Getting Settled

I will never again drive a car on the same day that I land in the UK. I clearly had forgotten about the awful day I spent driving from Gatwick to the Cotswolds a few years ago. Yesterday was a very painful reminder of that day. As my travel companions ate lunch, I could be found sleeping in the car. Four hours of driving in the rain on the wrong side of the road and the wrong side of the car on 1.5 hours of sleep are the ingredients for despair.

But then, after all of those miles and tacking on 10 white-knuckled miles on single-track roads, we arrived at our cottage in Cornwall, and things started looking up.

The entrance to our Cornish cottage

A peek inside the door

After a good night's sleep, we headed out this morning to St. Michael's Mount. We rode a boat across to the island since we arrived before the tide had gone out.

The castle at St. Michael's Mount

We hiked up the mount for a tour of the castle and the gardens. Everything was pretty spectacular.

The view below from the castle

The causeway started to emerge as we walked around the castle

Stepping into the garden space gave us some incredible views, including a cemetery hidden behind a wall.

It looks like the salty air has given these tombstones texture

We saw some members of the garden staff rappelling from a position on the steep face of the garden. It was the only way that they could reach some of the Agave plants.

The steep drop to the garden

Much of the garden was more beautiful to view from above

When we were ready to head back, the causeway had finally revealed itself and a gorgeous, mossy landscape.

We joined the throngs of people walking across the causeway

The walk was one of the best parts of the day

It was like another world

We don't really know what we're doing tomorrow, but with so many options, we're feeling pretty optimistic.