Tag Archives: Cornwall

23/09/2025
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Europe, Europe, Ireland, Travel

A Tale of Two Countries: From Cornwall Days to Dublin Nights

After spending 10 days in the UK, it was time to say bye and continue our journey.

But not before we spent a little bit of time in Truro and Newquay.

We wandered around our accommodations, the Mannings Hotel, and took a bit more of the architecture and, of course, a pasty. After eating a Cornish pasty, a local delicacy, we walked the streets until we found the Truro Cathedral. We had hoped to go inside, but it was closed. Still, it is a beautiful building.

After being “cross-blocked” by the church, we headed toward the airport. I was told it was a tiny place, so there wouldn’t be any issues going through security. We ended up getting to the airport way too early. So, we drove to the town of Newquay and decided to find a post office where we could mail home some gifts we bought on our trip thus far.

It was either that, or buy another suitcase…and we were not going to do that.

After finagling the gifts into two boxes and taping them down, we realized how much space we had in our bags. Maybe space is not the right word. We reduced the weight of our suitcases by unloading the gifts. Thus, we made our bags near the weight limit. Or so we thought…I was over by a smidge. The employee checking bags was very kind and saw that I had at least made an effort to reduce the weight in my bag, and eventually let the bag go through.

But back to Newquay!

From the post office, we walked down to the beach. It was a gorgeous day, with quite a few people out and about. We saw numerous families and dogs taking full advantage of the weather. Neither of us had any desire to get sand anywhere in our shoes or on our person, so we opted to stay above and admire the view.

Somewhere across the water was our next destination, Ireland.

After killing enough time watching the waves and (mostly) dogs play in the water, it was time to head to the airport. We dropped off our rental, said “ta ta” to driving in Europe, and made our way to our plane. As I mentioned earlier, Newquay is a quaint airport. Yet, it ran like a well-oiled machine.

I did not study abroad in Europe like many of my classmates, so I was only privy to stories about Ryanair. It’s the budget airline for Europe. There are nickels and dimes to be made with every aspect of flying, and Ryanair has that down pat. Snacks? That’ll cost you. Drinks? You’re shelling out some more cash. Checking bags? Crack open that wallet. Toilets? Welp, that was a rumour, along with the idea of standing seats. But you get the idea.

It was an “arduous” 53-minute flight from Newquay Airport to Dublin. But we made it.

We said “ta ta” to driving in Europe back in Newquay because we knew that we would be taking the bus, Uber, bikes, scooters, rail, etc, once we landed in Dublin. We could not have been more pleased with our decision as we made our way to our accommodation. Coming from the generally quiet and serene corner of Cornwall, Dublin was an assault to the senses.

There was a lot of honking, erratic driving, and swathes of people driving to and from the city centre. We both looked at each other and confessed that we were equally glad not to be driving in all of this mess. We also didn’t have any plans to venture out beyond the city, so a car was pointless.

After arriving at our hotel, we wanted to venture out and see some of the Dublin nightlife. We had no plans to do anything, so my partner found a pub and off we went. Walking the streets, we saw the sheer volume of people commuting or just walking the city. We snaked around Trinity College, ambled through town, and carefully minded our wet steps on some of the cobblestone streets. This brought us to The Landmark.

Located in the pleasant Wexford Street community, The Landmark serves as a local and international destination. We were looking for a quintessential Irish spot to have a pint of Guinness. I know, I know, that is such a banal way of thinking and very cliché, but we had to do it. We had been avoiding Guinness the entire time in the UK because we wanted to have one from the source. We were not disappointed.

Yes, I am wearing a Welsh shirt in an Irish pub. Deal. With. It.

The food was exactly what we were looking for, hearty and flavourful. Pair that with a Guinness and a Kilkenny, and you have the makings of a great night. And it was! Walking the streets on our way back to our hotel showed us another side of the city. One that was a bit quieter and less busy, but you could see the remnants of the earlier chaos.

All this to say, it was an ideal way to spend our first night in the capital city. We walked, ate, drank, and walked some more. Up next, more walking! And rain, a lot of rain.

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09/09/2025
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England, Europe, Europe, Travel, United Kingdom

A Night at The Eden Project: Lights, Music, and Nature

Plants. We all need them. Photosynthesis happens, and plants create oxygen. It’s a pretty basic understanding of the importance of plant life on Earth, but an apt one.

