Right after breakfast we all hopped on the coach and headed off to Porthcornal (which may not be the name of the beach and is definitely spelled incorrectly if it is) beach and then a little over half of the people in our group went with Professor Talbot and his wife to make the six-mile trek to Land’s End. They needed to do the hike in three hours and Sandy, Professor Talbot’s wife, was making it seem nearly impossible for all but the most athletic bunch in the world. I don’t think it was actually that bad, but I didn't end up going on that hike because I wanted to be able to stop and take pictures.
Those of us who didn't go on the full hike hopped back on the coach and went to Land’s End that way. We then started our own hikes from Land’s End towards Porthcornal. I am positively terrified of heights (usually to a debilitating degree), but I found myself willingly climbing on rocks near the edge of the cliffs. It was incredible scenery and I wish there was a camera good enough to capture it. There was good picture waiting to be taken at every step, and I eventually realized that I wasn't hiking enough to appease myself so I put my camera in my pocket.
Mary and I ended up as hiking buddies and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her better. I love these trips that we all go on because I find myself interacting with girls I normally don’t get to know very well, and I realize just how amazing each of these girls is. I get along with some better than others, of course, but there isn't one girl here who isn't incredible.
We stumbled across other girls in our group as we hiked. One girl was standing on a bunch of boulders and listening to the soundtrack from How to Train Your Dragon; it was quite fitting, actually. I felt like I was on top of the world and, with the wind, I felt almost like I was flying. I certainly felt like flight was possible at that moment.
Mary and I climbed on a set of rocks overlooking a cliff (but returned to solid ground when I realized I could see the ocean between the cracks of the boulders) and stayed there for a while. We saw the hiking group in the distance and so we didn't hike any further than that point, but it was breathtaking enough that we wanted to linger. While we were chatting there we saw a seal! We named him Sebastian, but he didn't stay for long. Seals are beautiful, you know.
We met up with Lizzie, Sarah, Caitlin, and Kenna on another group of boulders and we all headed back together through the stunning scenery that is Land’s End. I could have spent so much more time there, but we had other adventures awaiting us.
After a brief lunch we hopped back on the coach and headed to St. Michael’s Mount (which is the English version of Monte Saint-Michel). We were a little bit worried about the weather, but, miraculously, it always cleared up when we needed it to. God was looking out for us.
St. Michaels’ Mount was amazing. There is a family that actually lives in the castle at the top of the island, and there are other various shops and (I’m assuming) residencies there. The vegetation was lush and rich, and the streets cobblestone.
The castle itself was beautiful. It was tasteful and pleasant and I was surprised with how much I enjoyed it. I wouldn’t want to live there, though; I wouldn’t want my home to be a major tourist attraction, even if the lived-in part was separate from what they’d be seeing.
Throughout the day Mary pulled out the compass on her phone and found out where the United States was in relation to us. I loved it, and it helped me to feel oriented.
A storm started rolling in about the time we were to leave the island so we headed home a little bit early. We got back to the hotel at 6:20 and still had an hour and fifteen minutes before dinner, so Lizzie and I decided to hit the pool. That was the perfect way to end our adventures for the day. It was so nice relaxing and stretching out in the water, and I’m hoping our next hotel has a pool. And Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi would be nice.
Sarah at the beach
The beginning of the hike was a few feet to the right of this picture.
This beach was GORGEOUS!
And there were lots of pretty shells.
Lizzie may be slightly obsessed with seashells, but she found some gems.
The sand at this beach was pretty rough. My feet felt so invigorated after I put my shoes back on.
Mary
From our hike at Land's End
Lizzie, Kenna, Mary
Me, Sarah. We took a picture before this one, but the wind was pretty violent and my hair was resembling that of a mad scientist's. I pinned it back and we tried again with a little more success.
Me and Mary
Are you seeing how gorgeous this place is?! Ah I died so many times on this hike!
Sneaky picture of Mary.
Kenna, me, Lizzie
Mary on top of the world.
The weather was a little bit unpredictable (but it was perfect the entire time we needed it to be), and that made for the color of the ocean changing constantly. I couldn't take enough pictures!
I don't actually know who these girls are. I'm relatively certain they were with BYU, though.
Okay I was a little scared when I took this picture. I was pretty high up.
Meet Melissa. She is superwoman. She broke her ankle last Saturday and hiked from Land's End in on crutches. What's more, she had a smile on her face the whole time.
The trail was pretty close to the edge at times, but I made it without any panic attacks, so that's good news.
Mary meets crazy wind. But she still looks fabulous so she wins this round.
Mary again. She was such a good sport while I kept taking pictures of everything I could possibly capture.
This belongs in a movie. Film friends: take note of this place.
So I'm pretty sure this was the outcropping of rocks that we fled in search of solid ground (the closer ones, not the ones dangling over the edge).
There were so many wildflowers decorating the hillside. I loved it and I was so grateful that I was here in the spring.
This is where we saw the seal, Sebastian. He was hanging out by the rocks in the bottom right of the picture.
Sarah and some flowers.
They are seriously my favorite.
These were all throughout the areas we explored, but they were more prominent closer to Land's End.
Lunch! Note the doughnut bag in Lizzie's hands. It's from a fresh doughnut stand that was set up there and they were delicious.
On the coach ride back. We look pretty good for having hiked for two hours, I think.
St. Michael's Mount. (But I'm pretty sure we went to France).
Amy and Lizzie
The walkway was flooded so we took the boats instead.
Front to back: Caitlin, Lizzie, Kenna
The docks at the island
Everything was so lush!
Graveyard
More flowers because I don't have anywhere to put flowers if I get any.
On the walk up to the castle.
The castle. People actually live there, still.
Left to right: Sarah, Kenna, Caitlin, Lizzie
Kenna
This was sitting in front of a window that had been installed into a slit for archers. The new with the old.
The library! It was a good thing that room was roped off because I could have sat there for hours.
A garden in the castle dining room.
Stained glass in the dining room. Look at how intricate it is.
I just liked the chair. Instead of having signs prohibiting sitting down, they put dried flowers on the chairs and couches they wanted to preserve.
A gardener at work.
Me and Mary. This part looked like the scene at the end of Pirates of the Caribbean (the first one) where Jack falls over the edge and Elizabeth and Will kiss.
A view of the gardens below.
Aaaaand more of the ocean because I haven't yet decided enough is enough.
The chapel. It was beautiful, if a bit chilly.
This room was in stark contrast to the others we'd visited previously. It looked like it was from a Jane Austen novel.
And that was today! I’m excited to see what tomorrow has in
store.
No comments:
Post a Comment