Honeymoon Day 2 (September 22, 2009): Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road

One of the toughest things about traveling anywhere overseas is getting used to the different time zone. Jenn and I got very little rest on our first night in Scotland, however when we did get up at around 8:30am we woke up with a fair amount of energy. One of the things that is so different about our Honeymoon in comparison to past Europe trips is that we had little to nothing planned out for this trip except where we were staying. So when we headed down to Breakfast we had to start coming up with some semblance of what we wanted to do on this trip.

One of the things that we had briefly talked about doing and then pursued was renting a car. We have never driven ourselves overseas we either use trains or taxi's to get us around but we have always wanted to just rent a car and drive. So we booked our car for two days and were told to come retrieve the car at 1:00pm. So to make up some time while we waited we decided to tour the grounds of the Gleneagles Hotel. We went over and checked out their beautiful tennis courts which was situated right next to a pristine hedge maze which we struggled to complete. The grounds of the hotel make for some great walks and luckily so far the weather has held up extremely well, especially given that the forecast called for a lot of rain through our stay.

Jenn by one of the many fountains at the Gleneagles Hotel

We Made it to the Center of the Maze

Standing by their big Pond

Jenn in Front of the Gleneagles Hotel

We ended up renting a BMW 318i which was a beauty both inside and out. So we now had the car and we then needed to decide where we wanted to go. Jenn surprisingly suggested St. Andrews which she had heard was near the beach and I of course knew all about because of the British Open, so we got directions from the concierge and headed on our way from Auchterarder (where the Gleneagles is located) to St. Andrews about a 50 mile drive.  I have always wanted to drive in the UK just to get a feel for how it is to drive on the wrong side of the road, but was always concerned that I would get myself killed. And although Jenn will tell you that I got us close a couple of times I would venture to say that I did relatively well. After 10-15 minutes it became rather easy. You do have to get used to there round-about's which are really just a free for all.

Driving in the BMW heading to St. Andrews

Typical Scotland Scenery as we Drive to St. Andrews

So we ended up making it to St. Andrews safe and sound. We did not go visit the golf course because you needed to pre-book tours there and we did not, but we got to see a lot of the course driving up to the city. We ended up walking around St. Andrews which is a beautiful small town with a lot of small shops, restaurants, and ancient artifacts. We visited the St. Andrews Castle and toured the premises as well as the St. Andrews cathedral. The views and the environment of St. Andrews was incredible and exceeded both Jenn and my expectations of the place.

Standing in front of the St. Andrews Cathedral

St. Andrews Cathedral

Jenn at the Beach in St. Andrews

We ended up eating dinner at a small Italian restaurant called Z'zzi's which was setup in a pretty cool modern style and had pretty much any kind of Italian food you would want. Jenn and I went traditional with Jenn getting some spaghetti and I got a peperoni with red and green peppers pizza. We decided to splurge a bit and got desert both getting ice cream. It was a great meal and although not necessarily authentic Scottish food it was nice to have a relaxing and tasty Italian meal.

Outside of Z'zzi a small Italian restaurant in St Andrews Scotland

Having Bottled Coke is the Best

My Pizza from Z'zzi

Jenn's Pasta from Z'zzi

After spending a good portion of our day in St. Andrews we headed back to our hotel. To show you how confidant Jenn was with my navigating and driving skills she fell asleep about 10-15 minutes after we got out of the main city. When we got back to the hotel I got a Mocoa and Jenn got a Hot Chocolate and we sat and talked in the cafe for quite a while rehashing the day. When I pictured what our honeymoon was going to be like in the months leading up to it I pictured days like today which proved yet again why I am the luckiest man in the world.