My partner loves plants. She cannot get enough of them. I am currently looking at a single bamboo shoot in a glass vase in front of me as I type. There are countless other plants around our place as well. I am indifferent to them, but she loves them, so we have them around. I believe my indifference stems from my childhood, particularly from being forced to help my parents garden on weekends. It became a chore, one I didn’t enjoy participating in.

Then, somehow, I worked at a nursery. Plants became my day-to-day. Did I retain anything I learned while there? Not really. I do appreciate plants, though! That appreciation extends to wanting to visit spots where plants and various forms of ecology are found.

Enter, The Eden Project in Cornwall.

Walking from the car park, I knew nothing about the place. We ventured downhill for what felt like forever because we decided to not take the pedestrian shuttle bus. It was a lovely night, with the weather being perfect, so we walked in. Once we passed through the turnstile, we made our way out to a balcony, and this was our view. I went in blind, and I was in awe at what I saw.

The entire place was lit up for the Christmas holidays. They were hosting a special nighttime light and music extravaganza, if you will. The geodesic domes were lit up, and the surrounding spots were also dotted with colourful lights. It was a truly inviting atmosphere for people of all ages. They even had an ice skating rink set up! We declined to skate but saw many people enjoying the rink.

There are numerous domes throughout the park. The domes represent different biomes. The largest dome simulates the rainforest, and the smaller one is more Mediterranean.

Walking around was quite the treat. Not only were the lights up and illuminating the plants in a variety of unexpected ways, but they also played bits from Hans Zimmer’s score from the movie Interstellar in the background. It created this ethereal and futuristic vibe for our walk among the plants. So cool!

If you ignore the music, lights, and the actual importance of The Eden Project, it reminded me a lot of the movie Biodome. Insofar as the biomes were in domes. That is the extent of my reference to that movie. Oh, and Kylie Minogue! Sadly, no Kylie there that night, but the experience of walking around was a treat in and of itself.

Those involved did an exceptional job creating a unique experience. There were disco balls in the rafters. Things that appeared to be jellyfish, or the woodsprites from Avatar, also looked to be floating above our heads at one point. Add in a waterfall or two, and the walk through the biomes was a pleasant and joyful way to spend the evening.

As we neared the end of the journey, we found ourselves face-to-face with home.

That’s right, we walked into a California-centric part of the biome! We love that we were both born and raised in California. It’s a special place. We have forests, deserts, beaches, and snowcapped mountains spread throughout our entire state. Sometimes those spaces can be mere hours from each other.

But with these wonderful spaces, we also realize how delicate our ecosystem is. Climate change is real (sorry, not sorry to the losers who think otherwise), and living in a state that recognizes that and is working toward solutions is vital to both of us. Seeing our home state represented so far from home was a nice cap to the evening. It reminded us of what we have back home, but also what we need to protect.

Numerous spots throughout the park take an environmental focus and look to educate the visitors. Beyond the typical Latin genus and where a plant can be found in the world, in some cases, a plaque will be displayed indicating what medicinal uses the plant can provide.

At the very end of our trip, we walked into the art exhibition portion of the park. This area is where local artists display their work, and it also houses hands-on exhibits for children. Given the late hour, there were no classes taking place for kids. There was, however, a giant egg-looking seed “planted” in the middle of the building.

It’s a 70-tonne carved piece of granite. It is massive. I had to completely zoom out my camera on my phone just to try and get most of the sculpture into the frame. It’s a stunning piece that cannot be missed.

With the walk over, we took one last look out at the domes. The sun had set entirely by the time we left, and the domes looked as if a party was taking place. I usually log these walks, so I wish I could tell you how many steps/miles we walked in the park. Alas, not this time. I will say that you won’t need your jackets while inside the biomes. We hastily removed ours once we got inside. You can really work up a sweat trudging through a faux rainforest!

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26/08/2025
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England, Europe, Travel, United Kingdom

Exploring Cornwall: A Journey Through Coastal Towns

I admit, I knew nothing about Cornwall before arriving in the UK. I know about Redwall, I have been to the Corn Palace, and I have heard of Cornish Pixies, but I knew nothing about Cornwall. Come to find out, there are many beach towns worthy of a visit here, too!

