As we drove towards the city of Bern, capital of Switzerland, my wife and daughter were playing with two of their favorite toys. Pat was busy with her digital video camera. Anna was figuring out where to go with the help of her Global Positioning System (GPS). The invention of these toys and much else was made possible by the genius of one man, Albert Einstein. It was therefore only right and proper that, upon our arrival in Bern, we first made our way to the small apartment at 49 Kramgasse where Einstein conceived and developed his Special Theory of Relativity.
Einstein when he worked as a patent clerk
He had arrived in Bern at the age of 23 in 1902 and had rented this second floor apartment from 1903 until 1905. Meanwhile, he had supported himself by working as a clerk at the Swiss Patent Office nearby. During his time in Bern, he published 32 scientific works. Among his most important papers were those published in 1905, for which he was ultimately awarded the Nobel Prize.
Einstein's apartment in Bern
Bob with daughter Anna in front of Einstein's house
As I climbed the narrow stairs up to the apartment, it was awesome for me to realize that Einstein had climbed those very same stairs every day a century earlier, at the time when he was producing his best work and was at the peak of his powers.
Later in his life, during World War Two, Einstein was successful in persuading US President Franklin D Roosevelt to prepare atomic weapons. This led to the development of The Manhattan Project, which produced the two bombs dropped on Japan in 1945 and which must have given this noted pacifist something to think about. Today, the apartment is home to a small Einstein museum. The rooms where Einstein lived and worked have been restored to depict his exact lifestyle a century ago.
Clock tower in Bern
The street on which the house stands has covered sidewalks, to which access can be gained through an archway in front of the building. In the middle of the street stands an eye-catching zytglogge or clock tower.
The Einstein house is close to Bern Cathedral. The city of Bern was founded in 1191 by Berthold V, Duke of Zahringen. The duke decided to name the city after the first animal killed in a hunt that he was holding. The unfortunate creature that first met its end was a bear, which in German is “bar”, and the city was so named. Over the centuries “bar” has been corrupted to “Bern”. The first church on the cathedral site was built at around that time. We visited the present cathedral, which is massive.
Cathedral's ornate archway
At its entrance, over the main portal, is a spectacular carving showing the Last Judgment and containing more than 200 figures in stone and wood. Fortunately these images were not destroyed when Switzerland became Protestant at the time of the Reformation.
Moses fountain
Yet, to compensate for that, the Moses Fountain was erected just outside the cathedral in 1545. The statue of Moses faces the cathedral and is pointing to the Second Commandment which forbids “graven images”. However, many other graven images inside the cathedral were destroyed at the time of the Reformation, including several side chapels which were replaced by pews. A huge new church was then able accommodate a congregation many times the size of the local population, which seems rather unnecessary.
Walled city of Bern
We walked on a terrace dating back to the 14th century, which had been built just to the south of the cathedral. It gave us a panoramic view of Bern and in particular of the Aare River, which encircles Bern almost entirely. The river flows in the shape of a horseshoe and the city lies within the horseshoe. The city is therefore protected by the river on three sides. With a short high wall on the fourth side, the city thereby enjoyed a degree of security essential for survival in medieval times.
Bundeshaus in Bern
We also visited the Bundeshaus in Bern, which is the home of the Swiss national parliament. The Swiss Confederation is made up of 26 separate cantons and dates back to 1291. My dear wife and daughter were outraged to learn that women have only recently been permitted to vote in Swiss parliamentary elections. The first canton to give women the vote did so in 1959 and all cantons had done so by 1990.
William Tell monument in Altdorf, Switzerland
I was more upset by the absence of any memorial, statute or tribute outside the Bundeshaus in honor of William Tell. Over the centuries, it has sometimes been necessary for Switzerland to fight for its independence. I had always understood that Tell was a Swiss national hero and freedom fighter, famous for driving the Austrians out of Switzerland in the 14th century. Who can forget the legend of Tell being captured and then forced to shoot an arrow to remove an apple from each of his two sons' heads? His first shot rang true and the older boy, Walter, lived. However, Tell's second shot to split the apple over his son Adam, went into his throat at the larynx, the area now known as the Adam's apple. It would appear the Swiss may regard William Tell as a myth. After all, we have no statues to Robin Hood in London or to Davy Crockett in Washington DC.
This piece, written by Bob, was originally posted on our website on January 22, 2011.
