European Adventure Part VIII: Days Eight & Nine

St Michael’s Mount

DAY EIGHT

We’d made our way to Cornwall and were ready to explore. I was so happy to bring my family to what was becoming one of my favorite places in England.

A cozy corner of our cottage

OH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING (CONTINUED)

It was the second moment that I woke up to complete near complete silence. It was pretty stark after being in London for the past few days. I awoke pretty early, but I knew that my Mom and Nick would still be pretty jetlagged, so I decided to get up and walk to the Tesco’s for some breakfast.

The cottage

There was something that I loved about knowing my way around Penzance. I didn’t need a map or directions to find my way to the grocery store. I picked up the groceries and slowly strolled my way back to our cottage. Of course, I had to stop in the shops on the way back and do a little light shopping. It simply couldn’t be avoided.

By the time I got back to our cottage, my Mom was up and ready to treat us to a delicious breakfast. There were a few dicey moments where she was trying to figure out how to work the stove. I have no had the best luck with this (and should really try to figure it out) but haven’t to date. The smoke detector went off once, and I was sure it would not be the last time that someone was grumbling about the noisy Americans in the cottage.

Speaking of the cottage, it was simply adorable. It had three bedrooms, a bathroom with a huge tub, a fireplace, and an extremely cozy sitting area.

Forfeited with some delicious breakfast, we were ready for the rest of the day!

Oh hey, St. Ives

AFTERNOON IN ST. IVES

Penzance is an adorable town, but nothing quite beats St. Ives. There is so much charm in this little town by the sea. We took the train from Penzance to St. Erth, and then from St. Erth to St. Ives. Yes, I could have driven all of that - it would have been about 15 minutes, instead of 45 - but I was pretty exhausted from driving the day before, and there’s not quite like the scenic train from St. Erth to St. Ives.

It was drizzling by the time we got to St. Ives. We took in the big views on the hill down to the quay, and then even though we’d just gotten there, we decided to stop in this little coffee shop for some refreshments. Originally, we were going to get some takeaway, but the place was so welcoming that we decided to stay for a few minutes, and eat in. The cafe had this lovely views of the quay as well, and it helped that it was dry and warm.

I could feel my family slipping into the vacation, and into the special kind of relaxation that comes from this sort of trip. We laughed, enjoyed our tea and pastries.

Soon we found ourselves warming the tiny streets of St. Ives. There was so many unique boutiques. My Mom picked up some jewelry, and my brother got a new backpack. We then made our way to the quay and walked to the edge. The sun was setting it had been a wonderful afternoon.

So freaking good

When in Cornwall, you must get pasties and fish and chips. We’d gotten some delicious pasties earlier in the day, so now it was time for fish and chips. We stopped by the shop that I’d gotten takeaway from when I was in St. Ives last, but sat down for dinner this time. It was so freaking delicious. I don’t want to think about how much fat it was, but it was so freaking tasty!

Soon we found ourselves back on the train to St. Erth. There were delays on the trains which led to us making a run for it to catch our transfer back to Penzance. I had a reputation for occasionally having to run for various forms of transportation on these trips - but this time wasn’t my fault!

When we got back to the Artist Residence, we decided to get a drink in the pub. What a wonderful day.

Enjoying a cuppa in the cafe

Rainy day in St. Ives

DAY NINE

We were headed back to another one of my favorites: St Michael’s Mount where I had a spirtiual experience in 2019. I was so taking them to Minack Theatre and Land’s End. I was determined not to get lost this time!

On the causeway at St. Michael’s Mount

ATOP ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT

We had another tasty breakfast prepared by Mom and we hopped in the car to head to St Michael’s Mount. It’s always kind of amazing to me how this fortress stands in the middle of this bay up on a hill. The tide was out and so the causeway was free. We made the walk across the beach to the island. It’s quite the strenuous hike up to the castle, so we let my Mom hang out in the cafe and Nick and I made our way up.

Back in 2019, I’d made way up the tiny mountain by myself on the trip in an effort to try and heal from extremely times that I’d just been through. I remember getting to the top and then sitting on a large boulder and going from feeling alone to feeling the presence of Jesus: sure, true, and comforting. There have been times, especially in the terrible 2020, that I’ve taken my mind back to that place, and felt peace. I was eager to take Nick to that spot, share my experience, and have a new memory of sitting there with JC and my brother. The moment met my expectations.

I took Nick through the inside of the castle, but was more interesting in showing him the crazy fews that being on the top of the mount afforded.

That spot at St. Michael’s Mount

Minack Theatre

ON THE ROAD

After getting our fill of St. Michael’s Mount, we headed West to Minack Theatre, and a theatre that was built into a cliff. I could have sat there for hours, the views just didn’t get old. We stopped into the tea shop for some tea and pasties, then were ready to head to Land’s End.

Land’s End is a massive tourist trap, but between traveling during a pandemic and it being November, it was dead and we mostly had the place to ourselves. We walked along the path trying to get to the Enys Dodnan Arch which is this really rock formation. We found it, and it was so cool. It’s amazing how when you’re on these paths, you really feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. It’s also striking when you process that where you’re standing likely hasn’t changed much over the last few hundred years.

The sun was starting to set, and I was not keen to be driving around these B roads in the dark, so we headed back to Penzance, so content with the day.

UP NEXT: Already time to head back to London. But we have a long leisurely drive back planned with a few fun stops along the way.