The tower originally was part of the church built in the 11th century to house the relics of St. Andrew.


Not sure what the blue netting draping the building in the background is for but it might have had something to do with the golf "open". (I do not play or watch golf. Does it show?) This tower has stood for over 1000 years.


I was tickled when I finally saw my photos on the large computer screen and spotted these two stone cottages, neighbors to the cathedral grounds.  They are so beautiful.



We went around on a different path and again spotted the second cottage through the gated entrance in a stone wall.


I never got close enough to tell if these flowers are roses or peonies or something different, but they showed up in a lot of my photos. Beautiful!



Another view of St. Rule's tower. It was one of those partly cloudy days during which sometimes it was beautifully sunny and sometimes it was gorgeously gray.


I love the seagull wheeling around in the sky.  St. Andrews is on the east coast of Fife and the ocean is just a stone's throw away, including more of Mr. Seagull's friends.




There are a number of famous people buried here, including a clan chief of the Clan McLeod, known as The Wicked Man and Andrew Kirkaldy, golfer. (The tombstone with the golfer on it belongs to someone else though I don't know who.)

See the wee young lass in the bottom right-hand corner?  This is one very tall wall.


I love cemeteries and graveyards, especially in the U.K with the weathered gray tombstones against the brilliant green grass.  I had to laugh at the tombstone on the right, however.  I make out the surname at the top to be "Erect". I doubt there is a totally erect tombstone in the entire place.

Next time: The town of St. Andrew's and the famous golf course that looks out over the sea. Go to "older posts" to see my other natterings about my travels to Ireland and England.