Penzance: May 17

Today was a travel day for me.  Pretty relaxed.  I got to London Paddington in lots of time for my train to Penzance.  Thinking that Carol & Lise were leaving Oregon today, I texted Carol to wish them safe travels.  Lo and behold, they left yesterday and were currently having breakfast in a pub just minutes away from where I was sitting.  So - I popped in for a quick visit.  Nice to see them both again.  They are overnighting in London and will travel to Penzance tomorrow.  I left them with wishes for a good sleep!  

It turned out that my train was delayed.  Not a big deal, though.  It appears that the train system is pretty flexible.  I would have missed my connection in Plymouth.  The train conductor (or whatever their proper name is over here) was most helpful and recommended a different connection for me in Taunton that worked out pretty well.  Apparently they have something here called "Delay Repay" whereby if your train is more than 15 minutes late you can get a portion of your ticket refunded.  It wasn't working for me today, but I'll try again tomorrow.  

Train travel is so relaxing...........  Lots of views of what I have envisioned riding through in the British countryside.

And - about 5+ hours later...........into Penzance.  

The second/third lines above are apparently in Cornish.

Dinner at a cute little restaurant

before strolling the mainstreet 

and waterfront for a bit.

I spoke with a local for a few minutes.  We were both watching some of the activity just off shore - open water swimmers, kayakers, etc.  Turns out she is originally from Vancouver, studied at the Banff Centre, then lived in London for 20 years followed by 20 years now in Penzance.  She loves it and says it is quite a creative community.  I definitely had picked up on that vibe right away.  And also popular with travellers.  I walked by a lot of guesthouses and they all had "no vacancies" signs in the windows.  She said this building in the distance is St. Michael's Mount, an island castle only accessible during low tide.  She said I should go.  So - I looked up the details, and alas it is not open on Saturdays.  

A few other miscellaneous shots before heading back to the hotel.

Penzance:

Population:  21,000

Penzance is the most westerly town in Cornwall, and faces south-east onto the English Channel.  It was granted various royal charters from 1512 onwards and incorporated in 1614.  Penzance is the base of the pirates in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera The Pirates of Penzance.  At the time it was written, in 1879, Penzance had become popular as a peaceful resort town, so the idea of it being overrun by pirates was amusing to contemporaries.  The economy of Penzance has, like those of many Cornish communities, suffered from the decline of the traditional industries of fishing, mining, and agriculture.  Penzance now has a mixed economy consisting of light industrial, tourism, and retail businesses.  However, like the rest of Cornwall, housing remains comparatively expensive, wages low, and unemployment high.  In my quick walk around the town, I did encounter a few folks appearing to be homeless and doing drugs.  Sad......