England 2017, Thursday, 5/25/17

Up at 5:30, breakfast at 9:00.  Sightseeing day today, headed first down to the Village of Boscastle to do some proper shopping and sightseeing as they were closed up tighter than a drum last night.  Five shops, five purchases.  All was well and the economy is better for it.  We also made a reservation for dinner this evening at the Riverside Inn at the harbor.  Set for the day.
 
At 12:30 we headed south towards Bodmin and the Lanhydrock House.  This is a National Trust property manor house originally built in 1640.  The 1,000 acres of surrounding grounds include some lovely gardens, both formal and informal.  The fading blossoms of rhododendrons and azaleas attest to the stunning display we missed by only 7-10 days.  However, the roses and other herbaceous plants were just coming into bloom and it will continue to be a wonderful destination.

The house itself was stunning, over 54 rooms (not all open) remind one of the beauty shown on Downton Abbey and similar shows.  The kitchens alone are magnificent, perhaps as many as 15 different rooms highlighting the specialization involved in preparing meals over the centuries.  One room for hanging game and butchering, one for processing cheese and milk, one for pastries, one for bread, and so on.  The oven area and open spit that could handle 4 or 6 spits at once with a maid turning one geared crank to turn them, all at the same time, was amazing.

We completed our tour at 4:00, took the obligatory trip through the gift shop, and then stopped in the cafe for a tea.  Back on the road by 5:00 we arrived back at The Old Parsonage. We had a quick cocktail and then headed to The Riverside Inn in "downtown" Boscastle.  A very nice restaurant, we dined on fresh caught lobster, plaice, and a very nice vegetable beef stew.  Starters of potato leek soup and broccoli Stilton soup were very nice.  We ended with a few cheese boards and a bowl of ice cream.  This constant eat, eat, eat will not set well with Weight Watchers attendees.  Luckily there are no chances for a meeting/weigh-in until a full week after our return.

We happened to turn on the news before bed and chanced to see that our President is also visiting Europe.  I can only hope we travelers are making a better impression on the populace! It has been so nice not to buy in to the daily news cycle for the last 10 days - almost dreamlike.  Well, another night of rest in preparation for tomorrow's travels. Boscastle has been very rewarding, our lodgings sublime, and a great place from which to explore western Cornwall.