The Expat Files

2006-03-13T21:11:00.000Z

no ice, please

2005-03-15T00:26:00.000Z

Our friends, Katie and Robby, came over this past week. We went to Pitlochry and toured some distilleries. Our favorite was Blair Athol Distillery. We had a great tour guide from Glasgow named John. He taught us everything we ever wanted to know about whisky. He also told us that they usually shoot Americans at his distillery because they put ice in their whisky. Apparently, ice cools the whisky when your hand should be warming it up and the melting ice will continually chance the ratio of water to whisky rather than maintaining a constant ratio. As such, I never put ice in my whisky (since last Friday). On the way out, he showed us the graveyard where they bury ice-loving Americans.

We also went to Edradour Distillery--the smallest distillery in all of Scotland. It was quant, but the tour wasn't nearly as good as Blair Athol; however, it was free (including a whisky tasting).

And we also went to the Dewars Whisky Experience, but the last tour had already passed (even though it was only 3:30). So we had a gander around the gift shop and Stacey convinced someone to give us a free tasting (glad to have her around).

2005-03-08T00:03:00.000Z

Here's a pic of our new house in Athens.

What the Hail?

2005-03-07T19:35:00.000Z

I played golf on Saturday with some friends. As always, the weather vacillated between sunny and rainy with sustained winds; however, we had some hail this time. I had never played golf in hail before and I hope to never do so again. It didn't last long, but it was pretty heavy.

Anyway, we were on the Strathtyrum and we played "scramble." After being down 9 holes to 1, Michael and I had the best comeback of all time. We won the last 8 holes to tie David and Steve 9-9. If you don't understand anything I just wrote don't worry about it. Just know that it was a lot of fun and we had a great comeback.

Also, I played the Eden a couple of weeks ago. It was a lot of fun and very challenging. It's a good course to play if you need to lose some golf balls. Fortunately, I lost most of my golf balls on #3--so I didn't have to carry them for the next 15 holes. Unfortunately, I lost too many and had to go to the store to buy some more.

Cold and Wet in Iona

2005-02-25T10:03:00.000Z

Stacey and I went to Iona last week. It took us nine hours, three trains, two busses, and two ferries to get there. As such, it really felt like a proper pilgrimage. I asked Stacey if she wanted to kiss the ground when we stepped off the ferry onto Iona, but she wasn't interested.

Though the trip was long, it was enjoyable. The west coast of Scotland between Glasgow and Oban was incredibly beautiful. Most of the mountains were snow capped with evergreen and birch trees in the lower altitudes. The ferry ride from Oban to Mull was also very nice.

On Iona, we stayed at the Argyll Hotel (www.argyllhoteliona.co.uk). Being the off-season, it was the only hotel that was open on the island and it housed the only restaurant open on the island. But it was a great restaurant. Even the Abbey wasn't fully open--which was a bit of a suprise to us.

I expected Iona to be a quasi-monastic community centered on formal daily worship in the Abbey (www.iona.org.uk). Instead, I was suprised to find that most of the members of the community are not in residence and not much happens at the Abbey during the winter. Basically, the community (450 members) is out in the world doing their work--mostly for social justice. On Iona, the Abbey and the MacLeod Center function more as retreat centers (normally, but not exclusively, for members of the Church of Scotland). While the community is unlike anything I have ever known, the actual island centers are like what Montreat is to the American Presbyterian: a retreat and conference center.

I was also suprised to find out that only about half (according to our waitress) of the people living on Iona are affiliated with the community. There is a convenience store, a post office, a couple of hotels, a pub, a golf course (!) and Iona Primary School (The convenience store clerk told me that the kids go to high school in Oban which is 2.5 hours away. They leave on Monday and come back on Friday.). I was suprised by all of this because I expected to find a bunch of holy looking people in coarse, brown clothes chanting while they worked between the prayers of the day. But I'm glad it wasn't that way.

It was a beautiful and wonderful place. I'm glad that we went and I would love to return someday. When I do return, I will pack wellies, waterproof pants, and a good rain jacket. And my golf clubs.

