Days 68 and 69

(Dan’s comments are italicized)

In the UK, you don’t wait for a warm day to go to the beach (as you could be waiting for months); you go when you have time! We went to a beautiful, local sandy beach. Although it threatened rain, it didn’t actually do so until we were back home safely!

The author, Agatha Christie used to stay in Plymouth for months at a time. Apparently she wrote many of her books while staying at the hotel on Burgh Island; it was exciting to be so close to greatness (even though it was decades apart! 😂) People can cross to the island on a sand bar that is exposed during low tide. We arrived while the tide was rising and could not cross for risk of getting stuck on the other side. 😢

The good news about the (very) poor weather is that it makes for some beautiful sunsets.

Because the weather seemed a bit more stable today, we went to the old part of Plymouth (the Barbican). The dock is so pretty and the historical buildings are spectacular.

Plymouth has a few self guided walking tours. They are beautifully posted, and pointed out important facts about locations.

Of note, the original steps that the Pilgrims used no longer exist, and where they were is now buried under a public house named The Admiral McBride. Unfortunately, we only got to the fifth placard before we got distracted.

Because of Plymouth’s military importance (naval and air), it was very badly bombed during WWII. One of the historic churches is merely a shell but has been preserved…in the middle of a roundabout!! The place is locked up but I found it so pretty that I took photos anyway. Locked up is suggestive. I could have easily stepped through one of the empty windows, but respected the chains.

The Barbican has many buildings that have been around for 400-500 years! The sense of history is almost palpable!

The next stop was the park overlooking the bay. It was here that Sir Francis Drake played bowls whilst waiting for the Spanish Armada to appear. We got this information from placards telling people about the history of Plymouth. The bowls playing seems to be an odd historical note in a city with so much other history. Now, a beautiful war memorial (commemorating those who lost their lives during the two World Wars overlooks the ocean…

…and a memorial commemorating Sir Francis Drake’s victory was alongside the lighthouse.

Walking around made me realize how the UK could rival most European countries in terms of beauty and history…if only the weather cooperated better!

Personally, I prefer this weather over the current heat of the desert right now. The outlook for the week’s weather is … more rain, and highs of under 60°F. Oh boy!