I returned to St. Austell, this time with Jess, for a full and delightful week. The itinerary included lots of walking in the beautiful countryside. In addition to a few more walks with eager, sniffing Charlie, Jess and I spent an afternoon walking along Carlyon Bay, where I have fond memories of playing golf with my Dad and jumping on the bouncy castle on the beach. We continued on to the picturesque oceanside village of Charlestown where we split fish and chips and a pint of St. Austell Tribute.
Another day, we joined Jean and Geoff for a fourteen-mile charity walk around the mouth of the river Fal, starting and ending near Falmouth and including five short ferry rides. We had perfect weather and enjoyed lunch at a National Trust manor property along the way. The reward at the end of the walk was an opulent cream tea, an English specialty consisting of tea, scones with clotted cream and jam, and various other biscuits and baked goods.
In addition to more delicious meals whipped up by Jean, Jess and I had cooked a few dinners that went over well, including asparagus risotto and bean chili with melted cheese. We enjoyed a rare opportunity on our trip to cook and fill our hosts' bellies with good food.
One day, we all (including Alfie) took the bus from town to the Eden Project, an educational environmental complex built in a reclaimed china clay pit. There was a green car exhibit accompanied by a bicycle-powered race car tent, which Alfie and I teamed up in and did quite well! Jess and I wandered around the vegetable gardens, the dinosaur made of appliances consumed by the average household in a lifetime, the educational center, and the Mediterranean Biome.
Another day, Geoff dropped Jess and me off at the beginning of the Camel Trail, a popular and scenic rail-to-trail, much like the Minute Man Trail, that follows the Camel River to Padstow on the north coast of Cornwall. We had a great day of cycling, with the requisite picnic overlooking the wide river. When we returned, we met up with Jean, Geoff, and Alfie, and did some cycling and walking with them.
Jean and Geoff took us out for a special dinner in a restaurant by Newquay, a popular and famous (so the locals say) surfing spot. We started with drinks overlooking the beautiful sea, town, and beaches, and followed with a delicious dinner during sunset over the Atlantic. A real treat.
Another day, Jess and I set to work in the garden, Jess weeding and me mowing the lawn. It was satisfying work, reminding me of when I used to mow the lawn at home.
On the Saturday night, Wendy joined Jess and me for a truly genuine local experience: an evening at the St. Austell bingo hall. I admit, I enjoy playing bingo once in a while. But people are serious about their bingo in the UK, and boy did we learn that first hand! The calling was fast and the ambiance intense, at least to us newbies. Unfortunately, this bingo was clearly an adrenalin addiction, and the hall was filled with addicts. But we sure enjoyed ourselves, both the game itself and experiencing the strange social phenomenon. Wendy even won five pounds! And Jess won as well, but she “check”ed too feebly for the caller to hear, teaching us the hard way that you have to make your call before the next number is announced. Brutal!
With Wendy's winnings, we stopped at the local McDonalds on the way home and celebrated with McFlurries, a fitting (and delicious) reward.
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