We woke up Monday to wind! But we will not allow a little thing like 40 mph hour wind gusts keep us down, so we set out for our walk across the St Michael’s Mount causeway to meet Lord Saint Levan and explore the island. (We had planned on doing that Sunday, but got rained out.) So we drove down into Marazion to the car  park where Stu greeted us with some bad news….there was a “black flag,” meaning no boats would be running the shuttle to and from the mount! We could walk out on the causeway, but would have to stay on the mount til 10pm til the next low tide! OK…..plan B? We walked the beach in the wind, and walked halfway across the causeway to get some shots, and also climbed around on Chapel Rock. The wind and cold did not inhibit a group of surf schoolers from diving into the rough waters – perfect for surfing! There were also wind surfers and kite surfers enjoying the gusty gales. Just no boats.

So a bit windblown, we decided to go check out the town of Marazion. It was named for the Cornish for “Thursday Market,” and the town is still bustling with little shops and places to grab a bite or a pint. Our mission: to find someone to: 1. tell us about pasties (SHORT “A” SOUND), 2.say something in Cornish for us, and 3. tell us why Breton, Welsh, and Cornish are so similar.  We found a pasty  shop, Philps, right in the center of the square, and Liam happily obliged to grant us an interview, and in fact, met all three of our goals!! He gave us a HUGE pasty – like a cross between a stew and a pot pie, only hand-held in a pastry crust. The crust is crimped into a thick edge = miners used to take these in their lunch and held the thick part with their grubby hands. he also pronounced some things in Cornish, and explained the Celtic connection between Cornwall, Brittany and Wales. Check! Our one-stop interview. Thanks, Liam!!

With all of that accomplished, we had to find something else to do with our time since the mount was inaccessible, We had planned a tour of the Minack Theatre, a few miles west. So, as usual, we asked a local where we should go beforehand. She suggested a town that sounded like “Mowzzle,” which she said was a proper fishing village. The pkace she said to go to lunch was 2 Fore Street. Why noey? But I had no idea what she said…so I had her write out the name of the village. MOUSEHOLE!!! Yes. it is true. So we drove down the tiny little roads (never good when the SatNav just calls something “ROAD!”) into  Mousehole. By now, the rain and clouds had cleared up, and the day turned delightful! Our lunch was fantastic, but the best part was the flapjack for dessert… best one ever! We wandered through the little street and around the mini harbor and soaked it all in. It really looks in places, like you are in teh Mediterranean or Caribbean and not SW England!

We continued on the Minack Theatre, which was begun in 1932 by Rowena Cade on a cliff basically in her back yard for she and her friends to perform in. Again, super scary roads. Courtney said “You just need to really hug the side of teh road… just not kiss it!” Perfect, We encountered coaches and huge tractors on the road… not even B road status! But the view we were greeted with was we neared Minack was simply stunning,,,, and when we arrived at the theatre, I was speechless. I did not even know how to begin filming this place. It is an open-air theatre perched on a cliff, with blue waves crashing about on the cliffs. Very dramatic setting to be sure. Phil, the theatre manager, was very busy with 700+ arriving for the evening show, but her still took time to talk to us about the history and workings of the theatre. “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: was showing that night, so we took a blanket, bought some more pasties, and took put seated on the grassy terrassed seating area, The show was quite entertaining, and the setting of the Cornish cliffs made for an unforgettable experience! A large rainbow even appeared in the sky during the performance,

Even though our day totally did not go as planned, it turned out to be very memorable…flexibility is the key, especially when plans get thwarted by weather or other things you cannot control. Gotta GO WITH THE FLOW… and sometimes it turns out better that you had anticipated!

Enjoying some unexpected journeys…

Heather