On the weekend of November 19 I went on my
HOST visit to Cornwall. The train journey from London Paddington took about 5 hours, winding through the forest and hills beyond Devon to the very southwestern tip of England. There I discovered enchantment.
{Day 1}
I was met at the station in a little village called St Erth by my hosts Bob and Michele, an older couple who live in a lovely late Victorian home that was once a doctor's house at the turn of the century. I dropped my things off in my room (which was lovely and very comfortable with a big doube bed) and went downstairs for tea and scones, and found out that Bob and Michele had the whole weekend planned out for me. It was great, because my primary reason for doing a HOST visit was to experience a bit of British culture outside of London and university.
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| St Michael's Mount |
The first thing we did was take a drive along the coast (I specified that if possible, I'd love to see the ocean, because I miss it). We meandered through small fishing villages, the larger town of Penzance, and up to Land's End, the western-most tip of England. Along the way they showed me St Michael's Mount (an island in the English Channel with a castle on the top that can only be reached by foot via a causeway when the tide is out. It mirrors exactly Mont St-Michel in Normandy, France. They also showed me a local hot-spot, the
Minack Theatre. The Minack was built by a lady named Rowena Cade who envisioned a theatre carved out of the side of the Cornish cliffs. She got her wish. Visitors can see live theatre performed with the Atlantic Ocean for a backdrop. I saw it by moonlight, and can only imagine the brilliance in the daytime. Our last stop was Land's End where we enjoyed a drink at the Lad's End Hotel bar. Apparently it's a hot spot for summer holidays, but in the winter Land's End is somewhat destitute and very quiet except for the roar of the sea below the cliffs.
On the way back to the house, Bob and Michele took me to a themed restaurant called the Meade House in Newlyn, the town where Michele was born. This restaurant specializes in traditional Cornish meade (a drink made from barley and honey that is very sweet and tastes not unlike cough syrup) and food you eat with your hands. It was delicious and reminded me a bit of Medieval Times in Buena Park, CA, only without the jousting arena and stadium seating.
{Day 2}
I woke up early on Saturday. Michele had breakfast all ready for me. Scones, fresh pineapple, cereal and tea. Then we went down to the local farmer's market. In a village as small as St Erth, the farmer's market was literally a room in the town church where locals sell fresh veggies, meat, and handmade crafts. One lady was selling the mos amazing and strange-looking cabbage I'd ever seen.
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| irises |
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| look at this cabbage! |
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| st erth church |
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| in the bird bath |
We went back to the house and Michele taught me how to make an authentic Cornish pasty, which is basically a rolled out square of dough (flaky, like Pillsbury biscuits) filled with beef, onions, turnips, and sliced potatoes. I added some double Gloucester for good measure because I love cheese. It's then baked in the oven for an hour and presto, you have a hearty and delicious meal! Michele told me that traditionally, one end of the pasty would be filled with veggies and meat, and the other end would be filled with something sweet, so that the miners who ate them would have a complete meal and dessert in one pie. Clever!
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| i loved the decore of bob and michele's home. so quaint! |
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| making pasties |
In the afternoon, we went to St Ives, a resort and popular surfing spot. It was beautiful! Then to a little town called Hayle. Cornwall is so photogenic.
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| by the sea |
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| st ives harbour |
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| the waterfront |
Later that evening, Bob and Michele took me to the city of Truro. It's the only legit city in Cornwall, and it's classified as such because it has a cathedral. We attended a concert by the Truro Cathedral Boys' Choir and a quartet called Blake. I have no idea why they're called Blake since no one in the group is actually named Blake. It's one of life's great mysteries.
{Day 3}
Day 3 was my last and favorite of the trip. Bob and Michele took me to north Cornwall to see the ruins of Tintagel Castle. If you're a fan of Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon, this is where King Arthur was allegedly born. It's a place I've always wanted to see and it was just as mystical and lovely as I'd ever hoped it would be!
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| outside looking in |
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| beautiful! |
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| tintagel castle ruins |
Tintagel is a quaint little (and I mean little) village with a 13th century post office that has a stone roof. It's a National Trust site and it's lovely. You walk down the road past the Tintagel Arms pub, down a steep incline, and as you turn the corner, the cliffs open up and the blue sea is right there in front of you with the castle ruins on the cliffs above. The cliffs are dotted with caves, one in particular is called Merlin's Cave. To get to the actual castle (which was built in the 11th century by the Duke of Cornwall), you have to climb these rather perilous stone steps that are carved into the side of the cliffs. It's quite a work out, but once you're up there the views were simple breathtaking. I don't think the inhabitants of Tintagel Castle got many visitors, but at least they had some nice scenery to look at.
Afterword, we drove to a small town close by called Boscastle before heading back. I caught the train at Bodmin, said goodbye to my amazing hosts, and headed back to foggy London. It was a fantastic experience, and I'd definitely recommend going to Cornwall. It's up on my list of "most beautiful places I've visited."
