Today I traveled the huge long distance of 13km (8 miles) by train this morning to Penzance. I have to say they lied - I haven’t seen one pirate all day. Although apparently centuries ago an entire congregations of parishioners were kidnapped and sold into slavery.
I visited the Newlyn Gallery and Penlee House & Garden Gallery and had a stroll down the Pink Promenade. There is some fantastic Georgian and Art Deco architecture in what seems to be quite a bustling seaside town just happy to exist.
Purely by accident, I think the order of this trip has been just right. Cardiff was all hustle-n-bustle with lots of museums, parks etc. I had lots of energy. In St Ives the galleries were slightly smaller but I had lots of hills to walk up n down. Thank goodness that the galleries in Penzance are tiny by comparison and it’s not so hilly. I’m starting to flag a bit.
I’m quite content to finish the day at the Singing Rooster, a Polish cafe and have a couple-a at the oldest pub in Penzance - The Turks Head.
So, have I mentioned I’m glad I invested in walking shoes? The Health app on the iPhone is pretty nifty even though most days you don’t even look at it. It says that one flight of stairs is approximately three metres or ten feet in change of elevation. My London Flight count typically ranges from 2-5 per day. Since this trip started this little computer in my pocket say I have climbed the equivalent of 231 flights of stairs in 8 days - 167 of those in the last three days! That’s equals at least three whole skyscrapers!
Today’s Observations:
- I’ve become fascinated with odd looking flora
- Sometimes groups of teenagers on a school outing fill me with dread
- Groups of teenagers with Art pads and cameras fill me with joy - always
- Don’t eat the bay leaf
- or bite the peppercorns
- Hits of the eighties are quite dated
- Dead Man’s Fingers is a great spiced rum
- Pubs of a certain age love to play hits of the eighties
- En-suite rooms are better
- Sea beet seaweed is really gross
- And squishy
- Unlike in my youth, I am ok eating alone at a restaurant
- I feel a bit perturbed there are no pirates