Blog written by Esther:
This morning came early as they all seem to do on this trip. Not enough sleep to match the endless hours of exploring through museums, castles and cathedrals. Yet again we rose from our bunks ready for another adventure; this time in Edinburgh Scotland.
At roughly 7:30, all 12 of us, still asleep or not made our way to the dining hall where we were lavished with a wonderful breakfast. One thing I’ve learned is that breakfast is the most IMPORTANT meal of the day. Each morning we load up on cereal, eggs, toast, ham, and if you’re curious, beans. Truly, you need all the energy you can get because you burn it up very fast.
At 8:00 we all piled into the bus ready to head out. Our first stop today was St. Andrews. On the way our bus driver shared with us little Scottish phrases and what they mean in English. Natalie and I sat in the back trying to listen and write them all down as the bus driver shared them over the intercom. One of the phrases, “Peely Wally,” I found I could relate to today which translated means, “not feeling very well.” Within the last two days I managed to catch a chest cold. Thank goodness for airborne! Airborne has been my hero and Mrs. Frisk is making sure I take one at breakfast everyday! Here are a few other phrases that we learned today that I’ll share with you just for fun.
Tatty Bogle=scarecrow
Gaff=mistake
Neuk=street corner
Cranny=crack
Once we arrived in St. Andrews we spent the day touring places like the St. Andrews University where John Knox preached on occasion and St. Andrews church where we climbed the church tower which overlooks the water allowing for an incredible view of St. Andrews. I know most of us would not have wanted to be one of the monks who had to climb the church tower everyday! For some odd reason I decided to trek up the tower twice! There is nothing like a winding staircase wide enough for your body to almost comfortably ascend its height. I think someone counted 159 steps; if I had to guess at the time I would have said 2,000!
After climbing the church tower we meandered to Bishop’s Palace where just in front marked the spot where George Wishart was burned at the stake. Here was another amazing place to stand and try to imagine history unfolding before us. Mr. Sarr read the story of Wishart’s execution as we all stood around the location of his death. It was incredible to think a man gave his life for the sake of the Lord on the crudely marked monument in front of us. After exploring the ruins of St. Andrews Castle or The Bishops Castle we headed down town through St. Andrews for lunch. We found a local bakery and purchased a few pies and hot-cross-buns and then headed over to civilization for some Starbucks! We were so desperate for Starbucks we followed the trail of old cups littering the sidewalks! After our lunch break we all took a stroll down to the beach where the opening scene of Chariots of Fire took place! So of course we had to stop and take a “chariots of fire” picture of all of us running in the sand like Eric Little! After wiggling the sand from our toes we headed out for some more Hollywood fun, visiting the monument for William Wallace! This was quite the monument…I have to admit the statue of Mel Gibson posing as William Wallace was a wee bit over the top…I think if you are going to have a statue for Wallace, you might want well, William Wallace! The monument was a tower which we climbed a mere 246 steps to see a few posters and a “re-hilted” sword that “is” Wallace’s. What the monument lacked in artifacts made up for in view. The view is worth the plane ticket to Europe altogether! I felt as though I could see all of Scotland from top the monument. It was absolutely gorgeous! The sun just barely shone on the green hills surrounding the valley while other patches of sun sent beams down on the valley making the lakes glisten under its light. It was breath taking! What a moment to praise our great God! Psalm 19:1 paints this picture best, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” The scenery today was astounding. But after seeing the monument, Mrs. Frisk summed it up best tonight in our wrap-up meeting by saying, “I love how nothing satisfies in this life and it leaves you wanting, which as it should be…” So remember as I conclude this blog that although England can avail some of the most beautiful sunsets, France the most elegant towns, and Scotland the most astounding landscapes, nothing in this life can satisfy except our excellent King.
Miss you all and I can’t wait to see you!
Clockwise: Some of the group running on the beach where the opening scene of Chariots of Fire was filmed; George Wishart's initials in cobblestone marking where he was burned at the stake; Stirling where William Wallace defeated the English and gave Mel Gibson an opportunity to win an Oscar (Braveheart); Natalie and Andrea filling vacated tombs.
