FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

1. On Monday we left Torquay for Falmouth. Fortunately it didn't rain while we all pulled out suitcases to the station opposite the hotel and we only had to change the train once. In the train we had a lot of fun, seniors apparently enjoy excursions more then school children ! After 4 or 5 h we finally arrived in Falmouth where a coach waited for us to bring us to the hotel. It was so late that we just had the time to storm into the dining room for dinner. The staff wasn't prepared for so many people we were 31 and just after arriving still dressed in our coats we had to choose a menu on a paper, for each person one. Then we waited and waited. Some men got grumpy because they had to wait for so long and served themselves with drinks in the meanwhile. I had a spoon to eat my cheese the cutlery was rather mixed up, some only had a knife for ice cream and we had to laugh. We were all very tired and went early to bed.

2. The next day we went to St. Ives, Lands end and Mousehole and had a view on Penzance.


The tour
(see post below)

3. Again we had no time to see the hotel or the surroundings because the tour was finished and everybody went home. The majority of our group were English, there was an Australian couple which celebrated their golden wedding and a South African couple and of course we four girls from Belgium. We took the train to London.


our last supper in the Falmouth Hotel

4. We spent the whole day in London before we took the Eurostar train back to Brussels (post below)

5. I was feeling put through a mangle and was very tired. When I wanted to check my bank account, I noticed that I had lost my bank card ! The only time I had used it was in a pharmacy in Torquay. Mr. G. went to the bank and blocked it, fortunately nobody had used it. This took the rest of my energy if there was any left !
The afternoon I spent in our garden and sorted out all the pictures I had taken !

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

ON HOLIDAYS IN CORNWALL

Today I am on my way to England,



together with my friends Ilona (71), Dominique (60) and Nicole (75)

We take the Eurostar to London and stay there for the night, and the next morning we will take the bus to Torquay.

The program is :

TORQUAY AND THE AGATHA CHRISTIE CONNECTION
Your Tour Manager greets you in the reception of the Grand Hotel in Torquay,  base for four nights. On Day 2 we begin our stay with an Agatha Christie themed walk, accompanied by a local guide, introducing the delights of Torquay's iconic waterfront and the resort's Agatha Christie connections.

THE RIVIERA BY STEAM, BY BOAT, AND AT LEISURE
We explore Torbay's spectacular coast today, firstly travelling by rail to Paignton. Here we board the Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway and continue along the coast to Kingswear. We then board a river ferry to Dartmouth where we enjoy free time in this riverside town. We cruise up the scenic River Dart to Totnes and return to Torquay by coach. On Day 4 enjoy Torquay at leisure, with Torre Abbey, exquisite gardens and the harbour, all within walking distance of our hotel. Alternatively, Torbay offers a number of resorts, such as Goodrington and Brixham, each with their own distinct character. Steam enthusiasts will enjoy the South Devon Railway, which operates between Totnes and Buckfastleigh.

THROUGH DEVON AND CORNWALL TO FALMOUTH
Our journey by rail  takes us first to Newton Abbot, where we change and travel through the Devon countryside and the naval city of Plymouth. We cross the River Tamar via the Royal Albert Bridge, and at Truro we change onto the Maritime Line, travelling southwards to Falmouth. Here we stay for two nights at the Falmouth Hotel, superbly situated on Falmouth Bay.

DISCOVERING WEST CORNWALL

we explore the best of Cornwall by rail and coach. First we head north-west from Falmouth by rail. At St Erth we change onto the St Ives Bay Branch Line, which offers superb views of the Hayle Estuary before the scenic coastal panoramas of Carbis Bay and St Ives unfold. After free time in the picturesque town of St Ives, we continue by coach around Cape Cornwall, calling at Land's End, the charming fishing village of Mousehole, and Penzance, where romantic St Michael's Mount enchants from the sea.

I will try to do a diary of our trip depending of course on time and WiFi connection !