Say it with cheese!

2005-02-11T16:52:00.000Z

The Cheesemonger in town has a new promotional for Valentine's Day: "Say it with cheese!" What better way is there to let someone know that you love them? So, I'm thinking about getting Stacey a wheel of Camambert for Valentine's Day (although Stacey would probably say that I usually say it with "cheese" anyway).

The Cheesemonger usually has funny signs in the window. Last fall, they had one that said: "Help Wanted: love of cheese is a must." Sounds like good advice. Cheese-haters need not apply.

leftover haggis

2005-02-01T17:45:00.000Z

Last week, I hosted a Burn's night supper (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, go to www.robertburns.org/suppers/). We had neeps, tatties, whisky, and haggis--both regular and vegetarian. It was great, but I have all this leftover haggis. I really liked haggis about a week ago, but I'm getting a little sick of it now.

I've been searching around, trying to find some new ways of preparing haggis. I haven't been able to find anything, but somebody could make a killin' if they began marketing some Haggis Helper in this country. I thought that I would end up with a mess o' bad haggis when I came up with a good idea yesterday: Haggis Salad. I simply mixed some mayo, pickle (relish), and walnuts with haggis and made a haggis salad sandwich. Sounds gross, but it was pretty good (for the recipe, send me a self addressed stamped envelope and $19.95--Georgia residents add 6% tax).

Tonight, I'm thinking about mixing it with salsa for a dish I like to call Haggis Sumpin' Fierce.

2004-12-13T00:17:00.000Z

Here's the long awaited pic of me in a kilt at the St. Andrews Day Gala Ball.

back to the States

2004-12-12T23:59:00.000Z

We're getting ready to head home tomorrow and we're so excited. We've been spending time with friends here and saying our goodbyes. Stacey is not coming back next semester, so this is it for her. It was hard to come here, and now Stacey is finding that it's hard to leave.

As part of our last hurrah, we rented a car on Thursday and drove to Stirling. That's where William Wallace and later Robert the Bruce whooped those nasty English. We visited the Wallace monument, which is quite impressive. We also went to the castle, the Holy Rude Church, and several other sights. It was a good time.

But now...we're ready to come home for Christmas.

afternoon tea at Hogwarts

2004-12-07T23:13:00.000Z

This past Sunday, Stacey and I were invited to have tea at St. Leonard's boarding school where Stacey has been volunteering. As we approached St. Leonard's School, we went through a stone gateway and down a driveway to a large, stone house. The Deputy Headmistress greeted us at the door and ushered us into the main room. We were served tea, fruit cake, and mince pies. The girls were all very nice and well behaved. The house was filled with old, formal furniture and large paintings. It was one of the most British experiences that I have had up to this point. I felt like I was at Hogwarts and Harry Potter would fly around the corner at any moment.

no hotdog in Zurich

2004-12-04T22:30:00.000Z

Though it's been almost a month, I still haven't blogged about Switzerland. We went to Interlaken and rode the train through the mountains--the scenery was incredible. We stayed there for two nights.

The next day, we went to Zurich on the way to Germany. I decided that it would be important for me to make a pilgrimage of sorts to the Grossmunster Church--the self-proclaimed "motherchurch" of the Reformation. This is where Ulricht Zwingli served as a pastor during the start of the Reformation. As people in Zurich will tell you, Zwingli was reforming the church before anyone in Zurich had heard of Martin Luther. He was famous for having a little sausage roast in the plaza after church during Lent and outraging the local bishop. As such, Stacey and I looked for a hotdog stand outside of the church so that we could eat one in honor of the Reformation, but none could be found. Not long after, Zurich died fighting in a religious war. Now, there is a statue outside the church of Zwingli holding a sword.

There is also a statue of Heinrich Bullinger, who became pastor after Zwingli's death. Bullinger in famous for the Second Helvetic Confession.

The plaza outside of the church is now called Zwingi Plaza. On the far end of the plaza, there is a store called "Zwingli." We went in an found it was a clothing store. I would have bought a Zwingli shirt, but I would have had to pay Swiss Francs for it and I would have gone broke.

