Hello Everyone,
Our day started early this morning which is a bit unusual for us. We decided to make a day of it and go to St. Ives which is a artist's colony by the sea. Howard had the details worked out plus train tickets in hand. We boarded the "First Great Western" railway for St. Ives. We were to change trains half way there at St Erth.
We arrived at St Erth shortly after getting on. I decided I would open the train door which seemed simple enough. The directions said to pull the glass window down (on the door) reach out and turn the handle. The engineer had to release the lock, however, before the door would open. I did all the above, but the door would not open. Howard said, "Relax....the engineer hasn't released the lock yet". As we relaxed, the train pulled out from the station while we were still on board. Suddenly our plans changed. We decided we would take in Penzance instead of St. Ives!
It was a delightful place to roam through the narrow streets and drink hot mocha with freshly baked breads. This is where Gilbert & Hamerstein wrote the opera "Pirates of Penzance". Most of the old buildings were made of granite. A lot of homes are as well. Heat does not penetrate through granite so the buildings are warm in winter and cool in summer.
We saw a sign which read "The Living Word". Howard told him to check out Bob & Judy Russell's website which bears the same name.
We were eager to visit and see what it was about. We found it to be a bookstore and restaurant which was being run by a pleasant young man who was delighted that we had stopped by. Neither of us were hungry, but we felt obligated to make a purchase. The man indicated that evangelical Christianity was gaining ground in England. That was encouraging. The Church of England is pretty much lifeless.
Since Penzance is more of an industrial town, we had pretty much seen all the sights by noon. We had packed our toothbrushes (remember...we are traveling lite!) just in case we wanted to tuck into a B&B for the night. We decided to head for "home". I got the train door to work on our return trip!
We are now in the public library in Camborne. This is a town that is off the beaten path. No tourists. It makes it fun to roam the streets with the locals. We have had many opportunities to engage several Brits in conversation. There is nothing like hearing the history of the place from a local. This has been one of the highlights of our trip. Those who have lived here through several generations are quick to tell you they are true "Cornish".
I am going to run around the corner to do a little shopping while Howard uses the computer. It is fun to know you are traveling along with us via the blog. Thanks for being in touch.
Cheers now....
Martha & Howard
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2 comments:
Wow! Your photos are beautiful and it sounds like you are having a blast! Be careful though - None of us want you to get in trouble (Martha) like opening doors or not opening doors. Praying for your health, safety, energy and FUN! Love, Judy
Howard and Martha
It is important to stay on schedule when traveling; if you find you need to leap from a moving train in the future it is best to practice your tuck and roll skills; Rachel and I find the dining car has the most room for this; yes you may get the odd look but it is time well spent. Be sure to throw your carry-on items out first but avoid doing this in tunnels. I let Rachel jump first as that puts her closer to the bags for her hike back to retrieve them and I like to see how she bounces before I commit, while waiting for Rachel’s return with the bags I like to use the time to comb my hair and check my Blackberry for email.
Tom Frampton, your friend and travel advisor
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