To say that I have been haunted by mystical Cornwall all of my life is an understatement! Just the name thrills me! Cornwall is a land where fairies, and piskies (“the little people”), and ghosts roam; where Percival threw Excalibur into Dozmary Pool; the birthplace of Arthur Pendragon (Tintagel) and the lovers Tristan and Isolde….and the setting of the novels I avidly read growing up. Daphne du Maurier’s classic novel, Jamaica Inn; and a host of novels written by Victoria Holt, aka Phillippa Carr, aka Jean Plaidy. While growing up my imagination took wing, and I could see the ghostly images of the Nine Maidens turned to stone because they danced on a Sunday; the Hurlers and the Pipers who were also turned to stone for the same reason; Jamaica Inn, home of wreckers and pirates and smugglers; the Mermaids of Zennor and Padstow. I will never forget the Cheesewring, a granite geological feature on Bodmin Moor which was created by giants; St Michael’s Mount, where a young boy named Jack led an angry Giant to his death. Yes, Cornwall is a land of magic! For All Hallows Eve this year, I will haunt you with my dreams and memories of Cornwall. [Read more…] about I Have Been Haunted by Mystical Cornwall
Where Should I go Next??
I do have a few trips planned for 2016, but I need to do some more travel planning! Any ideas?
In January, I am headed to Lake Tahoe to see the lake in the snow…and, of course, to gamble. I am hoping my cousin will come along and that my friend from Sacramento will meet me for a day or so. Thank you, Caesar’s Group!
February will take me to the Revillagadoes Islands to dive with Humpback Whales, Giant Mantas, Dolphins, Sharks, and hopefully, a whale shark! The diving there has been incredible as the whale season gets started. 9 days of diving on the Solmar V! I cannot wait!
Early March will take me to Kentucky where my niece is expecting her first baby! Mid-March I am off to California for the Women In Travel Summit in Orange County, California and I plan to stay a while after the conference. Randy and I are planning to drive from Dallas to California, checking out a few sights along the way. I love Orange County and plan to show you why! I’m planning fine dining, luxurious hotels, water sports, and who knows what else? There is always something going on in Orange County.
Late June and July takes me to Australia, Bali, and a Citizen Science dive trip with Marine Megaafauna Foundation‘s Dr Andrea Marshall (Queen of Mantas) in Komodo, Indonesia on the luxurious Arenui! I am so excited for this one…I have never been to Indonesia! I am still trying to figure out where to stay and dive in Bali, and also on the Great Barrier Reef.
So…where else should I go? I would love to go to Europe, and Antarctica. Oh, and Morocco and Israel. And on an African safari. And Japan. Palau. Canada! Can you believe I have never been to Canada? I lived 3 hours from the border until I was twenty, and never went. I still haven’t seen so many of our beautiful national parks! Yosemite and Yellowstone are a must see. Oh, and Alaska! I must go to Alaska. We’d need a small ship though, since my husband’s double lung transplant his immune system isn’t great, so a large ship isn’t possible. Randy definitely wants to see Alaska. Montana? Jackson Hole? I want to see a big Moose. A live one. And a wolf. And a bear.
I want to go to Britain and follow the footsteps of Richard III, the Plantagenet King who was killed in 1485 by Henry Tudor. His remains were found a couple of years ago in Leceister, in a car park. I have been to Leicester and visited the battlefield, but I now want to see the tomb honoring Richard, and also take a Ricardian route through northern England. Scotland, Wales, and Ireland too. And I’d love to dive in Cornwall. I love Cornwall.
In other words, I want to go everywhere. I would love to do a Christmas cruise through Europe for the Christmas markets! I know my readers would love to hear about all of these trips, and I would so love to inform them about the locations. I would be in photographic heaven! Oh! Let’s not forget the Exumas, and Bahamas…I want to dive with sharks! I forgot the Maldives, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. The Amalfi Coast! Lake Como! Venice! Florence! Sienna! And the Alhambra in Spain. The Costa Brava. The French countryside and beaches. Ghosts in Bordeaux.
Where would my readers like to go?? What is your dream trip?
Fabulous Photos Friday: Cornwall, England
Cornwall! Just the name thrills me! Cornwall is a mystical land where fairies, and piskies (“the little people”), and ghosts roam; where Percival threw Excalibur into Dozmary Pool; the birthplace of Arthur Pendragon (Tintagel) and the lovers Tristan and Isolde….and the setting of the novels I avidly read growing up. Daphne du Maurier’s classic novel, Jamaica Inn; and a host of novels written by Victoria Holt, aka Phillippa Carr. My imagination took wing, and I could see the ghostly images of the Nine Maidens turned to stone because they danced on a Sunday; the Hurlers and the Pipers who were also turned to stone for the same reason; Jamaica Inn, home of wreckers and pirates and smugglers; the Mermaids of Zennor and Padstow. The Cheesewring, a granite geological feature on Bodmin Moor which was supposedly created by giants; St Michael’s Mount, where a young boy named Jack led an angry Giant to his death. Yes, Cornwall is a land of magic! (I will save the Arthurian locations for another photo blog as Cornwall, and England, have so many sites commemorating the events of Arthur’s legend).