Cornwall, Kernow to the locals, is located in the westernmost part of the English South West Peninsula. It is a bit of a trek to get there. The roads are long, with plenty of Services available, and they stretch on and on. This is especially true when we were coming from Wales.

Our reason for visiting Cornwall was two-fold. One was to see my partner’s Great Aunt. The other was to show me around. This is a place where my partner grew up. She would spend occasional summers and winters here with her Great Aunt and Uncle. She wanted to share a part of her past with me and allow me to experience the joy of being there among the people of Cornwall.

I really did enjoy meeting her Great Aunt. I lost my grandmother over 20 years ago, and I do miss her. Meeting a member of my partner’s extended family was a bit of a salve on the wound of losing my own family member all those years ago. Aunt Cynthia is a gem.

Using the town of Truro as a base, we set out in different directions to explore the English coast.

Our first stop was the town of Padstow. There is a car park on the water, which can get rather busy regardless of the time of year. The day we visited was no exception. We must have circled the lot three times before a car finally pulled out, and we backed our way into a spot that was so tricky for our rental to maneuver in that when we finished parking, we high-fived each other.

Once we parked, we were treated to a lovely view of the water, obviously.

You may be looking at that photo above and say, “Oy! There are many spots right in front of you! You lie!” Those spots aren’t for regular cars, and as Bryn from Gavin & Stacey says, “I’ll tell you for why:” they’re for caravans or coaches carrying groups of people.

Anyway, there was a Rick Stein’s restaurant and cookery school right next to the car park, so we dipped in there and had some lovely fish and local drinks before we set about the town.

Several cool shops and cafes were dotting the waterfront, and there were many people out and about on this day. The sun was out, sort of, and the weather overall was accommodating. It was a pleasant day by British standards! And I would have to agree. The cool weather made the walk around the town very enjoyable.

I didn’t know this, but the British love their ice cream. As we made our way around the waterfront, we saw many people holding cups and cones of ice cream, even though it was not warm. If this were back home, the ice cream shops would be boarded up and shut for the season. But not these people. And I love them for that. I have always had a bit of a sweet tooth. More than a bit. A lot. So we definitely had a cone while we walked, and I had my partner hold my ice cream while I took the above photo. We are a great team!

Our next stop would be going all the way down to Mousehole. To those of you with an American accent in your brain speaking to you as you read, it is not pronounced Mouse Hole. It is pronounced Mau-zel. With that settled, let me say that the streets in Mousehole are ridiculous. Even for a more compact auto, we had a hard time navigating. The roads were narrow. The turns were tight. And to make matters worse, the car parks were full.

My partner had reached her limit of driving. So, I took over once we got out of the main town. I hadn’t driven on the left side of the road since August 2023 in New Zealand. Now I come with experience and the know-how to drive better than ever!

With me behind the wheel, we turned our sights to a new destination. After the disappointment of Mousehole, we wanted a spot that was a bit quieter. Enter St. Agnes. It is the definition of a quaint beach village. There were fewer people, and I found the view to be slightly better. The way the beach opens up and offers up the expansive ocean as a turquoise-tinted vista is breathtaking.

To our surprise, there were several surfers out in the water. The Royal Navy Lifeboat Institution (think surf lifesavers/lifeguards), pictured above, was also hosing off their wares after being in the water practicing lifesaving. The cold temperatures of the water were not enough to deter those determined to enter the water.

As you walk down the lone road to the beach, there is a narrow path off to the left that takes you up and over and offers up stunning views of the town, the water, and everything else left.

This area feels abandoned. But also as if it was ripped from time and untouched. But, more than likely, I took it to mean that not many people were venturing out above the water when it was 40 degrees Fahrenheit. That left us to explore and be treated to a quiet spot above the town.

Continuing on the trail, we reached a point where we could either continue our trek and make it a real hike, or we could pause and enjoy the surroundings. There was a moment where we thought about trudging onward, but we looked up the hill and it was STEEP. Not too steep, but steep enough that we knew we wouldn’t want to be sweating profusely by the time we reached the top.

We spent a decent amount of time at this spot. It was serene. We could look out across to where the water meets the sky and really take in the vastness of the ocean and our place in the world. Spoiler alert, I nearly proposed to my partner here, but a bit too many people were walking around us, and I did not have a ring on me. I think she knows this, but in case she does not, I will probably hear from her in the next few seconds after she finishes reading this piece. I’ll tell you her response in my next post!

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