The End of a Great Visit

They're here!

One of the best things about being over here has been the opportunity to see things in a different way.  We will never forget what it was like when we got off the train in Truro for the first time.  This amazing little seaside town is filled with history but bustling with the activity of modern day life.  That first impression is something that we are always reminded of when we have someone come and visit.  In a way, we relive that first day again and again when friends and family visit. 

Blue Bar at sunset

After a few busy days in London, Katie, Mary and Rhonda made their way down to Cornwall.  It was a Saturday afternoon and after a long train ride filled with a few teasing glimpses of the sea they were finally here in Truro.  I was home all week preparing for their visit and I was getting ready to go to a wedding for one of my friends at work.  The ladies arrived, suitcases and all and quickly settled into our apartment for a quick rest.  After some deliberation they decided to come with me to Porthtowan.  The wedding reception was in town and there was a restaurant overlooking the sea where Mary and Rhonda decided to hang out while Katie and I stopped into the wedding reception.  This being another beautiful day, spending the afternoon at the beach couldn’t have been any better of an introduction to Cornwall for Mary and Rhonda.  Since we had a car rented for Saturday and Sunday, we all piled in and headed off to the west coast of Cornwall. 

We all literally spent the afternoon having lunch, visiting with my friends from work and sitting outside at the Blue Bar, one of our favorite spots to sip a beer (or tea) and look out at the massive beach that led into the ocean.  The outdoor patio was filled with people enjoying the day and we made ourselves quite comfortable there right up until the sun began to set.  That night, we just relaxed around the house, had some dinner and planned out the day of exploring that would be Sunday.

Sunday morning came way too early and we all found ourselves back in the car.  We quickly made our way down to Mawnan Smith, a very small fishing village just south of Falmouth on the southeastern coast.  If you recall a post from few months ago where I talked about a patient of mine who told me all about a place called Trebah Gardens, this was where we were headed.  Trebah Gardens is a large national trust site that consists of hundreds of different exotic plants and trees built into a cliff-side leading straight down to the beach.  Trebah Beach at the bottom is the famous beach known as the last departure point for hundreds of American troops heading for Omaha Beach in Normandy during WWII.  Lining the beach were numerous memorials to those American men who fought in D-Day and gave their lives during the war.  It was really amazing to be there and imagine the coastline filled with soldiers and war-ships preparing for the days ahead. 

St. Michael's Mount in the distance

From Trebah Gardens we drove across to Marazion, a small village on the southwestern tip of Cornwall down the beach from Penzance.  This is the location of probably the most popular and recognizable destinations in all of Cornwall…St. Michaels Mount.  St. Michael’s Mount is a very small, yet very tall island, on the top of which sits a large castle.  One thing that makes the island such a unique spot is that it is only accessible by foot when the tide is out.  When the tide is in, the island is completely surrounded by water and a small boat is the only way on and off the island.  But when the tide begins to go out, the water slowly recedes revealing a long stone path that connects the shore with the foot of the Mount.  Fortunately for us, the tide was out and we made the long journey on foot to the bottom of St. Michael’s Mount.  Katie and I have always joked about how we have been to so many places in Cornwall but for some reason we haven’t been here, its most popular destination.  I think that we always knew that the experience would be largely shaped by whether or not you had a clear sunny day.  On this day, we couldn’t have been more lucky.  It was not an easy hike, but the four of us slowly made our way up the many stairs and winding trails until we finally reached the top of the castle.

Historically St. Michael’s Mount became the site of a monastery after being gifted to the Benedictine religious order following the report of several apparitions by local fisherman in the year 495.  From that time the Mount withstood centuries of war, attacks and local government attempts at takeover before being sold to Colonel John St. Aubyn.  I think one of the coolest things about this island is that to this day, it is still inhabited by the family of Colonel John St. Aubyn.  A family continues to live here in the castle and only opens up a portion of it to the public for viewing.  Not a bad place to live. 

Boat ride back to shore

From the top of the castle you could literally see for miles.  The water was as blue as the sky and you turn 360 degrees and look down at water.  After exploring the castle, inside and out we decided that it was time to walk back to the mainland and have some dinner.  Much to our surprise, as we descended down the side of the Mount, we realized that the tide had already begun coming in and covering up the footpath.  As cool as it would have been to spend the night in a mediaeval castle, fortunately for us, the ferryboats were still running and we caught a ride back to shore.  Once again we were able to sit outside and enjoy a great dinner overlooking the Mount and the sea that was now completely surrounding it. 

Looking over St. Ives

The next day, as I headed back to work, Katie, Mary and Rhonda spent the day exploring what is probably Cornwall’s second most popular tourist spot—the beautiful coastal town of St. Ives.  They all spent the day shopping, walking on the beach and it was there that Mary and Rhonda had their first Cornish Pasty, a right of passage for all those who visit Cornwall.  That night, we grilled out, sat outside on our back deck and had dinner before spending the remainder of the evening playing “Tick,” the card game that would become the nightly ritual for Mary and Rhonda’s time in Truro. 

On Tuesday the girls spent the day shopping and exploring the numerous shops that fill the streets of Truro.  Katie and Mary got pedicures and had something called “Minx” done, which to me seems like someone just put stickers on their toes, but they assured me that it was much more professional and worthy of high fashion praise than that. J I guess they did look kind of cool. 

Katie had to work on Wednesday and that night we would enjoy what would be the last evening spent with Mary and Rhonda before they headed off to London in the morning.  Since they had a lot of packing to do, we decided to just stay in and have dinner at home, play some more cards and savor the last hours we had to spend with family. 

Dinner on the back deck

We all talked and laughed about all that we had shared in the previous two weeks.  We looked through pictures and shared the ones off all of our cameras so that nothing was missed and that no moment went un-captured. Saying goodbye is never easy, but saying goodbye to family after sharing a truly amazing few weeks together is something that Katie and I were both dreading.  As Katie put it well, “How often do you get to spend two weeks straight with your sibling?  That just doesn’t happen.”  The fact that those two weeks were spent in Paris, London and Cornwall makes it even more rare. 

Like I said at the beginning, one of the reasons we are here is to embrace an opportunity to see things in a different way.  Sharing the life we have built here with friends and family and seeing our home through their eyes makes us appreciate it all over again and reminds us just how lucky we are—not just for this experience but for the fact that we have amazing people to share it with.