Holiday Day Seven - A B/D Slasher's Guide to Libraries

[byslantedlight]

In all his days Doyle had never seen anything like St. Michael's Mount. He'd seen it from a distance, of course, every time he and Bodie had occasion to go to Penzance. But up close it was a stunning natural feature, its tree-covered slopes topped by a majestic castle built on the site of an ancient priory. Once upon a time it had been part of the land they said, but sea levels had risen and now it was only connected by a causeway to the village of Marazion, and accessible only at low tide.

St Michael's Mount today (well, yesterday, cos I'm writing this tomorrow... *g*) which I've always wanted to visit somehow - it seemed like such a romantic place, and now it's got the added attraction of featuring in A Birdwatcher's Guide to Cornish Ghosts II (but I can only find Bodie's story about the bed, I still can't find the lads visiting there to ask questions...help!) We walked over the sand and over the causeway and up the very steep and stony path to the castle itself - and joined the other five million people who'd decided to do that today. I have every intention of coming back in the wintertime when it's quiet and peaceful! But...

...it was still rather fab, especially looking out and down...

And I want this room in my house...

... because it would be fab to have bookshelves lining my room, and a fire, and games and... lovely...

This dining room is still used as a dining room sometimes, and I would like this roof to wander on when I needed to get outside... *g*


Off to Penzance after that, where we had homity pie all around, followed by coffee (or tea!) and cake - I had chocolate and stem ginger pave, but there was also citrus tart and double espresso cake on our table... briefly... *g* Then we went to find one of my favourite places:

The Morab Library, which feels like a library still, rather than an "information centre" of some kind that's all buzzing with computers and text messages - there are books on shelves and tables, and a general sense of hush and it's all about books... (and a newspaper archive and a photographic room too) I so want to move down south so that I can join... They have copies of Arabian Nights printed in 1703 just sitting on shelves to be read, and... just... *sighs happily*

Plus the theology section was the scene of some rather interesting Bodie-action in the first part of Birdwatchers, and of course the library is where the lads first see each other *sighs happily again*


We wandered back through town past The Dolphin (where Bodie and Doyle went for lunch after doing what they did after buying the black French silk knickers *g*) and past the Egyptian House which was nearly opposite the hotel where Doyle was first staying when he got to Penzance...

...and we found another old bookshop too, which was excellent, and also had old old newspapers, and I might have bought one from 1909 and one from 1910 cos they were fab and fairly reasonably priced... *g*

And then home to CornishCat's, where we had to say goodbye at last, and head back north - though it was Devon we were heading back north to, and we did detour back to Bodmin Gaol to buy look once again at the History of Bodmin Gaol book they had there... It's so cool being able to go into the gaol at nine o'clock at night to look at books! (Well okay, you're really going into the restaurant/bar, but the girl opened the giftshop for us too, which is actually down in the gaol itself... *g*

And then all our extra bags to unpack and repack and off to bed to sleep perchance to dream of the lads... (though I didn't, actually - shame!)

Comments

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

What great pictures! I don't remember the first place I heard about St Michael's Mount but I knew right away that it was one place I needed to see someday. And, someday, I will. :-)

And the Morab library really does look like a library! I know what you mean about information centers. Our new library just opened up and we're so disappointed because that's what we got-an information center. :-(

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Isn't it awful what they've done to libraries these days... I know the extras are good and useful, but I rather wish they'd made them into separate institutions altogether...

And yes, you must get to the Mount one day, it's rather fab! I would suggest a day outside of the height of tourist season, mind... *g*

[constant-muse.livejournal.com]

oh goody, another quick dose of Cornwall.
And black silk knickers (fans self - it's suddenly much warmer today *g*).

St Michael's Mount was a must for me because of the medieval Brittany/Mont St-Michel connection of the priory. I was a bit disappointed that most of what you visit now is a comfortable Victorian residence not a medieval monastery. Magic place all the same. We took the ferry there, which made it seem even more of an adventure, but walking back on the causeway was fun too.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yes, just yeay Cornwall! *g*

I must re-read the Brittany connection with the Mount, because that was what I first knew of it, and of course it's all fled my head... Getting there by ferry would be fun - I want to try that one day! *g*

[lukadreaming.livejournal.com]

Waah! I want that as my room as well!

Great piccies. And the food sounds yummy.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

We have had some very yummy food - and wouldn't that room be wonderful... one day!