We weren't in Zurich long, but I'm glad we went. It was a beautiful town.

what's under the kilt?

2004-12-02T19:28:00.000Z

While America was celebrating Thanksgiving, this past week was St. Andrews Week here in Scotland culminating on Tuesday with St. Andrews Day. To celebrate, we went to the St. Andrews Day Gala Ball on Saturday at the St. Andrews Bay Golf Resort. It was a black tie occasion, so I was supposed to hire (rent) a kilt (man-skirt). I figured that this was the only time in my life that I would be able legitimately to wear a kilt, so I went for it (along with four other friends).

I decided to get a Stewart plaid in honor of my maternal lineage. They were out of Royal Stewart, so I got Stewart Black--but I think I like the Black better anyway. It came with a jacket, bow tie, socks, garters (sock tassels), ghillie shoes (funny shoes with extra long laces), sporran (man-purse), and sgian dubh (knife to put in your sock). I particularly enjoyed the sporran. It was very useful for storing my wallet, keys, and whisky--especially since there was no pocket on the kilt.

At the kilt shop, we ventured the age-old question of what to wear under the kilt. Is it really like Braveheart? Much to our relief, we discovered that it's not like the movies and you are supposed to wear something under your kilt. What is that something you ask? Three drops of cologne. Unfortunately, I don't wear cologne. So I had to go bronco.

Thanksgiving

2004-11-28T15:40:00.000Z

Though we were in Scotland, we did manage to celebrate Thanksgiving with some Americans. Our friends Abby and Jake were visiting from Princeton this week. We went to Loch Lomond and the Highlands on Tuesday and Wednesday, then came back to St. Andrews for Thanksgiving. Our friends Andy and Laurel and their kids Rylan and Lucas also came over. We had all the fixins. I made sweet potato casserole.

On Friday, I made sure to ask my Scots and English classmates if they had a good Thanksgiving. One said, "Is that one of those holidays where you hate the English?" I said, "It's something like that, but we celebrate when we sailed away from those oppressive English--and now, ironically, some of us Americans are celebrating this in the UK." It was good to celebrate Thanksgiving in Scotland--a place where people both love and hate the English.

botched pilgrimage

2004-11-22T10:23:00.000Z

On our last morning in Rome, we went to the Vatican. We considered going into the museums and seeing the Sistine Chapel, but the line was out the door and around the corner (even on a weekday in November). Instead, we went to St. Peter's.

I had been looking forward to coming here for a long time. I always felt like it was one of the five sacred pilgrimages any good Presbyterian should make (Jerusalem, Rome, Geneva, Edinburgh/St. Andrews, and, of course, Princeton). Regrettably, I found it to be a negative experience.

St. Peter's is an amazing structure. It felt good standing on the outside knowing that the most impressive structure in Rome was built to and for the glory of God. We went inside and it was still incredible, but different. There is a prominent statue in the nave of Ignatius Loyola with his foot on the back of a Protestant Reformer. The Reformer was looking up at Ignatius with fear in his eyes while holding up a book (a Bible?). And to the side, you could take communion and confess--but only if you were Roman Catholic. Suddenly, I was an outsider in my pilgrimage site. More than that, I felt like my tradition was the enemy to be overcome. At Vatican II, Protestants were elevated to the status of "separated brethren." I guess I just didn't realize how separate we really were.

As such, I'm thinking about removing Rome from the pilgrimage list. Possible replacements include Zurich, Heidelberg, Richmond (Va.), Westminster (London) and Seoul. Or maybe it should be Rome sans Vatican. After all, where would the Reformed faith be without Paul's letter to the Romans?

a word about Italian breakfasts

2004-11-19T23:15:00.000Z

French breakfast was bad enough. Espresso and a croissant for 10 Euros--but at least you got a seat. In Italy, you don't even get a seat. You just walk in, step up to the bar, order your espresso and croissant, eat, pay too much, and leave. Your legs are tired, your wallet is empty, and your still thristy.

