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European Adventure 2017
It was a misty morning when we first got up but it soon cleared to be another lovely warm day. Our first stop was toa Land's end about 5minutes from our campsite but at £5 just to park the van and have a quick walk out we just looked from the gate and moved on up to the Minack out door Theatre which Robyn Jackson will remember well. We heard there was a production on that night so went to book in ....it was the Opera Tosca. The lads weren't too sure about an opera! The show was at 8pm so we headed off to Michael's Mount for a look around. The tide was out (as it usually is when we go to the sea!) so we were able to walk out on the coarse-way. This wonderful island mount dates back to the 12th century. The church was built on its summit after the Norman invasion when St Michael's Mount was granted to the Benedictine Abbey of Mont St Michel in France. The castle and gardens are really lovely and it is home to Lord St Levan and his family. In its heyday the island was a busy tin and copper port and the population swelled to 300 by 1811. Currently there are about 30 people living and working there plus the owners. After a few pleasant hours there we walked into the village on the mainland and bought a proper Cornish Pastie, one of the best we had tasted and then we moved on to St Ives which is a busy little fishing village. There was a park and ride which we took advantage of as the roads were very steep. Interesting little lanes with lots of little shops and nice little restaurants and cafés across the waterfront. We were pleased we took the bus as we sat back and enjoyed the ride as the competent driver wound around the tight corners and narrow streets. At 5.30 we drove back to the Minack theatre and set the vans up in the carpark and then walked down to have a look around before the show. What an amazing place and it was the brainchild of Rowena Cade who build a house for herself and her mother on land at Minack Point after the 1st World War. A local village group of players had staged Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream in 1929 and 1930 and had decided their next production would be The Tempest and Miss Cade offered the garden of her house as a location. She and her gardener made a terrace and rough seating hauling material down from the house or up from the beach. The performance was a great success and so every year throughout her life she and two men worked over the winter months to make it better so that others could enjoy theatre over the summer. The theatre now can seat 750 people and the night we went was a Monday and it was filled to capacity! Amazing for such a tiny out of the way place but of course it's reputation has gone far and wide. I can't say that I'm much of an opera fan but I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. It was magical with the sea as the backdrop. Leicester admitted to nearly nodding off In the first half but by the end he had to admit as we all did I think that we were bitten by the Minack bug and found it a fantastic experience.
- comments
mum What a facinating. Evening at the opera , my favouritenopera too. Im green with envy,, wonderful brezkfasr reading.
Nicky Wow amazing how much the water drops
Ro So glad you managed to do this- it's been lovely reading your comments and remembering my visit to all of these beautiful places.
Clare Wow, how awesome is that!