Walls were all that remained after the devastating fire that destroyed the renovated medieval structure
An old man, distinguished in his own land, decides to acquire a second home abroad. He chooses a very attractive area in the foothills of a famous mountain range. There he buys a very old and dilapidated home attached to what was once a water mill. He lovingly restores the home and even has the water mill working again. The locals don’t like this. They fear that such activity by wealthy foreigners drives up property values and prices them out of the housing market. The very presence of this old man in the area is seen as an attack on their language and cultural identity. So they burn the mill to the ground. On the ruins, they paint the words “ This country is not for sale“. This outrage was not an isolated instance. Other foreign owned properties nearby are being similarly destroyed.
France and Spain's Basque Region
Now the question is this. Where in the world did this happen? Which region is peopled by xenophobic animals who behave like this. Perhaps the Taliban in Afghanistan? Or maybe some backward tribe in West Africa? I would never have guessed the true answer. It is happening in Lower Navarre, which is the Basque country of south western France in the foothills of the Pyrenees. It is happening just a few miles inland from the stylish and sophisticated city of Biarritz, which stands on the Bay of Biscay about 11 miles north of the Spanish border.
Empress Eugenie's palace in Biarritz is now the Hotel du Palais
About 40 years ago, when I was driving from England to Portugal, I approached Biarritz with great anticipation. I knew that for centuries the ocean waters at Biarritz were believed to have healing powers. For this reason, European royalty loved to stay there. The Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, even built a palace on the beach. Biarritz was a great favorite with Queen Victoria and her son, later to be King Edward VII.
Casino built for King Edward VII
Biarritz even opened a casino for him in 1901, which I notice is shortly after his very strict mother had died. Biarritz did not disappoint me. Its buildings have an ageless charm. The casino was still open and, as my own very strict mother was not with me, I paid it a visit. There were Basque flags everywhere in Biarritz. I even heard the Basque language being spoken. It’s quite different from French and Spanish.
Basque flags
Even so, I don’t think that I understood all those years ago just how the Basques feel about the rest of the world. The Basque country straddles the French/Spanish border at the western end of the Pyrenees. Most Basques live on the Spanish side of the border, but both French and Spanish Basques are fiercely protective of their culture. Yet how can the people who created the lovely city of Biarritz behave like savages? The old man, to whom I refer above, is Sir John Drinkwater QC formerly director of The British Airports Authority. They burned down his mill last month. Isn’t it sad?
This piece, written by Bob, was originally posted on our website on October 11, 2008.
Hurricane Katrina came calling late in August 2005. It began in the Bahamas, made its way across Florida into the Gulf of Mexico and then hurled itself at the US Gulf Coast to create the most costly disaster in the history of the United States. The greatest loss of life occurred in New Orleans, but the greatest property damage occurred in the Mississippi beachfront cities.
Bourbon Street New Orleans, LA
We began 2011 with a visit to the area and found that Katrina had left no scars on the most famous neighborhood in New Orleans, the French Quarter. As we passed along Bourbon Street, we saw no evidence of the deadly hurricane.
Destroyed dock in foreground and lighthouse in background on the right - Biloxi at sunset
Yet we found the reverse to be true when we arrived in Biloxi on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Katrina destroyed about 90 per cent of Biloxi. It hit Biloxi with a storm surge 27 feet high. The mayor of Biloxi described it as a tsunami. The governor of the state of Mississippi likened Biloxi, in the aftermath of Katrina, to Hiroshima.
Destruction along Beach Blvd after Katrina
Biloxi was the capital of French Louisiana until 1720, when French fears that something just like Katrina would occur caused them to move their capital to what they believed would be a safer city. Before congratulating the French on their foresight, please be aware that they moved their capital to New Orleans.
Biloxi’s main street is Beach Boulevard (US 90) and it runs alongside the waterfront from one end of the city to the other. Prior to the arrival of Katrina, both sides of Beach Boulevard were fully developed. On the beachfront side, casinos and restaurants were very much in evidence. On the opposite side, there were many antebellum mansions.
Belvoir after Katrina
Belvoir restored
We toured one such mansion. Its name is Beauvoir and was the home of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, for the final years of his life. It subsequently became a retirement home for confederate veterans and, when the passage of time had removed these old soldiers from the scene, Beauvoir became the presidential library of Jefferson Davis. There is also a museum on site and the Tomb of the Unknown Confederate Soldier.
The room used by Jefferson Davis as his bedroom has spectacular sea views. The sunsets are unforgettable as is shown by the one captured by Pat in the attached photograph. It is ironic to think of the defeated Davis spending his old age enjoying such beauty, when the victor of the US Civil War (Abraham Lincoln) had been murdered a quarter of a century earlier.