As we moved north, things got better. In Switzerland and Germany, I sat down every morning, had a full breakfast, and drank several lattes. I'm starting to think that colder weather and higher latitudes=bigger breakfasts. In Scotland, people eat a huge "Scottish Breakfast." I wonder what they eat for breakfast in Norway?

But the Italian breakfast is in stark contrast to the Italian supper. Supper was always several courses: (1) antipasto, (2) pasta, (3) meat, (4) cheese, and (5) dessert. Must be because they're so hungry after not eating anything else all day. It was far too much food--Stacey and I would usually just order pasta and a bottle of wine (cheaper than anything else including water).

American Politics in Europe

2004-11-17T11:02:00.000Z

Kerry conceded the Presidential Election sometime between the time that we took off from Glasgow and landed in Rome. We saw the news in our hotel room on CNN. Because of this election, I knew that it would be an interesting time to be traveling in Europe.

All over Italy, there was graffiti about Bush and the War. It was mainly the War--not Bush and morals, not Bush and economics, etc. While I could appreciate that protest, it did seem a bit ironic in light of Italy's place in WWII. I guess that they have seen what war can do to a country and they are very much against it. The graffiti was also in Switzerland and Germany, though to a lesser extent.

When Stacey and I were in the Cinque Terra, I was approached by an Italian documentary maker to be interviewed about the election and American politics. I was happy to do so. When I asked if I might see myself on TV in America, she replied, "I don't deal with America."

On the whole, American government and politics are incredibly unpopular in Europe now (the headline in one tabloid newspaper in the UK the day after the election read, "How could 59,000,000 people be so dumb?). Ironically, American culture still remains very popular. We were treated well everywhere we went. And we saw American culture everywhere we went. CNN and MTV are standard fare for TV's in hotels everywhere we've been. I watched Popeye "the Mariner" in Italian in Venice, the Simpsons in German in Switzerland, and Full House in German in Rothenberg. Simply put, American movies, music, and brands are ubiquitous.

bag-o-beer

2004-11-15T19:43:00.000Z

We returned from an 11 day tour of Italy, Switzerland, and Germany yesterday. It was incredible! We had a great time and saw so many things that I could blog on and on 'til the highland cows come home. Instead, I'll just try to add several small blogs over the next week or so.

As for our route, we flew into Rome. From there we went to the Cinque Terra, Pisa, Florence, and Venice. From Venice, we took a scenic route over the Alps on a train to Interlaken. From Interlaken we went to Rothenburg (Germany) via Zurich. Finally, we went to Heidelberg and flew home from Frankfurt. The trip went smoothly...except for the last day.

We were in Heidelberg on the last day--worn out and ready to come home. As such, we decided to break with cultural experiences and have our last meal at the Hard Rock Cafe. Stacey had an Elvis Presley Burger and I had a Beach Boys Burger while listening to the Rolling Stones (surprisingly, the HRC in Heidelberg is very inexpensive).

From there, we took the train and then a bus to the airport. We were there 2.5 hours before our flight and hoping to get to Glasgow in time to hear the Georgia game from an internet cafe. Instead, our flight was delayed four hours and we didn't land in Scotland until about 1 AM. When I got my bag, it was wet from a souvenir beer bottle that broke inside. It was too late to take the train to Glasgow (let alone Edinburgh or St. Andrews), so we decided to get a hotel near the airport in the little town of Ayr. We took a cab to the only hotel in Ayr, but it was booked full. But we couldn't just get another cab, we had to wait in a line in downtown Ayr for about 30 minutes with every drunk person in town. When we finally got a cab, we went to the nearby town of Prestwick and found a room. We wrung the beer out of my clothes and made it to bed by 3 AM.

Needless to say, we missed church the next day. But even with that last day, the trip was great. I'll write more about it later. Check back soon.

