I had all intentions of getting up early and doing the Dome and Smeaton's Tower before 11am, but I got into town just in time. I called Mike but he was still in class. While waiting, I walked down to the Barbican to see how much one of the galleries was selling the Beatles on the Hoe photo for. He wanted £10 for a mounted small photo. The Dome wanted £17 for a large poster. I wasn't prepared to treat myself again just yet.
Mike rang so I walked back up to the Hoe to meet him. He showed me around the architecture school, which was interesting. It's in quite an old and dilapidated building but will be relocated up with the main uni campus next year. He showed me a building damaged in the war that he has been set a project on. He headed off to do some work.
I went back to the Hoe and bought my combined ticket for the Dome and Smeaton's Tower. I started with the tower in case the weather got worse or I ran out of time. I walked into the ground level door and flashed my ticket at the man in the little room. There was a winding staircase for a few turns which was built from scratch on the Hoe. Then came the section that was relocated to the Hoe from the Eddystone rocks. There were four cramped floors including an oil room, a bedroom, a kitchen, and entry. The ladders were teensy and the holes small enough to catch my backpack on. There was some great information on the walls, but the best bit was coming up into the candle room to see the candelabrum with two circles of candle spots. There was one more ladder to get to the windows to see out. The view was great and the wind was blowing fairly hard.
Back on the level below was a door out to the balcony, so I went out. The bolt was so stiff that I banged my knuckle, but it was worth it. I didn't dare take photos in case things blew away, but I absorbed the sea feeling and imagined what it would be like to be stranded in a lighthouse 22 miles away from shore. I headed back down the tower and had a chat with the man in the little room.
I went down to the Dome and went in the exhibition. It started with information about Plymouth's naval and maritime history - Francis Drake, James Cook, and the Mayflower. They also talked about Bligh and other trailblazers in the 17th century. The next floor down talked about Plymouth into the 20th century - the 1930s and then the war and the Blitz. I found the stuff about the Blitz interesting anyway, but especially some views of pre-war Plymouth and the fact that the old city was congested and full of problems. It then talked about the rebuilding and how the city was completely redesigned. Then how they have moved with the times and focused on tourism. There was also a detailed display about the four lighthouses and the people who designed and built them. That was very good.
I went to the cafe hoping to get some lunch as I was starving, but they didn't do anything substantial. So I started walking back to town, but changed my mind and went back to the waterfront. I got a panini there and had a chat to the Kiwi woman working there about how to get to Mount Edgecumbe. Another guy helped direct me to the ferry stop on the Tamar and I was on my way. I hesitated at a town map wondering if it was too far, but I decided to do it in the end.
I walked around West Hoe to the roundabout then turned left. I went past the continental ferry port and turned left again at the barracks into Stonehouse. I found the ferry stop and there was a ferry waiting, but I read the signs on a shelter and discovered just how much there was to do there and that I'd be better off coming back when it was all open and pleasant in the warmer months. I went into the corner shop nearby to buy some snacks and chatted to the woman in there (well, she chatted to me). The house was open on weekends in winter, but I would miss weekends while in Plymouth on this trip. I walked back into town and did a few things (buying socks for my aching feet) before deciding that I had nothing else to do, so called Mike to meet up.
I walked up through the mall and under the pedestrian subways of a huge roundabout and headed in what I thought was the direction of the uni. I soon ended up at a train station but chanced upon a road through the uni campus to get to the right road. I found the museum so knew I was on the right track. I turned right, went past the Fresher and Professor pub to the residential blocks and called him again. He let me in and we went upstairs. We searched for accommodation at Land's End exhaustively and fruitlessly until I suggested typing the nearby St Just into google. That resulted in a number of guesthouses. We rang one and shortlisted another. The one we rang was full but they recommended the one we shortlisted. We rang them and they had rooms available - two twins as there were to be four of us. Mike checked this with the two other takers and discovered that Wanda had piked on the trip altogether. He rang Becky to invite her but she was still at work. I checked my email on his broadband and we ordered pizza while we were waiting for her to finish. She couldn't come, so I rang and booked a twin and a single for the same price per person.
The pizza arrived so we went out into the kitchen to eat it. Katla was there and I met Wanda and Becky and Rob/Bob. We had lamb doner pizza and Rob/Bob insisted we have some of his garlic sauce on it, while hungrily looking on as we ate it. It appears that lamb doner pizza is his favourite food. It was nice talking to intelligent people. They were all going out so I put my painful boots on (after having punctured the evil blister on my heel with Mike's cardboard scalpel and applying a band aid) and headed to the bus stop. I got a bus back before too long and managed to overshoot the stop by a mile or so. I walked back and found Anne already in bed. I went to bed myself. It was about 10pm.
