Jonathan Goldsmith has nothing on Archie Watson who, though I've never seen him with a Dos Equis, is assuredly the "Most Interesting Man In the World."
Archie (pictured above) and I share 2 interests:  coffee shops & the American Civil War.  So in order to satisfy the latter, we spent an afternoon in the Abbot House (a 16th Century coffee house on the grounds of Dunfermline Abby) discussing Robert E. Lee, the role of slavery during the war, Lincoln's changing image through history, and other Civil War topics that came to mind.  Adding to the Dos Equis title that I've bestowed on Archie is the fact that he has in his possession a letter dating from 1865 written by a Union soldier.  He showed me this letter and we attempted to crack several mysteries surrounding the nature of the sender.  What an afternoon for a history teacher!!!

Several days later Archie picked up Sarah and I for a day trip around the Fife coast.  The highlight was St. Andrews, a Medieval town famous for it's golf course & university, but our first stop was in Falkland, a well preserved historical town from the Middle Ages.  We spent some time walking the streets before having a bite to eat in a very nice tearoom.  Falkland is a well preserved historical town from the Middle Ages.  The town is very quaint and peaceful.  Most of the houses are accented by an array of flower baskets hanging from windows Falkland's most impressive attraction is the palace, which served as a favorite hunting destination for the kings & queens of Scotland for centuries.

Falkland Palace

Falkland

outside Falkland Palace

Falkland

 We arrived in St. Andrews just after lunch and spent the bulk of our day there.  Beginning with the Royal and Ancient clubhouse, we toured parts of the golf course and watched several groups play through the famous holes.  The wonderful thing about St. Andrews is that it is publicly owned land, so we had full right to venture onto the holes to have a look around (given that there wasn't someone raining golf balls around you).

On the famous Swilcan Bridge on the Old Course - hole #18

"The Road Hole" is arguably the most famous hole in golf worldwide.

the Old Course

 After touring the Old Course we headed into town to walk around St. Andrews University.  The university is one of the oldest in the world and has a very distinguished history.  The buildings were really pretty as we toured around the quads and gardens of St. Mary's College.  No, we did not see William & Kate, but if that's the first thing that comes to mind when hearing "St. Andrews" then you probably have an unhealthy attachment to the royal family.  We did, however, visit the University Museum which houses a number of very interesting historical artifacts (I know, not nearly as exciting as seeing the royal couple).

St. Andrews University

St. Mary's College

Atop the museum looking over St. Andrews beach - on which they filmed the opening sequence from "Chariots of Fire"

St. Andrews

 After St. Andrews, Archie drove us along the Fife coast where we toured fishing villages like Crail and Anstruther.  These villages remind us of the small fishing communities along the northeast coast back in the States.  We enjoyed Crail Harbor as well as our Fish & Chip dinner in Anstruther.

In a small fishing village called Crail.  This is my favorite coffee shop in the world, looking out over the estuary of the North Sea.

Buildings in Crail Harbor

Thank you, Archie, for a very enjoyable day along the Fife coast!