This morning at 9am we left our hotel in Edinburgh and set off for St Andrews, where we would see some of its storied history. We began our about hour long ride and made our first stop for a look at three bridges crossing the River Forth. These three bridges were all made in different centuries. The first one is a rail bridge finished in 1890; the second was finished in 1964, and is now out of use due to its condition; and the final bridge is the newest being finished in 2017, where it is now the main way to cross the river. 

After we left the bridges, we crossed the middle one of them to finish our trip to St Andrews. On the way our tour guide Ian taught us some facts about Scotland. We learned about its green energy and how it makes more than enough for itself, but they sends off their energy to the national UK grid for redistribution. We also learned about how it makes a lot of wheat which is mostly used to make liquor and porridge. 

When we arrived at St Andrews, we were allowed to roam about, but Ian also offered to bring us to the ruins of a church and a castle. Most of our group followed Ian to the church where we got to see all about its long construction and history. It was surrounded by a graveyard which we walked through on a path navigating around where the church once stood. We then went to a castle with one of the oldest surviving siege tunnels. At this point Ian was finished showing us the sights and we were left to our own devices.

Many of us journeyed down to the rocks to collect smooth rocks and cool shells, along with seeing the views and looking for animals in the tide pools. During this time, everyone also found lunch throughout the town, before we got back on the bus to head to Dundee.

On the bus, we learned more about the history of the land we passed through from Ian, our tour guide. At one point, we went around a roundabout 3 times in a row, to the great delight of everyone, then stopped at a wonderful fruit stand that sold the most delicious strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, among other things.

Once we arrived in Dundee, the majority of our ringers and roadies voted to visit Tesco, which is the equivalent of a Walmart, as opposed to learning more of the history of the area and warships.

After our snack gathering extravaganza, we had about 2 hours to rest before dinner at the hotel. Once the desert was over, everyone left to do their own thing, with people playing cards, going to bed, or taking walks.

-Sam and Aria