I’m not sure how to explain how I felt when I arrived in Cornwall. It’s beauty and strange landscapes were much more than I had ever imagined! I booked Jamaica Inn, (a place known to be haunted by those killed by wreckers and pirates) for 3 nights, excited to explore the area of Bodmin Moor. The Inn frightened me to the point where we checked out the next morning and left! I don’t know if it is really haunted, or if it was just the knowledge and atmosphere of the evil carried out there by wreckers (men who lured ships onto the rocks, killed the crew and stole the ship’s cargo), but I couldn’t stand being there! There was just something….wrong, evil. Randy, my husband, and my two children, Ally and Wes, said they could feel it as well. I won’t be sleeping there again!
IMPORTANT! Facebook has decided to charge pages like Travels with Tam a fee to share posts, even with people who have Liked our page. I have over 3,600 fans, but only 47 saw my Mother’s Day Post! This sucks, right? If you are on Google +, so am I, and if you’d like to get my posts you should subscribe via email, on the upper right of the page. I will be so so happy if you do!!!!
Fabulous Photo Friday: Bath, England
I LOVE England. LOVE LOVE LOVE. I am a true Anglophile, especially when it comes to British history. I’ve been to England several times, and I certainly plan to go back again and again! We spent two weeks roaming the English countryside while my daughter was doing her study abroad in London. My son and I were alone in Bath together and hired a British historian so I could actually talk to someone about what we were seeing! As you can see, the weather was a bit foreboding, but it added to the atmosphere of the place. And yes, I know it is Jane Austen’s hometown, but I was more interested in the Roman history. Ah, I want to go back. Enjoy!
Flying From the Big “D” to Africa (via London)!
A celebratory graduation trip to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana! Cast of characters, Tam (me!), Randy (spouse and father), Alexandra, 22, college graduate, and Wes, 18, high school graduate. We left for DFW airport on Friday June 12th 2009 and had a most exciting trip to the airport. There was an accident on I 635 and the traffic was at a complete stop to the I 35 junction. We needed to get to the airport, so Randy decided to drive in the emergency lane to make up some time (NOT something I would do). Most people did not appreciate this move….many people pulled out to block those who were in the emergency lane, a couple even opened their doors to keep people from passing! One guy in a red truck became particularly incensed when Ran pulled around his block move….then, when we were closer to the accident and almost through, Mr Red Truck joined us in the emergency lane. When we finally cleared the accident and could drive, Mr Red Truck pulled in front of us and cut us off at every opportunity until finally he exited on 114 or 121, whichever it is, I am happy Mr Red Truck left us….he was so irate you could see him screaming and gesturing from quite a distance. I’m just glad he didn’t have a gun! I feel sure Randy would have been in his sights.
Wes had flown with me in Business Class once to London to visit Ally when she lived there for a semester, but Ally had only flown Coach. When we boarded our British Airways flight she saw our Club World “pods” and I do not think she ever quit smiling. BA’s Club World has full recline, individual tv screens complete with movies, tv shows, news, etc; drawers for your items, and first rate service. Wes said he was actually excited to fly for the first time since he was a little boy. The four of us had fun playing with the automatic windows in our pods, but finally, we all slept. Our flight was comfy and uneventful, I always enjoy flying British Airways. Club World is their Business Class, but it is as good as First Class to me, the only real difference is you don’t get pajamas in Business Class (yes, in First they give you jammies!)
On our arrival to Heathrow we made our way to our “car hire” (AVIS) and rented an Audi to make our way to Kent where we were going to tour Hever Castle and look at Chartwell, Winston Churchill’s old home! I must say you have to hand it to Ran, he is one talented guy: he not only can drive on the left, but he can sit in the driver’s seat on the right and shift gears with his left hand! I really am amazed that he can do it. We pulled out of the airport and just as we were headed toward Kent (a county), the car started to pour smoke from under the hood. Obviously, we had to get back to the airport and switch cars. Thankfully we had also rented a TomTom, even so, it took forever to get back to Avis. Finally, a new vehicle and off we went again, quite late on our schedule.
Kent and Surrey are green and blooming in June. Wisteria tumbles over old stone walls, arches and doorways; the effect is quaint and charming and so completely British. We stopped at a pub in Hever called The Crown Inn, had a bite, then made our way to Hever Castle, the home of the family of Queen Anne Boleyn. As one of my favorite historical figures, I always wanted to see Anne’s home where Henry reputedly fell in love with her in the garden. The grounds are breathtaking, the castle is full of history, it was a place of absolute serenity. However, Anne does haunt Hever, on Christmas Eve. “Her somber specter is seen drifting silently over the picturesque bridge that spans the River Eden, in the grounds of the home where she knew much happiness, and from which she embarked upon a journey that would change the course of English history.” This ghost story was taken from the book “Haunted Castles of Britain and Ireland” by Richard Jones. Alas, I did not see Anne since I was there in June.
We drove by Chartwell, the home of Sir Winston Churchill, our car adventures cut into our time to go into the home. Then…back to Heathrow for our 11 and a half hour flight to Johannesburg. The British Airways Club World Lounge has showers, drinks and food so we showered, ate and drank, got on the plane, and promptly fell asleep on the way to Africa.