Winnie Davis
We also saw the bedroom of Winnie, youngest daughter of Mr & Mrs Jefferson Davis, who had moved into Beauvoir with her parents in 1879. Winnie was a great favorite at confederate rallies, which she would attend with her father in the 1880s. She even became known as “The Daughter of the Confederacy”. She then fell in love with a Yankee attorney from New York City. He was Fred Wilkerson and he travelled to Biloxi to ask Jefferson Davis for Winnie’s hand in marriage. Wilkerson’s family had strong abolitionist connections. The engagement caused such an outcry across the American South that the proposed marriage never took place. Poor Winnie died unmarried at the age of 34.
Winnie Davis bedroom
However, all of this history was of no consequence early on the morning of August 29, 2005, when Katrina came calling. The giant sea surge destroyed nearly all of the buildings on both sides on Beach Boulevard, and the Jefferson Davis house and its contents were severely damaged. The status of the house in American history has meant that much restoration work has taken place over the past five years, but few of its neighboring antebellum mansions have been so fortunate. Many such mansions have been demolished and the wreckage removed, leaving empty lots.
As one drives down Beach Boulevard, one sees on the northern side the occasional newly built mansion but mostly one sees empty lots for sale. On the opposite side of the boulevard, the beachfront side, one sees acres and acres of empty land containing mere traces of the foundations of the buildings that once stood there.
Beau Rivage Casino
Admittedly, this emptiness is occasionally punctuated with newly built high rise casinos. For example, the new Beau Rivage Casino is very grand, but these new buildings are very much oases in the desert left by Katrina.
Sculpted dead trees
Some of the dead trees, killed by Katrina, have been converted into eye catching sculptures and remain standing at various places along Beach Boulevard.
Bob at the Biloxi Lighthouse
We also met on Beach Boulevard a most unlikely survivor of Katrina, the Biloxi Lighthouse. Made of cast iron in Baltimore in 1848 and shipped around to Biloxi prior to its erection there, the lighthouse is unique in some respects. For example, it stands in the middle of a four lane highway and its lighthouse keepers have usually been female. I could have climbed to the top, but I feared that a combination of the 57 step spiral staircase, the eight foot ladder above that and the trapdoor above that would have defeated me. So I moved on with this thought in mind. That great videographer, Pat, should have filmed the arrival of Katrina from the top of that lighthouse. At 61 feet, she would have been just above the angry waves.
Click below to see Pat's video of what we saw in Biloxi.
This piece, written by Bob, was originally posted on our website on March 17, 2011.
Looking at a map of New Mexico, you will see it is nearly a thousand miles from the nearest US port – either Los Angeles or San Diego to the west on the Pacific coast or Galveston, Texas to the east on the Gulf of Mexico. Now see yourself as a wealthy rancher or mine owner in 19th century New Mexico. You have a fortune in product to export, yet the cost of moving that product to the nearest US port in order to ship to your buyers is prohibitive. However, there may be a solution to your problem. The Mexican port of Guaymas on the Sea of Cortez (aka Gulf of California) is little more than half as far away, if only it can be reached by rail.
A railroad already runs northward from Guaymas to the US border town of Nogales. By 1880, the Southern Pacific Railroad is making its transcontinental way to Los Angeles from back east and reaches the south eastern Arizonan town of Benson. There is 88 miles of empty desert between Benson and Nogales. If only these two towns can be linked by rail, it will be possible to use Guaymas as the port from which the wealth of New Mexico can much more easily be exported.
Therefore, in 1882, the New Mexico and Arizona Railroad was built. It ran through that empty hostile desert from Benson to Nogales and solved the problem. Part of it was washed away in a storm in 1929 and the rest of it was abandoned in 1962 due to lack of business. Today, the disused line provides a convenient hiking trail.
Train station Patagonia AZ
The original railway station built in Patagonia, Arizona is still standing and now serves as the Town Hall. Pat and I passed through that empty desert recently and could only marvel at the ingenuity of those 19th century entrepreneurs in problem-solving on such a grand scale.
Camp Crittenden marker
The scale of their achievement was brought home to us by a marker that we found by the desert roadside, apparently in the middle of nowhere, but close to the former route of the old railroad. The marker announced that, from 1867 to 1873, this was the site of Camp Crittenden. The camp had been established by Colonel Thomas S Crittenden of the US Army to protect nearby settlements from hostile Indians.
Announcement of Cushing's death
Leading a detachment of troops from Camp Crittenden, Lieutenant H B Cushing was killed in a skirmish on May 5 1871 by an Apache war leader from Cochise’s band. At about the same time as the new railroad was being pushed through the desert, US troops in the vicinity were still being killed by hostile Indians.
