We had to be up early, as didn't want to take a chance of being late returning the rental car. It was a cold, blustery day. I had figured out how to do a load of laundry the previous evening in a kind of machine I hadn't seen in years. You open the metal cylinder inside the machine, place the clothing inside, seal it back up, and the cylinder revolves in a vertical manner (like a ferris wheel). Holds a small load and is very slow!
The heating boiler is set to shut off at midnight and come on at 7 AM, so the house was very cold at 6 AM the next morning. The laundry was ready to go into the dryer, which is out in the detached garage. Ron managed this task on this cold, windy morning. We then, hastily, got ready to drive to Edinburgh Airport.
Hertz only give you 29-minutes leeway before charging an extra day. With the drop-off fee and taxes, the rate was outrageous. Ron said we could have chartered a private jet for what we paid for the car! We had too much going on to plan properly, but looking at all the options, it doesn't seem like anything would have been much less expensive.
The neighbors had told us that we were lucky it was a bank holiday, as on normal work mornings it would take about two hours to reach Edinburgh airport. But, this Monday holiday morning, it took us only about an hour. We returned the Mercedes, and walked in the cold and wind to the Car Rental Center where we located Enterprise which was affiliated with Auto Europe from whom we had rented the car. A pleasant young man, Steven, showed us to the car, but informed us the Vauxhall Insignia we had reserved was not available. He asked if we would like to "treat ourselves" by taking the next higher class (in other words no free upgrade - an additional 40 Pounds per day). We asked what they had in the same class as the Vauxhall, and were shown to a Kia Sportage. It was a nice vehicle (only 4,000 miles) with leather, heated seats, automatic, and GPS. All we needed, and it was slightly smaller than the Mercedes, so easier for Ron to maneuver and keep within the lines of the very narrow lanes and fit into the tiny parking spaces.
We programmed the GPS for St. Andrews and headed out of the airport. Again we crossed the Forth Bridge, and then took another route to St. Andrews. On our way we passed through the large town of Culpar and came across an ALDI grocery, so we went in and checked off a good bit of our grocery list.
We then continued to St. Andrews, which is known as the home of golf, and also the oldest university in Scotland. We had decided to go to the Jigger Inn on the Old Course, and the GPS led us to the Old Course Hotel. After driving around the parking lot and not seeing the Jigger Inn, Ron decided to give the car to valet parking at the hotel. The valet suggested we go up to the Road Hole Pub on the fourth floor of the hotel for a drink and the view before going to lunch. I was surprised everyone was so friendly, as we were not dressed for a 5-star hotel.
The Pub overlooks the fairway of the 17th hole (known as the Road Hole), which is considered the most difficult Par-4 hole on the course. It was a beautiful room with a spectacular view of the Old Course and St. Andrews Bay (North Sea). Unfortunately, our pictures are not good. Quite an exciting afternoon to be in a place with so much history.
After having a wine and a St. Andrews Ale, we walked through the hotel, out the pro shop and a few yards to the Jigger Inn, a historic building dating back to the 1850's when it was the stationmaster's lodge.
The small pub was crowded, and we were lucky to get a very small table. Ron tried the Cullen Skink, a traditional, thick creamy soup made of smoked haddock, potato, and onion. It is a specialty of the town of Cullen on the NE coast of Scotland..
His main course was Madras Curry with paappadams. I had penne pasta with salmon in a creamy sauce.
After leaving there, driving on narrow roads, we stopped off at an ASDA grocery (owned by Wal-mart). The stores here don't seem to offer the motorized scooters, and after about 15-minutes walking on the concrete floors, I had to find a place to sit.
We were happy to get home to our cozy home in Liff....
Hertz only give you 29-minutes leeway before charging an extra day. With the drop-off fee and taxes, the rate was outrageous. Ron said we could have chartered a private jet for what we paid for the car! We had too much going on to plan properly, but looking at all the options, it doesn't seem like anything would have been much less expensive.
The neighbors had told us that we were lucky it was a bank holiday, as on normal work mornings it would take about two hours to reach Edinburgh airport. But, this Monday holiday morning, it took us only about an hour. We returned the Mercedes, and walked in the cold and wind to the Car Rental Center where we located Enterprise which was affiliated with Auto Europe from whom we had rented the car. A pleasant young man, Steven, showed us to the car, but informed us the Vauxhall Insignia we had reserved was not available. He asked if we would like to "treat ourselves" by taking the next higher class (in other words no free upgrade - an additional 40 Pounds per day). We asked what they had in the same class as the Vauxhall, and were shown to a Kia Sportage. It was a nice vehicle (only 4,000 miles) with leather, heated seats, automatic, and GPS. All we needed, and it was slightly smaller than the Mercedes, so easier for Ron to maneuver and keep within the lines of the very narrow lanes and fit into the tiny parking spaces.
We programmed the GPS for St. Andrews and headed out of the airport. Again we crossed the Forth Bridge, and then took another route to St. Andrews. On our way we passed through the large town of Culpar and came across an ALDI grocery, so we went in and checked off a good bit of our grocery list.
We then continued to St. Andrews, which is known as the home of golf, and also the oldest university in Scotland. We had decided to go to the Jigger Inn on the Old Course, and the GPS led us to the Old Course Hotel. After driving around the parking lot and not seeing the Jigger Inn, Ron decided to give the car to valet parking at the hotel. The valet suggested we go up to the Road Hole Pub on the fourth floor of the hotel for a drink and the view before going to lunch. I was surprised everyone was so friendly, as we were not dressed for a 5-star hotel.
The Pub overlooks the fairway of the 17th hole (known as the Road Hole), which is considered the most difficult Par-4 hole on the course. It was a beautiful room with a spectacular view of the Old Course and St. Andrews Bay (North Sea). Unfortunately, our pictures are not good. Quite an exciting afternoon to be in a place with so much history.
After having a wine and a St. Andrews Ale, we walked through the hotel, out the pro shop and a few yards to the Jigger Inn, a historic building dating back to the 1850's when it was the stationmaster's lodge.
The small pub was crowded, and we were lucky to get a very small table. Ron tried the Cullen Skink, a traditional, thick creamy soup made of smoked haddock, potato, and onion. It is a specialty of the town of Cullen on the NE coast of Scotland..
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| Cullen Skink |
His main course was Madras Curry with paappadams. I had penne pasta with salmon in a creamy sauce.
After leaving there, driving on narrow roads, we stopped off at an ASDA grocery (owned by Wal-mart). The stores here don't seem to offer the motorized scooters, and after about 15-minutes walking on the concrete floors, I had to find a place to sit.
We were happy to get home to our cozy home in Liff....
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