I woke up to fog and clouds and rain but that didn't stop me from taking a long walk after breakfast to the longest of the beaches in Newquay and really beautiful one with grey/green water and beautiful golden stand. There were lots of people out walking their dogs on and around the beach and even an early morning surfer.
We had a day at leisure here in Newquay so I decided to take the public bus to St. Ives and Penzance which were about 2 hours from here with frequent stops in between in towns and villages along the way to pick up other passengers. Here in Newquay it was just me and two older women also on the Shearings tour, Netti and Berrel. They were so friendly and Netti was so excited that I was from New York City and proudly displayed her Macy's bag that she had bought 11 years ago when she was visiting the city.
St. Ives is a gorgeous seaside town and so worth a visit if you're ever in the area. It reminds me of towns like Glouchester and Rockport in Massachusetts. Lots of amazing shops and a lovely beach and beautiful small buildings along winding streets and up cobblestoned hills. There is even a Tate Gallery museum right on the beach and lots of artists displaying their creations. I was surprised more people weren't here shopping for the holiday since it's only a week before Christmas. There are so many great shops with lots of unique finds and it's so quiet because it's off season so great to do last minute Christmas shopping without the crowds. Sadly I think people just want to go to malls or chain stores.
I took another public bus from St. Ives to Penzance which is only 7 miles from St. Ives. It's a much larger town, almost a city with lots of great shops and also provides access to S.t Michael Mount which sadly was not visible because of all the fog. It's like the St. Michael's in France where the cathedreal is on an island not far from shore and is reachable at low tide by walking across the beach. I found a picture online since I wasn't able to take one myself. But I did get a cute picture of a seagull (of which there are hundreds) taking a rest on top of a taxi cab with Penzance town and marina in the background.
I also had my lunch there just a sausage roll which is a smaller version of the Cornwall pasty pie I had yesterday. And I found out last night from the nice people I share my dinner table with that the Cornwall pie shaped like a calzone was created in that specific shape for the tin minors so that down in the mines, with their dirty hands, they could hold onto the extra dough that covered the one half of the half moon shape and eat the rest filled with all the essentials - meat and veggies and then discard the portion they were holding since it would be inedible with the dirt and tin residue.
I also learned from them when I made a comment about my breakfast of kipper (grilled fish) coming with a slice of untoasted bread and butter and how strange it was. They give you toast which is so much nicer than soft bread slathered with a lot of butter. What I was told in response was that because kipper has small bones you must take a bite of the soft bread and butter and then a bite of the fish and chew them together to that the bread would absorb the bones and you can swallow without any harm or chance of choking and that's exactly what I did this morning and it worked well although I prefer toast.
And one more thing I learned from them was actually about Boston where they had visited a few years ago and loved. Burt, the husband, told me, when we just happened to be talking about the origins of certain words and how they differed from British English and American English like sweater/jumper that he didn't think I knew that hooker came from Boston. Well, "no" I admitted because it's not often I think about the word "hooker." Anyway for those of you who don't know, the word came into the English language for prostitute because of General Joseph Hooker who served during the civil war and was particularly lenient about allowing group of women into his camp and they came to be called Hooker's army or Hooker's girls. And how this was brought to Burt and Elaine's attention during their visit to Boston is there is a statue of General Hooker outside the Massachusetts State House in Boston.The bus ride back to Newquay was very nice and so glad I got to visit St. Ives, it's really a great place to visit and I bet in summer with all the tourists it's crazy but so much fun.
A brief history on the two towns and the Cornwall area in general:
More general history of
Cornwall: “The River Tamar to the west of Plymouth marks the boundary
between the rest of England and the County of Cornwall, which was once an independent
Kingdom of Cornwall. While the last King of Cornwall died in the Tenth Century
and the County ultimately became part of the United Kingdom, the Cornish
identity is recognised today through the Duchy of Cornwall - presided over by
the Duke of Cornwall (otherwise known as the Prince of Wales).
West Cornwall has one of the most concentrated collections
of ancient monuments in Europe, all within an ancient landscape that has
changed very little since the Celtic Iron Age 2,500 years ago. Neolithic-Bronze
Age granite-walled tombs and monuments from over 5,000 years ago stand isolated
on the inspiring moorland.
Penzance from GulvalThere are legends that the Phoenicians,
traders and explorers from the coastal area of Syria, reached St. Michael's
Mount and used the area as a centre for trade. While direct evidence supporting
these stories is scarce, it is likely that early Mediterranean peoples landed
and traded with the Cornish and it is known that the ancient Romans traded with
Cornwall particularly for copper and tin, using the harbour of St Michael’s
Mount.
