Is That a Challenge?

Last Thursday we had our first all-ISS (International Summer School) day trip. Now, when I first heard the phrase "All-ISS Day Trip," it was used in the context of a good way for all of us to get to know each other. It sounded a lot like an elementary school field trip. And so this is what I pictured: 30 twenty-something Americans, each carrying an unwieldy, brightly colored backpack (because we were told to be prepared for anything), holding hands as we cross the street in a never ending line. Obviously that was ridiculous. But it was a funny picture, at least.

As it turns out, that was not what happened.What actually happened is that they picked us up in a charter bus outside our flats at 8:30 in the morning, drove us to St Andrews, let us off and told us to be back by 4:00 or they'd leave without us. Much better. Despite the fact that we avoided that potential catastrophe (which just existed in my head) the day was full of challenges, the first of which was enjoying the bus ride.

I know what you're thinking. Doesn't seem like a challenge, does it? Well it was. You see, this whole allergy thing has been a series of small battles, and on this particular day the allergies won. Basically this means that my contacts refused to be inserted into my eyes...or maybe my eyes refused to have the contacts inserted...but either way, I wore glasses. Fine. After trying for days to find out what causes this allergic reaction and constant eye-watering, I have no clue. But I know the sunlight doesn't help. At all. And this is where the challenge comes in...

The ride to St. Andrews is gorgeous. We specifically took a road that goes along the Ochil Hills, which are beautiful green hills that provide a transition between the flat border country and the mountainous Highlands. I wasn't about to miss out on the view simply because I experienced stabbing pains and excessive watering every time I opened my eyes wide enough to appreciate my surroundings. I developed a strategy. And if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, you're welcome to borrow it.

Close your eyes. This won't necessarily stop the watering, but it will minimize it to a little bit of leaking from only your right eye. Be patient -- keep them closed and try to focus on something other than the irritation. Then, when you feel up to it, quickly use the back of your hand to wipe away the moisture from your face, and immediately turn your face to the window, open your eyes as wide as possible and enjoy .5 seconds of view before the waterfall of tears obscures the hills to a green blur. And...repeat.

It really wasn't that bad, but I do look forward to actually enjoying the drive the next time we go.

All of the waiting was more than worth it, because when we finally arrived in St. Andrews, my eyes had recovered and the day was beautiful. It was about 50 degrees and partly cloudy with a light (sometimes not so light) sea breeze. Many of us decided upon arrival that it was quite a bit more chilly than we expected, and a cup of coffee would be just the ticket (<-- I really don't like that phrase, but I feel like it's sort of British, and it fit).

I had up to this point been quite disappointed with the quality of coffee produced in this country. They have the tea thing down...which is great. But I really felt the need for a comforting, familiar, warm cup of goodness. And as we walked down the quaint, cobblestone streets, it appeared as if on cue -- Starbucks. I know, I know. It's pathetic. As far as I was concerned, though, as long as I was paying for coffee I might as well know it's going to be good. Many of the girls I was walking with had similar ideas. However, immediately after we spotted the Starbucks sign, Sterling pointed out a small bakery just down a side street that supposedly had amazing pastries.

Okay, Sterling, I see what you're saying, but I have one word for you -- Starbucks.

He then proceeded to explain to us that people came to St. Andrews just for these pastries. That people had them shipped across the country to the four corners of Britain. That people killed other people for these pastries.

Alright, so I just added that last bit for effect, but whatever he said worked well enough for us to agree to stop for pastries, and then carry them back for coffee at Starbucks. A win-win situation, really. But I wasn't willing to believe that these baked goods were all they were cracked up to be.

I walked into the doorway and was immediately hit with a wave of smells. Freshly baked bread. Roasted coffee beans. Whipped Cream. Sugar. Sugar. Sugar. But not a sickly sweet smell. It was a perfect blend of richness and sweetness. And that was just the smell. I'm incredibly upset that I lost the picture I took of the counter window. Inside was every imaginable baked good you've ever dreamt of eating. I felt like I was in a shop in Harry Potter or maybe at the dessert table of a Redwall feast.

I had no idea what to order. ("Everything" came to mind at first, but I thought better of it.) So, I asked the guy behind the counter what his favorite is. And he pointed to one tray that had large, cream-stick looking items on it, saying (in a Scottish accent that I can't hope to accurately represent) that these were the town favorite, but it looks like they were overcooked today. And then, as though he knew me, he pointed to another tray which held a masterpiece entitled "Coffee Cream Tower."

He said, "These ones are a challenge."
And I wittily replied, "I'll take one of those. I'm up for a challenge."

Sadly, that is not made up. I really did say those words exactly. My only hope is that my reply was lost beneath the street noise coming from the door.

It was, indeed, a challenge. The CCT was roughly the size of both of my fists put together. The outer shell was the flakiest, softest pastry I've ever bitten into. Inside was a filling of fresh whipped cream (it had probably been in a cow the day before) with a slight hint of coffee flavoring. The tower was frosted with a thin coating of slightly chewy coffee icing and crowned with a chocolate circle.

Turns out, I would kill someone for one of those pastries. Okay. No...I probably wouldn't. Maybe a punch or two. I don't mean to be ridiculous, but Fisher and Donaldson was probably one of the highlights of St. Andrews.

After breakfast, we headed to the shore. In case you didn't know, St Andrews is in the middle of the east coast of Scotland. This makes for some amazing scenery. Many of the most beautiful spots in the town look out over the North Sea. And no matter where you are in the city, when the breeze picks up, you can smell the salt water. I wish so much that I could capture the beauty of the area with words, but I'm not sure that's possible. Not only is there the sea and rocky coast, but there are also many ruins that dot the coastline. Specifically, our first stop was to the site of the ruins of St Andrew's Castle.

The best way I can think to describe this part of the day is to explain that I could have stayed at one spot on the beach all day and snapped 1,000 photos without ever tiring of the view. I ended up taking hundreds and hundreds of pictures. I wonder sometimes if the sights are lost on the locals, or if they wake up every day in awe of their surroundings.

After my flatmate, Courtney, tripped and fell into a patch of seawater with her camera, we were a bit disenchanted with the beach and decided to ascend the cliff behind us in search of drier activities. Just a short way up the road, we came upon a monstrous stone tower and set of walls that we had been photographing from a distance. Enclosed in these crumbling remains were hundreds of gravestones and monuments. The ruins belong to The Cathedral of St. Andrews. The Cathedral was built beginning in AD 1158, and at the time was the largest Cathedral in Scotland. Even now, you can tell from the expanse between the walls and pieces of towers that the place was enormous.The pictures can describe it better than I, but two things struck me:

1) The gravestones themselves were clearly ancient, but wouldn't have been in place until after the cathedral had deteriorated...which means the cathedral was that much older.

2) Though the Castle and Cathedral were both made and destroyed hundreds of years ago, the landscape around them is basically just as it was during their prime. God's creation has remained perfect and strong and beautiful even as the buildings of men crumble. The people who lived in that Castle enjoyed the same view that I did last Thursday. Amazing.

Our final hours of the trip took us to the sandy beaches just near the Old Course, arguably the first golf course ever made. The beach near the courses was quite peaceful. A few sea gulls interrupted our conversation and sands blown up by the wind caused us to shield our eyes occasionally. Overall, it was a nice, relaxing way to end the day. I have to admit that we didn't actually go to the course to take pictures. It seems like a crime to be in St. Andrews and not see the golf courses or University, right? Well, I'll be going back in a few weeks to catch what I neglected (and to snag another pastry from Fisher and Donaldson!).