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| Waiting for the ferry |
Today, we had to say good-bye to our friend Amanda who was returning to London by train before flying back to Canada tomorrow. We have had a wonderful few days with her, including some great walks, a hilarious evening of Pictionary (Angela was the winner) and the past 24-hours of gluttony. We won't discuss the fact that we had Sunday Snails for breakfast as that is our "What happens in The Old Bakery in Cawsand, stays in The Old Bakery at Cawsand" secret.
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| Exploring along the shoreline |
The weather was once again glorious, so before the ferry came to take us back to Plymouth, we decided to take advantage of the low tide to scramble along the rocks just east of Kingsand. It's amazing to see what affect the sea can have on these rocks, and i's little wonder smuggler's found these shores so inundated with crags and crevices that were suitable for hiding their smuggled goods.
This weekend was also the annual Pirate Weekend in Plymouth, and when we disembarked from the ferry we came upon throngs of families with their children dressed as pirates. All kinds of activities were being run along the harbourside within the Barbican area and pirate characters of all types mingled among the masses. Of course, the Pirates of the Caribbean theme was the most popular and I counted at least half a dozen Cap'n Jack Sparrows. Two tall ships had been moored in the harbour for spectators to visit. My favourite scene was to be found outside of one of the pubs where some locals, male and female, had dressed up as pirates and their wenches....at least I think they had dressed up.
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The narrow buildings
of the Barbican |
Were pirates ever really part of the Cornish scene? Well, as it turns out, piracy was big in the area in the 16th and 17th century, However, it was not for treasure but rather for slaves. Pirates would capture people and hold them for ransom. Church parishioners would then gather donations to pay off the ransom. If the pirates were caught, they were hanged, so it was a risky business. And it didn't mean there wasn't buried treasure. Silver pieces of eight have been found in Cornwall. Do you know why they are called that? Well, turns out that they were worth 8 Spanish Reales and were also referred to as the Spanish Dollar. In fact, this coin became the first international currency and even the Canadian dollar was based upon it. Oh have times changed! Yet, looking around at the festivities of the day and the people dressed up in their pirate finery, perhaps things hadn't changed too much.
Bye Amanda! Thanks for being part of our adventure.
Ale of the Day: Barnsey Dark Bitter, Bath Ales, Bristol
This weekend was also the annual Pirate Weekend in Plymouth, and when we disembarked from the ferry we came upon throngs of families with their children dressed as pirates. All kinds of activities were being run along the harbourside within the Barbican area and pirate characters of all types mingled among the masses. Of course, the Pirates of the Caribbean theme was the most popular and I counted at least half a dozen Cap'n Jack Sparrows. Two tall ships had been moored in the harbour for spectators to visit. My favourite scene was to be found outside of one of the pubs where some locals, male and female, had dressed up as pirates and their wenches....at least I think they had dressed up.
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