The sun came out just as we entered the Plymouth England harbor. Getting through customs entailed walking by a drug-sniffing Newfoundland Setter, and then getting our passports stamp. Easy-peachy!
As we walked out of the terminal, we met two cyclist, Theresa and Adrian from Falmouth who kindly gave us a lift to the tourist information center. Unfortunately by the time we arrived, the office was closed…so we were SOL in getting hotel info. We started knocking on all the B&Bs until we found suitable accommodations. A bit pricey, but with a view of the ocean.
Since the UK uses the pound Sterling, we needed to get to the ATM. There, we asked locals for recommendations to a restaurant and were guided to the restaurant above the gin distillery. I ordered all vegetables, having missed them on the Iberian Peninsula: pea and mint soup; salad with watermelon, olives, and feta; and sweet potatoes with spinach. I will be happy not to see croissants, ham and cheese sandwiches, cod, and, of course, potatoes for a long time.
We are thinking of hiking the Southwest Hiking Trail from Plymouth to Falmouth. First , we’ll see what the tourist office has for info, then search out guidebooks and maps. I also have to find a better hiking shoe. Hopefully we will be off on Saturday.
Coincidentally, I just hung up the phone after a two-hour interview with Kim Revill, a British journalist, who plans to do a story about me and the Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp, Belgium, possibly for the “Guardian” newspaper in the UK. She’s also interested in doing a story in the future about my three British feminist friends in the UK, one of whom, Dr. Margherita Rendel, whom you plan to contact, she will contact, too.