Rosslyn Chapel

2004-10-27T01:35:00.000+01:00

I went to Edinburgh with Stacey today. While she was at her art class, I decided to go to Roslin. It's seven miles outside of Edinburgh, so I took the bus. After a thirty-five minute bus ride, I walked about 1.5 miles and arrived at Rosslyn Chapel. I was mainly interest in the Chapel because of The DaVinci Code. It wasn't quite what I expected, but it was interesting. First, the Chapel was much smaller than I expected. Second, it had a big corrugated roof built over it and scaffolding all around it. But having traveled so far, I was determined to make the most of it.

I rented an audio-guide and went in. The inside of the Chapel is quite ornate. There are flowers and leaves everywhere carved in stone. There are also Biblical characters, "Green Men," and skeletons. I even saw an angel playing the bagpipes. I can see how a symbologist would have a big time there, but it didn't answer any of life's great questions for me--like in The DaVinci Code. In fact, Rosslyn Chapel is not much more than a congregation of Scottish Episcopalians (not to say that that's not something--it's just not what I expected). If you're interested, you can find out more about it at www.rosslyn-chapel.com.

Afterwards, I went in the gift shop. They have "Templar Wine" and "Rosslyn Chapel Strawberry Preserves." You can get reproductions of some of the carvings and even a copy of The DaVinci Code. Then, you can read it whilst sipping tea in the Rosslyn Chapel Cafe (seriously).

Scottish Weather

2004-10-19T22:03:00.000+01:00

Scottish weather is here. I played golf on Saturday. While playing, I saw a bird flying--but the wind was blowing so hard that the bird wasn't going anywhere! It was raining part of the time that I was playing, but I still had fun. Today, it was raining again and the wind was blowing very hard. My umbrella turned inside-out three times! Basically, I've just stayed inside lately and read. I'm sure the weather will get better in December (when we go to Georgia).

Paris and the Dunhill

2004-10-11T00:17:00.000+01:00

We just returned from Paris yesterday. It was a great time. We went early on Wednesday and saw the Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, and Rue Cler. On Thursday, we went to Notre Dame, did some shopping, and took a dinner cruise down the Seine. The dinner cruise was definitely a high point--we got to see most of the sights at night while eating great food. On Friday, we went to the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, the Sacre Coeur, and we saw Moulin Rouge. We ate dinner at an outdoor cafe in Montmartre--definitely another high point. On Saturday, we got up early and returned to Scotland in time to listen to the Georgia game. Judging by how the game went, we probably should have stayed in Paris.

Our time in Paris was great. We ate plenty of good food (no fish and chips for a change!). We didn't spend any time in lines. We sat in lots of cafes and drank espresso. We had a good time with each other.

In addition to the UGA game, we wanted to come back from Paris to go to the Dunhill golf tournament which was taking place in St. Andrews. It's a fun pro-am tournament--there are plenty of famous people that play in it. This afternoon, I decided to go over late enough not to have to buy a ticket. It was a beautiful day for Scottish golf--50 degrees, windy, and a little bit of rain. I wasn't there long, but I did see Dennis Hopper and Samuel L. Jackson. Apparently, Samuel L. shot an eagle on #5. He was also wearing a pink sweater and pastel yellow pants in a way that only he could. He looked like a little girl going to church on Easter--but I'm sure that he would have taken a golf club to anyone who told him that.

a post about school...

2004-10-04T23:10:00.000+01:00

It occured to me that I never post anything about school, study, etc. But something interesting did happen the other day. On Friday, I went to a lecture on Karl Barth given by Alan Torrance. It was a great lecture, but Prof. Torrance didn't even get halfway through it. At the end of class, he asked if he could finish it on Monday. Everyone was fine with that, so we met today and he finished the lecture. It continued to be a good lecture today, too.

Course #1: The Balgove

2004-10-02T20:30:00.000+01:00

I finally played golf today on one of the St. Andrews Links courses. I decided to take a cab so I wouldn't have to carry my clubs for the 30 minute walk to the course. I decided to start at the bottom and play the easiest course: The Balgove. The Balgove was designed for beginners and kids, so it's only 9 holes and the longest hole is 298 yards. There are no par 5's.

