I can tell you a thing or two about St. Andrews, Scotland

Have you ever wanted to meet a real life Jane Austen character with perfectly unkempt locks and an eye for all things literary? 

Well, blog readers, this is Lauren Rogers.

She's a songbird. She's loves tea more than anyone I know. She has a style all her own. And she's in St. Andrews, Scotland. Here's what she has to say about her temporary home.

Where do you find yourself?

I find myself in the setting where I always imagined myself playing pretend as a child: surrounded by castle ruins, cheered with light snow, and supported by cobblestone streets. For four and a half months, I will live here in a small fishing village right off the coast of the North Sea in St. Andrews, Scotland. The place where royal romances are made, many martyrs were burned, and “pub golf” is the favorite sport. 

What’s a day of yours look like?

All of my days in St. Andrews rest on two essentials: books and tea. These items are the center of my plans that determine the day’s future events. After waking up and perhaps attending my Mediaevalism class or Development of the Novel Til 1840 course, I find the nearest café, which of late has been Northpoint, where they advertize, “Where Kate and Wils Met (for coffee!). After reading there while draining my teapot for one, I journey over to the library, where I find a deep chair overlooking the North Sea. After reading for several more hours, I make the short pilgrimage to the bench that allows the North Sea to have the audience it deserves. Stuffing some seashells or opaque rocks into my secret pocket, I might make a stop in Boquiniste or another local bookshop. Today I bought a Scottish short story and poetry anthology called Echoes of the Sea (I promised myself I wouldn’t buy another book yesterday). My favorite way to end the day is with a visit to the Blue Stane, an earthy pub where people watching is near perfection.

Have you traveled around the area? What’s that like? Any discoveries?

Differing from the dramatic landscape of St. Andrews, my trip to Edinburgh boasted a misty, haunting city where culture hides from the rainy weather in elaborate stone buildings. Although I was there for a pretty full day, I only managed to visit Edinburgh Castle, Elephant House Café (the “birthplace of Harry Potter”), Museum of Scotland, and World’s End Pub. I could talk for hours about these jaw-dropping historical places, but my favorite discovery was the bathroom (make you sure you call it a “toilet” or you look crazy) in the Elephant House Café. The small room is white, or was white at one point. Now it is covered in notes readers from all over the world have written to J.K. Rowling, thanking her for the difference she made in their lives. After misting up reading these quotes and letters, I fumbled for my own pen and wrote, “Still waiting for my letter!” on a small space underneath “You made my childhood. Thanks.”

What is yummy to eat there? What is not yummy to each there?

Haggis is actually very yummy. Just don’t ask what it is.

What can we glean from your travels/new home? Tell us a story.

I am an extrovert in that horrid, weird musical theatre kid kind of way. Every day of my life in Nashville is packed with coffee dates, rehearsals, parties, and concerts. Although as an English major I do force myself to sit down and actually read/write essays, these times are still sprinkled with conversations with friends and jotting down ideas for Follies sketches. Here in my quiet fishing village I came in knowing only one person, my good friend and fellow English major, and have no responsibilities outside of my literature courses. Never again in my life will I ever only be required to read novels and poetry and make plans to travel to London and Paris. Although my home is in Tennessee, my heart is being pulled closer and closer to the tides of the North Sea as it beckons me to let my hair down and stand still as my boots sink in its tides.

Sweet Lauren, your words makes me feel the need for salty air and time to read poetry. I just could read this four more times. xoxo

Don't forget the giveaway you birds!