This is our ferry and our view from our B&B here on St. Mary's (tide's out)! A lovely region that is almost tropical with mild climate and palm trees, huge agave plants and yuccas and paperwhites and narcissi still blooming!We took a boat tour yesterday to visit three of the other islands in the area and hiked 12 km.! While there are tourists galore (birdwatching is at its height this week so there were "twitches" of birdwatchers everywhere!), the islands have stayed relatively unspoiled. Everything shuts down on Sunday - no ferry, helicopter or plane service and shops are closed - and the character of the islands is maintained with quaint little B&Bs and shops.
We spent last night at Star Castle - what an experience!! Built in 1593, it has been part of several wars and a haven for several members of royalty - most notably Charles II (his portrait hangs in the front entranceway). We had a wonderfully elegant dinner in the dining room last night with its thick stone walls and heavy brocaded drapes over the windows. The dark beams on the ceiling were warmed by the fire in the fireplace - a real treat since the weather started to change at the end of our boat tour and we were a bit chilled!
I slept in my guard room and had 5 little "arrow loops" as windows overlooking the harbour! Cross beams on the ceiling and an old lamp gave it the flavour of the period but the thick white duvet made it a cozy place to snuggle during the wind and rain of the night!! If there's one thing I've grown to love here, it's duvets!
It's pouring rain today so we are snuggled in the lounge at the castle writing post cards and catching up on email (doesn't seem right in a 16th century castle!! Our last computer experience ended in all of the Derbyshire system crashing so the blog only got partially updated!!
The ferry leaves at 4:30 (2 hours) then we have a bit of a drive to our hotel in Newquay. We hope to get to Tintagel, Glastonbury and Avebury tomorrow as well as meeting Dad's cousin Paul for lunch!! Big plans right up until the end!!
Our flight for Canada leaves at 2:30 on Thursday so I would imagine my next entry will be from Canada on Friday morning...or whenever I surface from my bed!! It's been the trip of a lifetime and I have loved every minute of it!!