At the Balgove, you can't make a tee time. You just walk up to the starter, pay, and play. Because I am a student of sorts, it only cost me 3 pounds (just less than my cab ride over). I wandered over to the first tee. It was a little confusing trying to find the tee box and deciding which way I was supposed to hit the ball. Like all the golf courses in St.Andrews, there are no trees, bushes, or cart paths to help you orient yourself (and sometimes two holes will share one green). The advantage is that you can't lose a ball. The disadvantage is that the wind from the North Sea will do what it will with your ball once it is in the air.

As I stood on the first tee box trying to orient myself to this cow pasture style of golf course, three other people also approached the teebox. After a short discussion, we decided to play together. My new friends were Solvi, Sigga, and ????--two guys and a girl from Iceland. We were about the same skill level, so we had a good time.

After our game, Solvi, Sigga, ????, and I all went to the clubhouse for tea. I had Earl Grey. Feeling grateful for a great, inexpensive day of golf, I picked up the tab for the tea. Solvi must have felt grateful too, because he gave me a ride home.

I think I'll play again next Saturday.

3 things I like about British politics

2004-09-27T22:43:00.000+01:00

First, party conventions are really conventions. In the states, conventions are really just advertisements for the presidential candidate. Here, the party debates and determines their platform. Imagine that! I read in the Guardian today that Tony Blair is really taking heat from the Labour Party at the convention that is currently underway. In the states, it would be heretical for a Republican to tell Bush that they weren't happy with him or for a Democrate to tell Clinton that they weren't happy with him.

Second, it's illegal for candidate to advertise. This is nice b/c we don't have to endure the commercials, billboards, and yard signs. Also, you don't have to be rich or have rich friends to run for office. It makes the democracy much more open and democratic.

Third, everyone gets something in the mail requiring them to register to vote. It seems like such a simple solution. Politicians in the states always talk about getting people to register to vote. Why not send everyone a form to get them to register? Maybe politicians don't want everyone to vote...?

I hope that someone will comment on this...

2004-09-26T15:44:00.000+01:00

This is a deep-fried Mars bar. I know what your thinking: that's the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. That's what I said too. But it tastes soooo good. We've seen deep-friend candy bars everywhere over here. If you visit, there's a good fry bar only a few hundred feet from our door. We'll share a deep-fried Mars bar.

Avez-vous la valise?

2004-09-21T19:42:00.000+01:00

We found some incredible deals on ryanair.com the other day. For only 1 pence, we can fly from Glasgow to Paris. It sounds like a good deal at first, but then you convert it to dollars and realize that it actually costs about 1.8 cents. Seriously, there were a lot of fees--it ended up costing about $40 each round-trip. Still, you can't beat $40. We're going on October 6 and coming back on the 9th (in time to hear the Auburn game on the internet).

This weekend, we had our own "French Day." We ate French food, checked out some French guidebooks, and bought some phrase books at a second-hand shop. It's fun reading the British French books. They say things like, "France is, of course, our nearest neighbour and you can hop over the Channel and escape for a day or so in order to practice your French." Sounds like a jolly-good idea! A guidebook reads, "We know: you were dragged around [the sights] on the school trip to Pars, but the city's top ten tourist draws are enduringly alluring, so have a look...." Yes, yes. Those buggers dragged us all over Paris when we were wee. What torture!

UGA game

2004-09-19T20:57:00.000+01:00

Stacey and I watched the Georgia game online yesterday at ESPN Gameplan Online. We had on our UGA shirts, ate tailgating food, and drank beer. It was great. Technology is incredible. We were watching the game from our computer in Scotland which IMing friends in the states. Meanwhile, my parents in Georgia had to settle for listening to the game on the radio.

We went to a new church this morning call St. Leonards. It was founded in 1199, but it's not the oldest church in town. It had a younger feel than the other church that we went to (which was founded in 1140). Our friend from Princeton, David McNutt, is the Parish Assistant there. The people were very friendly and the worship service was good. Afterwards, we had tea in the fellowship hall.

cheap golf

2004-09-16T22:13:00.000+01:00

I went down to the Old Course this afternoon and hit some balls (I've always wanted to say that). It rained some but it didn't matter because I was in my own stall with a roof over my head. They have a really nice practice center, six courses, and two clubhouses--all open to the public and reasonably priced. Apparently, I can get a membership as a student for 110 pounds/year and play as much as I like. I can't wait. They also have two courses for beginners like me. If your interested, go to www.standrews.org.uk.

things are different here...

