Shakespeare in the Rain

Yesterday’s post didn’t go up until late, so you might have missed it.  Scroll down to view it.  And, as always, click on photos for larger views.

Venton Vean B&B is great.  It’s located a few blocks from the sea in a quiet residential neighborhood.  And Phillipa makes a great breakfast  —  especially the breads and homemade jams.  Even before breakfast this morning we ventured out to the Suds and Surf Launderette where we dropped off two loads of laundry for wash and fold service to be picked up tomorrow morning.

Then it was off to St Michael’s Mount, the Cornwall equivalent of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy although not quite on so grand a scale.  St Michael’s Mount is still the residence of the St Aubyn family, but it is under the management now of the National Trust and large portions of the castle can be visited.  At low tide, you can walk to the island; otherwise, there are small ferry shuttles running every few minutes.  We toured the castle and the gardens under murky skies and fog.

It’s a Slippery Climb to the Castle

Then we headed to Porthcurno, a short but arduous drive from Penzance, for our 2 PM performance of Shakespeare’s the Taming of the Shrew at the famous outdoor Minack Theatre.  What could be better than Shakespeare with a view of the ocean?  Well, perhaps good weather for the performance.  Act I was overcast and drizzly at times.  Act II was performed under steady rain.  The all-female cast and the audience soldiered on through it all, and the show was very enjoyable despite the wet conditions.

After the show we drove home to dry out before dinner.  The restaurant we chose was the Cornish Range in nearby Mousehole (really!) about two miles away.  They specialize in seafood, and we partook.  (No pictures tonight.)  For starters I had lobster, crab and fish bisque with Parmesan (yum) while Elaine enjoyed crayfish and avocado salad.  Unusually, we both had the same main course:  hake served with chorizo sausage, shrimp, and scallops in a yummy sauce.  Wonderful!  Elaine had her new favorite dessert, Eton mess, while I had lemon tart served with fresh raspberries and strawberries.  Cornwall does have wineries, but only rose and white, so we had a nice pinot noir from Australia.