Cornwall is a Celtic region - with a background similar to
the Welsh, Scots and Irish and also the Breton (in north-western France). A
fiercely independent people, the Cornish value their heritage and actively seek
to preserve all that is best of it. Through its Celtic roots, Cornwall had its
own language - similar to Welsh and Gaelic but quite distinct from the Saxon
languages which became today’s English. The Cornish language continued in use
long after the end of the Cornish Kingdom, through the Middle Ages, and was
last spoken regularly in the late 1700s. It is still spoken today in the form
of revived Cornish.”
St Ives was isolated for much of its existence except by
sea. However, the town really began to open up to the outside world in 1877
when the Great Western Railway began running its Broad Gauge trains on the new
branch line. Not only did this increase accessibility to the rest of Cornwall
for the town's residents but the railway quickly enabled St Ives to establish
itself as a popular holiday destination by rail - a popularity which continues
to this day. In 2007 St Ives was awarded the accolade of "Seaside Town of
the Year" as voted for by Guardian readers.
Today St Ives is easy to reach and there's a wealth of
ancient culture to be explored in the landscape, the stones, the wells and even
ceremonies such as the Midsummer Eve Bonfire, Mayor Choosing, Hurling of the
Silver Ball on Feast Monday and, every five years, the John Knill commemoration
dating back to 1801. This is still a land apart - look around you.
St. Ives enters recorded history with the arrival of St. Ia
or Hya, the Irish princess who introduced Christianity to this area in the 5th
Century. The legend tells how St. Ia, a
Virgin Saint of noble birth went to the seashore to depart for Cornwall from
her native Ireland along with other Saints. Finding that they had gone without
her, fearing that she was too young for such a hazardous journey, she was grief
stricken and began to pray.
As she prayed she noticed a little leaf floating on the
water and touched it with a rod to see if it would sink. Lo, as she looked it
grew bigger and bigger. She saw that God sent it to her and, trusting to Him,
she embarked upon the leaf and was straightaway wafted across the Channel,
reaching her destination before the others.
The legend goes on to say that she founded an oratory in a
clearing of a wood on the site of the existing Parish Church that is dedicated
to her. This 15th Centaury church has the rare distinction of having three
church wardens, said to have originated as: one for the vicar, one for the
seafarers and one for the miners and land workers.
The town of St Ives was granted its charter by King Edward I
in 1295 and has gone from strength to strength ever since.
Penzance (Pensans), or "holy headland" in the
Cornish language, is a reference to the location of a chapel nowadays called St
Anthony's that is said to have stood over a thousand years ago on the headland
to the west of what became Penzance Harbour. There are no early documents
mentioning an actual dedication to St Anthony which seems to depend entirely on
tradition and may be groundless. The only remaining object from this chapel is
a carved figure, now largely eroded, known as "St Raffidy" which can
be found in the churchyard of the parish church of St Mary's near the original
site of the chapel.[5] Until the 1930s this history was also reflected in the
choice of symbol for the town, the severed "holy head" of St John the
Baptist. It can still be seen on the civic regalia of the Mayor of Penzance and
on several important landmarks in the town.
In 1595, Penzance, Newlyn and Mousehole were invaded, sacked
and burned by a Spanish raiding fleet in the aftermath of their ill-fated
Armada and only a few Medieval and Tudor buildings survived this experience.
While these invaders were soon despatched, this event marked the last time
England was ever invaded by hostile forces.
Penzance can boast a proud commercial history marked by the
granting of a charter for the harbour in 1512 by King Henry VIII. By 1614, the
damage caused by the Spanish invasion was repaired and Penzance was rebuilt and
King James I granted the town a Charter of Incorporation. During the English
Civil War in the mid-1600s, the town was again plundered, but its Charter was
confirmed by King Charles II in 1663. During that year it also became a coinage
town, reflecting its commercial importance in relation to the great mining era
which peaked during the 19th century.
Life in Penzance and West Cornwall traditionally centred
around the basic industries of agriculture, fishing and mining and many local
families can trace their West Cornwall ancestry back for many hundreds of
years. As these industries reduced their needs in employment over the years,
many people emigrated overseas particularly to countries such as Australia,
South Africa, Canada and the USA, with a major exodus in the late 1800s when
mining for tin and copper declined. From these emigrants come many of today’s
visitors to Penzance as they seek the restoration of links with their heritage.
Amongst the historically important citizens of the town was
Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829), who was born in Penzance, and invented the miners
safety lamp in 1801. This was one of the most significant contributions to
safety at work in gaseous mines.
Old Cornwall Societies affiliated to the Federation of Old
Cornwall Societies exist in Penzance, St Just, Madron, Mousehole, St Buryan,
Ludgvan, and St Ives. The latter, which was started in 1920, was the first Old
Cornwall Society. They encourage appreciation of the history and traditions of
Cornwall, arranging programmes of talks, outings, pilgrimages and social
events.”
