We set out today looking for just two things, Cornish pasties, and fish and chips.  We found, we ate, we waddled back to the ship.

This was the one place on the trip we have to tender, i.e. anchor out from shore and take small boats in.  The trip in this morning was uneventful, but the water was a bit rougher for the trip back in the afternoon.  We did manage to get seats in the open on the small second deck of the ship, so we had the cold wind, and the spray when we hit the bigger waves.  T and I thought that was great, but several women around us were less than happy with their husbands for wanting to sit up there.  I did have to tell one large woman to stop ducking, though, as I was using her as my shield from the worst of the spray.

This was after having to wait in a loooong line to get on the boat back.  Since the weather was beautiful today, everyone used all their time ashore and showed up back at the dock near the time the last tender was supposed to be running.  Needless to say, the ship was a little later than scheduled in leaving for France.

Falmouth did prove to be a delightful town.  It seems to be a bit of a yachting center, so the shops had lots of nautical clothing and lots of art.  We had great fun catching the galleries and looking at or through many of the other shops.  T also found a couple of good postcards to send to Keenan. (Keenan, you’ll see what I mean when you get them.)  The majority of the shops are on one long street that goes up and down and around curves, so you think it is never going to end, and for quite a while it didn’t.

For Keenan

Being in the heart of Cornwall, there were numerous Cornish pasty shops.  Once we managed to find a bank where we could get some pounds, we hit a particularly good looking one we had just passed.  Not only did they make a great pasty, they made a darn good croissant as well (a little warm up for tomorrow).  My pasty was pork and apple, a less traditional but wonderful combination.  Keenan – Of course I had to spend map time finding everything!

Having met our first goal of the day, we walked that off a bit to make some room for more.  While shopping we leaned hard on one store keeper to reveal the hidden knowledge of the best fish and chips in town.  He steered us to a place called the Harbour Lights.  He did NOT steer us wrong.  They had such a nice space overlooking the harbour, we decided to pay the extra to eat in (over here the take out price is often cheaper than the eat in price for the same food).  I really do think that was the best fish and chips I have ever had.  Absolutely fresh and absolutely perfectly cooked.

Beer with your fish?

One thing I like in England is that the fish is generally a full fillet, not just some pre-frozen uniform size and shape piece of fish.  We each got the regular order which included one HUGE piece of fish (T had cod, I had haddock).  That one piece was more fish than you would normally get in a whole order (three pieces?) back in the States.  I have to assume the large portion would have involved two such pieces, which sounds like more than even I could eat comfortably.  Then there was the fry plat, with cod, haddock, mackerel, calamari, and scampi.  That would be of biblical proportions. (Remember the story of Jesus feeding the crowd from the never ending fish and chips bar? OK, maybe you don’t, but it made a big impression on me when I was young.)

For Melinda

Finally, I just have to post a picture for Melinda.  She asked about the purple soccer shoes.  Tami was so proud of them she did in fact take a picture of them last night.  These might be enough to get you playing, Melinda?

-M