Student Bloggers
St. Andrews
Date
January 25, 2015
Another week has passed. My homesickness has been making the days drag by, but everyone keeps telling me it will soon get better, and I cannot wait for that moment.
I got in contact with another Arcadia study abroad student who is currently studying in Edinburgh on Saturday, and we met at St. Andrews to explore. We visited the ruins of St. Andrews Castle, which was very beautiful, and ventured down into the mines of the castle. First built in the late 1100’s, the castle has housed everyone from kings to prisoners, and has long since fallen apart from the toils of time and siege. There was even a mine which we wandered into. Probably no more than 3 feet tall in places, we were crouched much of the time, and I could not imagine working in there for hours on end.
From there we ventured to the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Cathedral when it was active, which was a wondrous stretch of land with many, many headstones, some normal to me and others with Celtic headstones, which I fully enjoyed. We then ventured up St. Rule’s tower, which is where I took the picture above. It was a very tight and winding staircase, and we were all very quickly winded by it.
Next we took a lunch break at a place called Mitchell’s, which had a yummy selection of sandwiches, soups, and scones, and I would recommend it to anyone who travels through the small town. From there we went to the golf course, which my friend was very excited about as she is quite the golfer, but I merely appreciated it briefly for its history. I am forced to admit though that it is quite the impressive green, and is right next to the North Sea.
Lastly we tried to find the university, but it seems to be spread all over the small city, so we settled for the university museum. It was small, but I enjoyed seeing the original stone cross that sat in front of the school, as well as several hand-written copies of manuscripts and a display called the Silver Arrow Competition. Here the best archers at St. Andrews would compete for a championship, and the winner would get to design his own silver winner’s plaque, and they ranged from the size of a small brooch to a brooch that could easily weigh you down.
Next week a group of us are going to Glasgow, so stay tuned!
The Fighting Scot in Scotland - Kelli