Sea-Side St. Andrews

In less than three months I’ve moved from the mountains of Montana to the flat fields and rolling bluff lands of Minnesota to the sea-side town of St. Andrews, Scotland.  Each beautiful in its own right, flaunting its own personality and charm.  Thankfully, they are all so diverse that they ultimately become incomparable. 

This first week of this three-year marathon has itself felt like a marathon.  “Fresher’s Week,” they call it, though I’m not sure why; particularly since there is no such thing as a Freshman in their university system.  Each day has been packed full of learning the ins and outs of the town center, the shops, the good pubs and the not-so-good pubs, meeting other students, town tours, opening bank accounts, etc.-all the must-do’s of setting up camp in a new location.  And now it’s the eve of my first day of school… never mind that I won’t be going to class or taking exams.  What will I be doing?  Ask me in a few weeks. Or months.

Since there is so much I can tell you about all I’ve discovered and seen this week, I’ll start with a small glimpse into the town of St. Andrews.   

St. Andrews is a sea-side town.



It lies on the western edge of the North Sea, which separates Scotland/England from parts of continental Europe and Norway.  The water is cold, though supposedly not enough to keep kids out of it during the summer months or university students out of it at dawn on May 2nd each year.  Don’t ask me why!



There is a small harbor on the edge of town with some form of sea-creature wrangling going on.  I haven’t yet chatted with the skippers to get the inside scoop.  They all have a bit of a “don’t talk me if you’re a tourist” look to them.  Or maybe I’m just more shy than I like to admit.



And like any sea, the tide goes in and out on a daily basis.  Do you see anything in this picture that just doesn’t seem to belong?



For the last two years, I’ve lived in the Northern Rocky Mountains.  For the next one year, at a minimum, I will live one block from the North Sea. 

Not a bad change of scenery!