[cornishcat.livejournal.com]

For an old and draughty building, that sitting room looks, and actually did feel, all warm and snug didn't it? You really can imagine relaxing there, book in hand, in front of a roaring fire with the wind howling off the Atlantic outside. Bliss!

I love reading your daily posts, even though I was there with you, enjoying some of the same experiences. You describe it all with such 'colour'. *g* Thanks for sharing.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It was such a gorgeous snug room - maybe even more so for the crashing waves and wind outside... I so want a room like that... though I'll settle for imagining the lads in that one, for now... *g*

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Another great holiday experience for all your readers!!

I am planning one room lined with books in Portugal.

I remember the library scenes in Birdwatchers - lovely!

Cornwall is in the news today because of the Cameron baby - hope you haven't been overrun with papparazzi and cavalcades!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, rooms lined with books - you lucky duck!

Not seen a single papparazzi - I suspect they'll only hang out where the "cool" people are. And the Prime Minister... *g*

[cornishcat.livejournal.com]

I don't think the lads went up to the castle together but, at some point in the past, Bodie had.

However I seem to remember that they crossed the causeway to further their investigations. They visited an elderly lady who lived in one of the cottages at the base of the Mount, hoping she would know something about the Pendarves family and it was there that she introduced them to the mysterious burning bracelet.

So it was somewhere after Bodie had realised that he would have to co-operate with Doyle and finally admit that he had a ghostly problem.

Does that help at all?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I remember the strumpet bit from Bodie's past (which was just below my quote above) but for the life of me I couldn't find that the elderly lady lived over the causeway... If you find the page... *g*

I shall look again later, though! *g*

[cornishcat.livejournal.com]

I can't give you the page number because I haven't got the zine but it's about halfway down part 2.

In all his days Doyle had never seen anything like St. Michael's Mount. He'd seen it from a distance, of course, every time he and Bodie had occasion to go to Penzance. But up close it was a stunning natural feature, its tree-covered slopes topped by a majestic castle built on the site of an ancient priory. Once upon a time it had been part of the land they said, but sea levels had risen and now it was only connected by a causeway to the village of Marazion, and accessible only at low tide.

"Have you ever been over?" Doyle asked Bodie.

Bodie, staring out to sea at a distant flock of seabirds, lowered his binoculars. "Yes. But you can only go up to the castle by appointment and then it's one hell of a climb to the top. Good view from there, though, can see half of Cornwall on a clear day."

... and then a little further along ...

"Is this it?" Doyle asked.

The row of houses ran at right angles from the sea wall, beyond which was the beach on the eastern side of The Mount. The view was stunning but Doyle wondered how often these places ended up with the sea in their front rooms. Only once in a blue moon perhaps but even once was too often.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh sorry - I've only printed it out, of course... *g*

And ah... The row of houses ran at right angles from the sea wall, beyond which was the beach on the eastern side of The Mount. I never took that as being on the Mount, you know, but when I see it pointed out from you it does sound like it is. Except a bit further down, when they're talking to the lady, it says:

She was one of these women for whom silence was a black hole that had to be filled. Doyle could see she was delighted to meet them but was glad they were visiting for an hour and not staying for a number of days.
"This is nice," Bodie observed, looking around. "A lovely outlook."
The view across to The Mount was indeed stunning.

So... I always thought the lady lived in Marazion, which would make sense if they were looking at the Mount? So it must be looking over to the beach on the eastern side rather than actually being on it?

[londonronnie.livejournal.com]

Eek! Your photos were all there when I read your post earlier today, but now I've come back to comment they've disappeared!!

Ohhhh, how much do I want to do a Cornish Ghosts tour! It all sounds so lovely. Full marks to Lizzie for using real locations that we can actually go and see and squee over!

What a great holiday you're having - thanks for letting us join in with you!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Ooh no, poor photos! They're back though, phew...

And yes! You must come and do a Cornish Ghosts tour - in fact we have proposals afoot along those lines... *g*

Cornish Ghosts

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

These places are so fabulous - and oh, you practically walked through the whole Cornish Ghosts epic! I love the idea of being able to walk through a story like that! *g*

It's like another country, almost ::sigh::

Re: Cornish Ghosts

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

What a gorgeous way of putting it - walking through the story! One day you'll have to come and play at holidays too... *g*

[probodie.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Bringing back some lovely memories for me, you being in Marazion. Never actually made it across to the Mount,but always enjoy looking out towards it *g*

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It was probably a good choice not to go over to the Mount if it was summertime - packed the place was, you had to do a sort of shuffle to get through some parts of it, yuck! But one day - next time you go... *g*