2004-09-16T13:10:00.000+01:00

The other day, we worshipped at Trinity Parish Church. On the sign outside, is said the church was founded ca. 1140. I think most of the founding members still attend there.

The other day, I read in the newspaper that there is a national shortage of shepherds in Scotland. I've never even met a shepherd, but apparently there are less than 1000 shepherds left in Scotland.

The other day, everyone was making a big deal over the Celtic vs. Barcelona football game (soccer). The game took place in Glasgow--home to the Celtic FC and rabid Celtic fans. But they had to start the game 45 minutes late because so many of the fans were late getting there. Apparently, there was a bad traffic jam outside the stadium when everyone decided to arrive five minutes before the game.

Mongers

2004-09-14T12:00:00.000+01:00

We finally got decent internet, so I can blog away now. One thing I've wanted to blog about is all the mongers here in St. Andrews. We have a Cheesemonger, a Fishmonger, an Ironmonger, and a Musicmonger. It seems that if you sell something, you can just name that item, put "monger" behind it, and be in business. The ironmonger doesn't really sell iron, though--the ironmonger is more like a hardware store. But I guess "hardwaremonger" was too long. Every time that I pass the cheesemonger, I just about fall over dead. The smells that come from that monger are incredibly putrid. And I haven't even been inside yet. The fishmonger has nothing on the cheesemonger in the way of smells. After I return to the states, I think I might call myself the theologymonger, or the spiritualitymonger, or maybe the sermonmonger.

2004-09-14T11:47:00.000+01:00

Here's a picture of us on the bridge over the Swilken Burn on the 18th hole of the Old Course. That is the Royal and Ancient Golf Club behind us to the left, and the North Sea is to the left of that. On Sunday, the Old Course becomes a park and you can walk around on it. It's much different from Augusta. A tourguide told me that the National was Disneyland because we colored the water and the grass, among other things. The Old Course is on public land and the citizens of St. Andrews play on it year round for a nominal fee. It's an nteresting contrast to Augusta.

phone #, etc.

2004-09-08T18:37:00.000+01:00

We finally have a phone number and internet. Now, we feel like real people again. Our # is 01334 471018. In order to dial that from the states, I believe you must preface it with 011 44 and then drop the first zero in our number. In other words, 011 44 1334 471018. If I'm wrong, then please reply to this posting and let me know. Also, if you're looking for a good international long distance service, then you might want to go to onesuite.com.

We hope to hear from someone soon (we hope that Frances hasn't washed everyone away).

whisky and a haircut

2004-09-08T01:42:00.000+01:00

Lately, I've become very shaggy--so I was happy to read in the local newspaper yesterday that there was a barber shop in town where I could get a haircut followed by a complimentary shot of whisky. So I went to the barber shop and found this ad to be completely true: for £4, I got a haircut and a shot of whisky (all before noon).

We've moved in and all is well, but we still don't have internet access. As such, my blogs are still a bit short and sloppy. Check back in a few days for more content.

Cheers.

long time...

2004-09-01T20:22:00.000+01:00

It's been a while since my last post. Since then, we've been all over Edinburgh, battled a hostile hostel infestation of mites/bed bugs, we met up with some folks from P'ton Seminary, and we got free tee shirts for drinking 8 pints in 8 different pubs.

Life has tamed a bit since arriving in St. Andrews on Sunday. Our B & B was wonderful--no infestations and breakfasts fit for royalty. This is a great town. There are only 18,000 people here. We have wonderful scenery with the North Sea, the Old Course, and the castle and cathedral ruins.

This afternoon, we move into our new flat. We can't wait. As soon as we get an ISP, we'll upload some pictures to our website.

