Where: Penzance, England
When: May 4-6, 2013
With: Dave
When you hear Penzance, you think of pirates. And Penzance knows this and likes that you do. Thanks to the opera "The Pirates of Penzance", this otherwise small, millenium old harbor town would be relatively unknown.
Now, Penzance is a thriving little port town. With the sleeper train from London pulling right into it's center, an exciting little high street, and a bustling night life, its a great central location from which to explore the rest of Cornwall. Which is exactly what we used it for.
We stayed at a small boutique hotel call The Abbey. It used to be (surprise!) an abbey, but is now a little inn that nestles away right into the old walls of the city.
Surprisingly, upon hunting for an old and authentic sailors pub to grab a pint, there weren't many options. But the two we ended up finding were right alongside The Abbey, making them incredibly convenient. Both proved to be quite the local experience. The first was called the Turks' Head Inn. Small and cramped with Cornish ales on tap, the food was great and the people were friendly. This place was common for the local smugglers and pirates to grab an ale almost 750 years ago.
Our second night on the town proved to be even more entertaining. After wandering around and discovering the lack of "classic" pubs (Wetherspoons, biker bars, and even clubs with a cover charge, but no pubs!), we wandered back towards our hotel to stumble into the old Admiral Benbow. While the Turks Head the night before may have been where pirates used to drink, the Admiral is where they continue to do so. Four old men with their guitars were crammed into the front of the pub jamming away. A large dog named Seamus meandered about while all the locals came up to pat him hello. And at one point, several people dressed as wood nymphs entered the pub from a backdoor, just in time to join the musicians in the front in a lofty rendition of "What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor?". Dave and I were really glad we took photos, or we would have thought the whole night was make believe.
The main attraction that remains in the town of Penzance is St. Michael's Mount. On the site of where the archangel Michael was seen by local fisherman in the 5th century AD, a monastery was built. Over the years, that monastery has served as a fort, a castle, and a home. Here's the view from our hotel.
However, the thing most cool about this place is that due to the bay it sits in, 12 hours of the day, it is an island in the middle of the water. When the tide rolls out, it is connected to the mainland by a footpath. Here's the before and after shots.
While we were easily able to walk out to the island in the morning, the water was already starting to approach the walkway quickly.
The island itself was interesting too. A long and uneven staircase (the pilgrim's walk) leads to the top of the mount. Along the way is the "giant's heart", a huge stone that if you stand on, you can hear it beating. Our cab driver told us its actually just your own panting after climbing all those steps.
Then it was time to explore the gardens on the back side of the castle. We thought this had the best views of the castle itself, helped by all the pretty flowers alongside it.
The combo of garden + castle + sea is just amazing. If this were my house, I'd live out here.
After sitting around and enjoying the views, Dave decided it was time to roll out...literally.
As we took our boat ride back, we got one last beautiful view of the now fully-island castle.
When: May 4-6, 2013
With: Dave
When you hear Penzance, you think of pirates. And Penzance knows this and likes that you do. Thanks to the opera "The Pirates of Penzance", this otherwise small, millenium old harbor town would be relatively unknown.
Now, Penzance is a thriving little port town. With the sleeper train from London pulling right into it's center, an exciting little high street, and a bustling night life, its a great central location from which to explore the rest of Cornwall. Which is exactly what we used it for.
Surprisingly, upon hunting for an old and authentic sailors pub to grab a pint, there weren't many options. But the two we ended up finding were right alongside The Abbey, making them incredibly convenient. Both proved to be quite the local experience. The first was called the Turks' Head Inn. Small and cramped with Cornish ales on tap, the food was great and the people were friendly. This place was common for the local smugglers and pirates to grab an ale almost 750 years ago.
Our second night on the town proved to be even more entertaining. After wandering around and discovering the lack of "classic" pubs (Wetherspoons, biker bars, and even clubs with a cover charge, but no pubs!), we wandered back towards our hotel to stumble into the old Admiral Benbow. While the Turks Head the night before may have been where pirates used to drink, the Admiral is where they continue to do so. Four old men with their guitars were crammed into the front of the pub jamming away. A large dog named Seamus meandered about while all the locals came up to pat him hello. And at one point, several people dressed as wood nymphs entered the pub from a backdoor, just in time to join the musicians in the front in a lofty rendition of "What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor?". Dave and I were really glad we took photos, or we would have thought the whole night was make believe.
The main attraction that remains in the town of Penzance is St. Michael's Mount. On the site of where the archangel Michael was seen by local fisherman in the 5th century AD, a monastery was built. Over the years, that monastery has served as a fort, a castle, and a home. Here's the view from our hotel.
However, the thing most cool about this place is that due to the bay it sits in, 12 hours of the day, it is an island in the middle of the water. When the tide rolls out, it is connected to the mainland by a footpath. Here's the before and after shots.
We were lucky that we got to see it at both times and see how much everything changes. Here is the main harbor on the island/not island. The boats run aground when the tide goes out, but when it comes back in, they are busy carting tourists back and forth across the water.
While we were easily able to walk out to the island in the morning, the water was already starting to approach the walkway quickly.
It was funny to watch people trying to "make it" in the last few minutes before it became too deep. By the time we left, the pathway was many feet underneath the boat we rode in.
At the top, more uneven rocks lead to the castle doors.
Inside, the home is decorated with heirlooms and family pictures. I can't imagine this being my house, but the family continues to live here.
An old church sits in the middle of the home, as well as remnants from the years it was used as a fort.
The most spectacular part of it all though was the views from the top.
After exploring the castle, we had the only appropriate lunch we could think of: Cornish Pasties!
Then it was time to explore the gardens on the back side of the castle. We thought this had the best views of the castle itself, helped by all the pretty flowers alongside it.
The combo of garden + castle + sea is just amazing. If this were my house, I'd live out here.
After sitting around and enjoying the views, Dave decided it was time to roll out...literally.
As we took our boat ride back, we got one last beautiful view of the now fully-island castle.
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