Bath: Day 8

Photos: (1) Some of the countryside, (2) One of the beaches on our coastal trail hike at The Lizard, (3) Enjoying lunch cliffside, (4) Just a pretty view, (5) Better landscape view, (6) Amanda, Sam and I with our flowers that Pat gave us- Amanda had "bacon and eggs", I had a "thrift" flower, and Sam had a "Bettany" flower, all native to the land, (7) Rocky edges, (8) I thought the flowers growing on the sides was very neat, (9) There's Pat!


I'm back!

Today we got up early per usual, grabbed some breakfast, and headed out the door to go to The Lizard, the southern-most tip of England.

We met up with our guide, Pat, who was this crazy, but hilarious guy who is super into geology, botany, history, and -ology basically and he hikes like 14 miles every day around the coast so he knows his stuff. Just to give you a little insight into Pat: "My favorite things are: 1. Futbol, 2. Beer, 3. Cornwall, and 4. Pasties." Yeahup, that's Pat in a nutshell. Another insight...in order to explain how old the earth was and to show when certain things developed...he used a toilet paper roll that we all unwound and held and that each sheet was a point on the timeline. A bit unorthodox, but hilarious.

So we commenced our 4 mile coastal hike which was definitely a piece of cake after yesterday's...and the scenery here was absolutely amazing as well. It was sunny and we had a nice breeze coming off the ocean that kept us cool so it was pure bliss. It seemed like everywhere you looked was a photo op. The south of England is amazing and the people are so different from the ones in Bath. Much more down to earth, very into Arthurian legend, proud of their land, very patriotic about Cornwall (they say it's basically it's own country), etc. Close by The Lizard is also where the first trans-atlantic message was sent. The sattelites are all still there to see too.

Afterward, we traveled to St. Ive's which is a beach town. It's a pretty typical beach town, but in a European sense. The shops and cafes and layout is still all very European. We grabbed some baguettes and chips and headed down to the beach where some of us got in the freezing cold water (I only went in to my knee) and others who were smarter layed out and enjoyed the rays (like me). When I think of England...beaches do not come to mind first, but it was nice. The sand was much coarser, but it was still a good time. One big difference though: seagulls. The English seagulls are NASTY!!! One landed right on top of my friend's head and stole half of her sandwich! Awful birds. I also tried a little fudge from the fudge shop they have there...let me tell you...it was good and all, but Aunt Jane still makes the best fudge around. Hands down.

After a day at the beach and a few shades redder...we all got showered and changed very quickly to head down to The Paris, the pub in Coverack where we were going to be watching the World Cup England v. USA game. I had my very first pastie here and I liked it for the most part. Not too found of the outside because it's all really crust (which I despise), but the inside was quite tasty. Meat and veggies! They even provided us with (MORE) Roskilly's ice cream! I swear, that stuff is allll over the south of England...as it should be!

The game was awesome. One of the coolest experiences I have had. The English were very chill about the game. Slight teasing on both sides, but it was all good-natured and fun. Thank goodness it was a tie though because who knows what would have happened had we won! After the game we all hung out there to talk with the locals. We met a lot of English guys and some girls around our age that were very friendly. It was a little awkward at first because we were very distinctly separated in two groups, but finally we made the first move and invited them into our little circle to hang out. By the end of the night, they told us their opinions of Americans were totally changed. They assumed we were snobby and arrogant, but they said that we all proved that very wrong. Glad they understand not every American is an "ugly" American. But we had a fantastic time mixing with them and learning more about their culture.

Oh, I even tried some cider. No, not the apple kind. And it was wonderful. I can't recall which type it was...some Black something or another. Only had 1 pint of it, but it was GREAT! Still haven't had a beer though. Bluck.

Heading out tomorrow back for Bath. Hope all is well back home! Love you all.