Military Tattoo

2004-08-25T22:41:00.000+01:00

After checking in to our hostel in Edinburgh yesterday, we went up to the Royal Mile and saw some of the street performers at the Fringe Festival (see the link at www.geocities.com/aecuga/links). Then, we had some whisky, beer, and pub grub. With stomachs full, we ascended the Royal Mile to the castle esplanade for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It was incredible. There were bands and performance groups from the UK, China, South Africa, Australia, India, and Estonia. The pipers were amazing (you can hear the music on the Tattoo website). The castle was lighted. There were fireworks. There were flyovers by the Royal Air Force. And there was a lone piper on top of the castle.

Today, we went to the Book Festival. I'm going back at 4:30 to hear Karen Armstrong speak (if you don't know Karen Armstrong, search her name on www.amazon.com). I think we may also see a film tonight at the Edinburgh Film Festival. I'll let you know how it goes...

9 hours on the Megabus

2004-08-24T03:24:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was a good last day in London. We had a picnic in front of Buckingham Palace and sat in St. James Park all afternoon listening to a brass band play. We walked around for several hours through Hyde Park and some other areas and had dinner in Oxford Circus.

Today, we got on the Megabus and rode for 9 hours to Glasgow. Our only stop was in Manchester. We're finally here at our shady hostel. Tomorrow, we leave for Edinburgh.

scotch smoked salmon

2004-08-22T00:39:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was great! We toured parliament and Westminster Hall (ca. 1078). We took a ride up the Thames on a ferry. We saw St. Paul's, London Bridge, the Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. We had a picnic in front of the tower that included a scotch smoked salmon sandwich and a prawn (shrimp) and avacado sandwich. It was an experience that we cherish but will probably not repeat. Oh, and a drunk carny kissed Stacey on the cheek.

Today, we went up Whitehall and saw the changing of the horse guard. Then, we went up to Trafalger Square and into the National Portrait Gallery. We just walked right in--no security and no fee--and saw paintings by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Rubens, Monet, Manet, and others. Then, we walked out the back and up into Leichester Square where we had a better lunch than the day before. We spent the afternoon walking through Soho, Picadilly, Covent Gardens, etc. just looking at all the people. And now, we're about to go to the Globe to see Much Ado About Nothing. We're in the cheap seats which means we're standing with no roof over our heads--hope it doesn't rain.

Anyway, we're having a great time in London. And we miss everybody. And we can't wait to get to Scotland.

jet laaa...zzz

2004-08-20T19:01:00.000+01:00

Even though we stayed up all night the night before and all day when we arrived, we couldn't get to sleep last night and couldn't wake up this morning. We set the alarm for 7:30 and Stacey had to kick me out of the bed at 9:45. Looks like we missed the changing of the guard today. Fortunately, the guard will change every other day for the rest of history.

I also had tea with sugar and "whitener" this morning instead of coffee. It was good. I could used to that.

Now, we're off to Whitehall.

we're here

2004-08-20T05:46:00.000+01:00

We arrived in London today via Virgin Atlantic. It was a great flight--as far as flights go. After staying up all night watching movies, playing video games, and eating, we were very tired this morning upon our arrival at Heathrow. As such, it was quite a challenge getting 200 lbs. of luggage to the hotel from the airport. 100 lbs. each isn't much when you consider we're moving, but it's much too much with which to comfortably travel.

We've been trying not to sleep too much today so that we can sleep tonight and be done with jet lag. We walked around a little bit and saw Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and some other sites. We went to the ATM, the drug store, and a few other places to help us get adjusted. We met several nice people. And we had fish and chips for dinner.

Overall, it's been a good day and a good beginning to our trip. Tomorrow...we conquer London.

9 more days...

2004-08-10T00:22:00.000+01:00

Well, I've created my first blog. It seems like that should be the last thing that I do before I leave--so I guess I'm ready to leave. Except that I haven't packed yet. But after that, I'll be ready to go. It seems that Stacey and I have taken care of just about everything that we need to take care of, so now it's just a matter of time. 9 more days...