The "Secret" Bunker

Oh, hi. What have you all been up to? Things around here have been...hectic, to say the least. But not with the kinds of things that are blog-worthy, mostly just lots of writing, many academic events, and too many deadlines in the month of May.

But that's all behind us (for now, anyway), and we can return to doing fun things that you might like to hear about. Like, going to visit "Scotland's best kept secret...until now!" Built in 1951, the "secret" nuclear bunker is under an unassuming farmhouse in the middle of the Scottish countryside outside St Andrews. It was actually operational until 1993, being used for "war games" and ready to serve as the heart of the Scottish government in case of nuclear attack.


These days, however, it's a tourist attraction, complete with (creepy) mannequins staging the different aspects of life underground, educational films on what to do in case of a nuclear attack, and enough Cold War paranoia to feed even the least conspiracy-minded among us. And, like any good tourist attraction, old uniforms, equipment, and weapons to stage photo shoots at the end.

Olivia and I master the switchboard and typewriter, while wearing old (and slightly smelly) military jackets.

At any rate, it was a fascinating experience, and an excellent way to pass a Thursday afternoon. Coming up in potential blog posts, we have a mini holiday in Dundee, the start of our first full summer in Scotland, and a conference tour of England in July. Stay tuned!