Saturday,
July 27th
Unlike the routine I follow
religiously back at Pitzer, this summer has been literally months of unexpected
travels and adventures. Today turned out
to be one of those days.
Having exerted myself far more than
I had planned to the previous day, I was ready for a nice, relaxing
evening. Bryan was in the same
boat. As a casual golfer, I thought it
would be a shame to come to Scotland and not see one of the most famous courses
of all time, St. Andrews. Only an hour
and a half away, we decided to head to the course then come back to the city in
the late afternoon.
The drive up to St. Andrews featured
some of the most beautiful countryside I’d ever seen. We’d pass through quaint little towns with
colorful two story houses stacked side by side, then dart through narrow roads
with expansive fields of lavender and hay to our left and majestic cliffs to
the right. It reminded me of the Spanish
town Girona followed by countryside
featured in Moonrise Kingdom or Everything is Illuminated.
Once we arrived in the city of Saint
Andrews, we took an hour to explore the city streets, beach, and famous church
graveyard. Up the road, we found
ourselves at the iconic St. Andrews clubhouse resort. I seldom watch golf, but I was able to
recognize the building the moment I saw it.
My dad and I used to play golf often when I was younger or on vacation,
and I figured a proper golf shirt from this famous course would be a proper
gift. When talking up the saleswomen in
the shop, I found that there was a twilight rate for golfers without
reservations. I could also fib and say
I’d only play 9 holes and just follow through 18 since the marshal finished his
day at 5. I couldn’t resist – I talked
Bryan into playing a round. We bought
some 50% off collared shirts, and headed to the clubhouse to make a tee time.
Once at the clubhouse, we found the
cashier was working one of her first days.
She helped us rent clubs, buy some balls (I was rusty; hadn’t swung a club
in over a year), and ringed us up. The
total came to 84 Pounds, which seemed oddly low. It was even more peculiar when the cashier
told Bryan I’d paid for him. No use
arguing – we headed out to the first tee.
As we set up, I emptied my pockets into the golf bag (did I mention we
were rented 2013 Titlist clubs?) I checked my receipt and noticed that the
green fee came to be $0.00 – Free! The
cashier must have screwed up, but again, I wasn’t going to argue. Instead, I was going to play a free round of
golf at one of the most famous and iconic courses in the world.
Our 18 holes were incredible. Granted, I was rusty from the beginning. I “borrowed” some range balls that had rolled
over to the first tee, and by the end of 18 holes, we’d lost our fair share. However, both Bryan and I had some beautiful
shots. I had two impressive drives, 250
yards plus, one near pin-point chip, and a 27 foot put. The course itself was gorgeous; rolling hills
and cliffs running right up to the ocean along with picturesque fields of grain
and a low mist. It was just beautiful.
With a full 18 holes, walking our
bags and the course, it was certainly time for some food. We ended driving all the way back to
Edinburgh to the restaurant we ate at our first night, followed by a long drive
out of the city to our minimalist Holiday
Inn Express. It may be a theme of my
summer, being young, or just life itself, but I’ve really come to understand
that the unexpected can work itself out in incredibly satisfying ways; all you
have to do is go out and see what you get.
Sunday,
July 28th.
This entry is a short one. The following morning, after breakfast and a
drive back to town, Bryan and I found ourselves in a powerful rainstorm. We enjoyed driving the gothic architecture,
cobblestone streets of old town Edinburgh, visiting the iconic castle on the
hill, and driving fast in the now familiar “backwards” Toyota Yaris before
heading to the airport.
After a short
flight and dinner in downtown London, I carefully packed my bags, and laid
everything soft I had on the floor.
Shirts, pants, quick-dry towel, and Kente-Cloth as my sheet, I slept on
the floor of Bryan’s apartment, excited to head home the following day. After two months abroad, I can say without a
doubt that this has been the most incredible, fulfilling, industrious summer of
my life. Transcripts, journal, and
papers combined, I’d written over 320 pages while reading four books. I traveled both on my own to foreign places
as well as “vacationed” with friends in familiar ones. Most importantly, however, I’ve grown to
appreciate the hidden experiences behind the vale of unplanned adventure. In every situation, I’ve come to appreciate
and look forward to figuring out life as it comes; to let go of scheduling,
planning, being on-time and regimented, and just enjoy the ride. In the end, no matter how much I worry or
plan for the future, there really is little I can control. Making smart decisions coupled with a good
outlook on whatever comes really is a recipe to good stories and a good life.
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