Cornwall

Less than 12 hours after I arrived home from Turkey, my Mom was at my flat from Winnipeg!  How's that for timing!  I`m so proud of my Mom.  She grew up in little Ogema, Saskatchewan, and now she can get herself from Heathrow to my flat in Angel all on her own!  Pretty impressive in my mind. 

Me in an old copper mine building.

We took off for the English seaside and the beautiful scenery of Cornwall.  It is about 5 hours by train from London which means that most of my co-workers have never been there because it is "so far away".  Fortunately, being two prairie girls, we thought it was really close, and, travelling by train means you can snack, nap, go for a walk, read the paper, and never have to take a turn driving! Plus, no plastic baggy of liquids or security check...just show up and board.

We stayed a nice little B&B (http://www.chyanmor.co.uk/) a 10 minute walk from the station in Penzance (note: my mother requested all singing of Gilbert & Sullivan operas to be done only in my own head).  Penzance was a great base for exploration!  I think the highlight for me was definitely the tour we booked with Russ (http://www.westcornwallwalks.co.uk/about.html). He's a local guy who really knows his stuff so if you are ever in Cornwall definitely look him up.  I`m not even getting commission for this shameless plug.  If you want to go camping he`ll even set up your campsite for you (I`m not kidding...the back of his van includes "hassle-free camping" as an available service).

These flowers were growing out of a rock wall!

Cornwall is beautiful.  That probably is not shocking to anyone.  What surprised me is that there are really three different Cornwall's: eerie barren moor lands, lush green valleys, and golden sand beaches.  Plus, everywhere you go are the most amazing wildflowers.  The whole island is only 80 miles long and 20 miles wide but they sure do pack a lot in.  I had it in my mind that since I had been through the county of Caithness, the most northern point of mainland Scotland, years ago while backpacking that I should make a point of heading down to the southern extreme too.  It was definitely a good idea!  No offense to Caithness but I rather prefer Cornwall.

St. Ives

We spent a beautiful sunny day in St.Ives which really is as pretty as a postcard.  Not too many train stations are right at the beach.  I was really surprised at how clean & clear the water is...I always thought the ocean would look dark and foreboding but it was crystal clear and a pretty blue/green colour.  Swimming in algae infested fresh water lakes is losing it`s appeal pretty fast these days.

I would be terrified to be out in the ocean in one of these!

After a great long weekend, we headed back to London so I could go to work (boo!) and Mom could pack in a few more castles and palaces.  She managed to schedule me in for high tea at Claridge`s (aka little cucumber sandwiches with no crusts and dainties served with tea...and champagne), an afternoon of theatre, and a trip out to Kew Gardens to see the Royal Botanical Gardens.  Now I`m looking forward to a nice quiet weekend in...