Tee Time!

Forget actually getting on the course; the views (and pro shops) are worth the trip!

Every golfer and golf fan knows St. Andrews as sport's birthplace; it's somewhat of a mecca. Clearly, I never paid close attention because I was expecting a Pebble Beach-style course with cliffs and narrow fairways. Surprise!! It's literally as flat as a course can get. That doesn't mean that it's not a showstopper, because if I could, I would move onto the Old Course permanently.

Known for its near impossible sand traps, I was absolutely itching for a tee time, but without a valid handicap, set of clubs, or my ever-faithful caddy (hint: it's my dad), I was fresh out of luck.

The car ride wasn't all that great, but our driver Fergus was. Too bad our weak American stomachs couldn't exactly handle the non-stop roundabouts, (I still don't understand what's so bad about stoplights!) But, that didn't stop me (and Mich, Tati, and Rox) from utterly raiding the pro shop. I'm convinced that about 40% of my love for golf stems from the outfits. In this city, there are about 3 shops on every corner too!

We totally thought that there would be more shopping than just golf stores, too bad they're all closed on Mondays... Regardless we found one of the best restaurants of the trip! Tucked off the main road, Forgan's is a one-stop-shop for delicious food and drinks. They're farm-to-table, and it's easy to see as their entry way's are full of the day's fresh produce.

Don't let the name, or 13-year-old Kathryn, fool you. When cooked right, haggis is actually so good. To the point where I owe Scottish food a serious apology. In fact, we channeled our inner Highlanders, ordering fish & chips, g&t's, beets, and some meat pie.

Nearing food coma's, we had to walk anywhere, really. So we tracked down the castle and cathedral. Warning! It's just the ruins. Not that I don't love a good 13th-century graveyard, just that we couldn't even walk through it. Apparently, both are under refurbishment? Rumor has it, they just don't staff people in the off-season. The views were still stunning, and we found a few cliff-side homes we wouldn't mind putting offers on!

The pubs were absolute perfection. Complete with about 25 different whiskeys, 15 draft beers, and 0 tequilas (I've learned to love a good whiskey soda instead). After a solid round of drinks, we had dinner at The Adamson. It was decorated in Veuve Clicquot bottles, so I felt entirely at home. They even had champagne trees!!

After, sweet Fergus picked us up for the drive home *cue Tati singing "Fergalicious"*. But the night wasn't just over as we snuck into Falkland for a little surprise. Anyone who is as in love with Outlander and Jamie Fraser as we are, would recognize it right way... it's the town center from the opening scene! Not going to lie, we did play the theme song about 6 times before we stopped fantasizing about kilts... at least temporarily.