Mike rang so I walked back up to the Hoe to meet him. He showed me around the architecture school, which was interesting. It's in quite an old and dilapidated building but will be relocated up with the main uni campus next year. He showed me a building damaged in the war that he has been set a project on. He headed off to do some work.
I went back to the Hoe and bought my combined ticket for the Dome and Smeaton's Tower. I started with the tower in case the weather got worse or I ran out of time. I walked into the ground level door and flashed my ticket at the man in the little room. There was a winding staircase for a few turns which was built from scratch on the Hoe. Then came the section that was relocated to the Hoe from the Eddystone rocks. There were four cramped floors including an oil room, a bedroom, a kitchen, and entry. The ladders were teensy and the holes small enough to catch my backpack on. There was some great information on the walls, but the best bit was coming up into the candle room to see the candelabrum with two circles of candle spots. There was one more ladder to get to the windows to see out. The view was great and the wind was blowing fairly hard.
Back on the level below was a door out to the balcony, so I went out. The bolt was so stiff that I banged my knuckle, but it was worth it. I didn't dare take photos in case things blew away, but I absorbed the sea feeling and imagined what it would be like to be stranded in a lighthouse 22 miles away from shore. I headed back down the tower and had a chat with the man in the little room.
I went down to the Dome and went in the exhibition. It started with information about Plymouth's naval and maritime history - Francis Drake, James Cook, and the Mayflower. They also talked about Bligh and other trailblazers in the 17th century. The next floor down talked about Plymouth into the 20th century - the 1930s and then the war and the Blitz. I found the stuff about the Blitz interesting anyway, but especially some views of pre-war Plymouth and the fact that the old city was congested and full of problems. It then talked about the rebuilding and how the city was completely redesigned. Then how they have moved with the times and focused on tourism. There was also a detailed display about the four lighthouses and the people who designed and built them. That was very good.
I went to the cafe hoping to get some lunch as I was starving, but they didn't do anything substantial. So I started walking back to town, but changed my mind and went back to the waterfront. I got a panini there and had a chat to the Kiwi woman working there about how to get to Mount Edgecumbe. Another guy helped direct me to the ferry stop on the Tamar and I was on my way. I hesitated at a town map wondering if it was too far, but I decided to do it in the end.
I walked around West Hoe to the roundabout then turned left. I went past the continental ferry port and turned left again at the barracks into Stonehouse. I found the ferry stop and there was a ferry waiting, but I read the signs on a shelter and discovered just how much there was to do there and that I'd be better off coming back when it was all open and pleasant in the warmer months. I went into the corner shop nearby to buy some snacks and chatted to the woman in there (well, she chatted to me). The house was open on weekends in winter, but I would miss weekends while in Plymouth on this trip. I walked back into town and did a few things (buying socks for my aching feet) before deciding that I had nothing else to do, so called Mike to meet up.
I walked up through the mall and under the pedestrian subways of a huge roundabout and headed in what I thought was the direction of the uni. I soon ended up at a train station but chanced upon a road through the uni campus to get to the right road. I found the museum so knew I was on the right track. I turned right, went past the Fresher and Professor pub to the residential blocks and called him again. He let me in and we went upstairs. We searched for accommodation at Land's End exhaustively and fruitlessly until I suggested typing the nearby St Just into google. That resulted in a number of guesthouses. We rang one and shortlisted another. The one we rang was full but they recommended the one we shortlisted. We rang them and they had rooms available - two twins as there were to be four of us. Mike checked this with the two other takers and discovered that Wanda had piked on the trip altogether. He rang Becky to invite her but she was still at work. I checked my email on his broadband and we ordered pizza while we were waiting for her to finish. She couldn't come, so I rang and booked a twin and a single for the same price per person.
The pizza arrived so we went out into the kitchen to eat it. Katla was there and I met Wanda and Becky and Rob/Bob. We had lamb doner pizza and Rob/Bob insisted we have some of his garlic sauce on it, while hungrily looking on as we ate it. It appears that lamb doner pizza is his favourite food. It was nice talking to intelligent people. They were all going out so I put my painful boots on (after having punctured the evil blister on my heel with Mike's cardboard scalpel and applying a band aid) and headed to the bus stop. I got a bus back before too long and managed to overshoot the stop by a mile or so. I walked back and found Anne already in bed. I went to bed myself. It was about 10pm.
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