Devon/Cornwall – Welcome

I took a 5 day tour to this area with Rabbi’s tour company. I have taken several of their tours and always enjoy them…small bus with no more than 16 people. These tours always seem to attract really nice people. I have taken several of them and have always enjoyed the trips. On this tour we went to Stonehenge first. Always amazing to imagine how these stones were acquired and then some balanced on each other. Then we headed into the Devon area and Exeter. Then onward to Cornwall. Lots of tails of smugglers who stole off with the goods they acquired. But there is also incredible beauty. This area has a history of doing things their own way. The people of Devon and Cornwall pride themselves on being very different than the rest of England.

Our first major stop was Winchester. This is a prominent ancient city that was one of the most important cities in England until the Norman Conquest in the 11th centuries. This area has since become one of the most expensive and affluent areas in the UK.

Jane Austen’s father lived in Winchester. With the onset of her fatal illness – which is now thought to have been Addison disease – she went to Winchester to be under the care of an expert surgeon. She died on July 18th and 6 days later she was buried in Winchester Cathedral. It was pretty unusual for a woman to be buried in a cathedral. She was 41 when she died on July 18, 1817.

Apparently there is a pretty big fair in this town.

One of our stops was Dartmoor Park. We hiked up to this big rock (photo below) and on the way saw these ‘oreo’ cows.

Lots of sheep in this area but not as many as Ireland!

Fun place I stayed in Exeter. The owners are so nice and the room was really comfortable.

Cute ‘hamper’ which is how they deliver your breakfast to your room. You can pick from a distinctive menu (one of the owners is a chef) and a time and they slip a note under your door and then you get the hamper.

Church in Exeter. Love these old churches.

This is what is called a ‘clapper bridge.’ Some wide stone laid to make bridge so that the cows or horses hauling carts across the river.

This is the old post office in Tentegel. Very creative way that the stones are stacked.

Now heading in to Port Isaac. Those who watched Doc Martin will recognize the following photos. Very picturesque town.

St. Michael’s Mount, Mount’s Bay in Cornwall. At low tide there is a causeway where you could walk to the island from the community of Marazion which is a tourist resort with an active community of artists who produce and sell paintings and pottery in the town.

We are now heading to the Minack Theatre.

Rowena Cade owned the property that the theatre is on and it was a passion her whole life. There were many theatrical performances that would go on each summer.

People sit on grass covered seats, bring their picnic baskets and watch several performances.

Heading into Penzance. Many will connect this with the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera The Pirates of Penzance. When the opera was written, 1879, Penzance had become popular as a peaceful resort town, so the idea of it being overrun by pirates was amusing.

I think these are ruins of some of the mining in the Penzance area although the usual tall stack is missing so I am not sure.

Bakery – look at the size of those meringues on the top shelf.

So, this ends the postings from my 6+ month travels. I returned to the US on September 30th. There were some things that needed to be taken care of at home. And my son and daughter in law were anxious to get their own apartment. I APPRECIATE VERY MUCH that they moved into my place and took care of it and my dog – Gabbie during this time. This was a big gift. Plus – and this is a big plus – I was getting pretty tired. It was tiring to plan where to go, how to get there, where to stay and sights to see. This is indeed a ‘first world problem’ but still a lot to do. I LOVED all that I got to see and the wonderful people I met along the way. So many wonderful ‘fellow travelers.’

Thanks for traveling with me!