Day 39 ~ Thursday August 08, 2019 Falmouth England on the 14 Day Scottish Highland Explorer

Deep deep water

 This port they told us was the 3 largest deep harbour in the world. We didn’t expect it to be such a vast city, nor for it to have such a large port with both naval vessels and cruise ships crowding the harbour along with countless private boats in numerous marinas  Today we walked around this quint little town.  We are in the Southwest of England on the coast of Cornwall.  Its climate is far milder than its latitude would suggest, because the Gulf Current brings warmth (and tar balls?) from the Gulf of Mexico. Many of the lush plants we saw growing here would be just as happy in the Florida. Smugglers also made a great living here, importing goods without having to pay customs fees. Since Roman times people mined tin and copper in the area. Mining was the single greatest industry in Cornwall until most of the copper was removed and the local economy was devastated. 13,000 Cornish miners immigrated and brought their skills to many parts of the world along with their favorite pasty, which they ate down in the mines. We recognized many of the town names as having equivalents in the US. Today the local shops sell these half moon shaped pies, filled with all manner of stuffing as well as scones and clotted cream. Apparently “clotted cream” is the British term for heavy, whipped cream and this unfortunate name reminds us what it is doing to our arteries. These days the major industry in Falmouth is tourism.

Few seaside towns in Cornwall boast such an arresting location as Falmouth, overlooking the broad Fal River as it empties into the English Channel. Backed by green hills and blue water, Falmouth is criss-crossed by cobbled lanes, salty old pubs and trendy cafes. It makes an ideal base for exploring Cornwall’s south coast, and has a wealth of bars and bistros, a trio of beaches and the nation’s foremost maritime museum.

                Yes this is England and so tropical.  Even A Banana tree.

You lose sight of things and when you travel everything balances out -  Anonymos
Thanks for following us  Bob & Leslee