There are no hostile Apache warriors in Arizona today, as far as I know, but there are between 2500 and 3000 mountain lions roaming the state. These powerful predators live principally by eating deer. They can consume an entire deer in two nights. A male lion can grow to more than 8 feet in length and weigh as much as 150 pounds. These lions usually prefer to avoid people, but they can kill humans.
Bear looking through cabin window
In an item that I posted on this website some time ago, I mentioned a 1975 trip that I took to Alberta, Canada and my encounter there with a bear which looked through the window of my cabin on the shores of Lake Louise. As I then frankly admitted, I was fearful but I had no idea how to handle the situation had the bear taken a closer interest in me. I therefore gave no advice in that article and I belatedly apologize for that. However, this website presently receives over 12,000 hits per month, which greatly increases the likelihood that someone now reading this will one day be confronted by a mountain lion. I therefore surely have a duty to explain in detail what to do, should you be so confronted.
Click on video below to see Arizona Game and Fish informative video about mountain lions.
Make eye contact. Remain calm and speak loudly and firmly. Do not approach it. Hopefully, it will try to avoid a confrontation, so give it a way to escape. Do not run away because this may trigger its instinct to chase you. Stand and face it, while slowly backing away. Try to appear larger than you are and open your jacket. Raise your arms and wave them slowly. Do not crouch or turn your back. The idea is to convince it that you are not prey. If attacked, fight back and be sure to remain standing and facing the animal, which usually tries to bite the head or neck. I have no idea whether any of this works, never myself having ever met a mountain lion. I can accept no legal liability for any injuries that you may suffer by adopting these tactics. If they do not work and if you are still well enough after the experience to complain, I can only refer you to the Arizona Game and Fish Department who kindly provided me with this information. But whether or not you are successful in fighting the animal off, remember (as you struggle) that poor Lieutenant Cushing would surely have preferred an encounter with a mountain lion on May 5, 1871, than a fight with one of Cochise’s top warriors.
This piece, written by Bob, was originally posted on our website on March 30, 2011.
There are two inland seas adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. One is in Europe and is called the Mediterranean. The other is in North America and is called Chesapeake Bay. Even though the latter is much the smaller sea, it’s nevertheless 200 miles long and 30 miles wide in parts, which surely qualifies it as a sea. There are narrow entrances leading from the ocean into both seas. The entrance to the Mediterranean is at Gibraltar and was known to the ancients as The Pillars of Hercules. They believed that it was dangerous to pass The Pillars of Hercules and sail out into the ocean. One risked sailing off the edge of the world! Chesapeake Bay has its own Pillars of Hercules, which are called The Capes. To enter Chesapeake Bay from the ocean, one must pass between Cape Charles to the North and Cape Henry to the south. In September 1781, this entrance was the site of the most consequential naval battle in American history, The Battle of the Capes.
Cape Charles is at the southern or bottom end of the Delmarva Peninsula, sometimes known as the Eastern Shore. The Peninsula separates Chesapeake Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. In June 2011, we drove down the Delmarva Peninsula from the north, eventually arriving at Cape Charles. From there we wanted to cross 23 miles of sea to reach Cape Henry. This is exactly the same distance across as the Straits of Dover, between England and Continental Europe where in the 1980s they built the Channel Tunnel for trains only. Fortunately, America is much more convenient. Long before the Channel Tunnel existed, they built the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel linking Cape Charles and Cape Henry. It was not just for trains. We were therefore able to drive across on this combination of tunnel and bridges, as over 100 million vehicles had done before us. By this route we reached Cape Henry, close to the City of Virginia Beach. Nearby is the Fort Story Military reservation, where the First Landfall is commemorated.
Prince Henry, eldest son of King James I
In 1607, Cape Henry was where the first permanent colonists from England landed. The colonists that landed a few years earlier on Roanoke Island must be disregarded, because they disappeared. This First Landing at Cape Henry pre-dated the Mayflower landing by 14 years. The colonists explored the cape and named it after Prince Henry, the eldest son of King James I. Henry never became king because he died before his father at the age of 18. His place was taken by his younger brother Charles, who was later beheaded, so Henry’s early death may have been for him a blessing in disguise. The colonists erected a cross at Cape Henry and then moved on up the James River, where they built the Jamestown settlement which survived.
Comte De Grasse
We also saw on Cape Henry the statue and memorial to Admiral Comte de Grasse, who led the French fleet at The Battle of the Capes, referred to above. Lafayette and Rochambeau are often hailed as the Frenchmen, who made possible Washington’s victory over the British in the War of American Independence. Yet, it is difficult to see how their assistance to Washington could have exceeded that provided by de Grasse. It is ironic that, despite this, de Grasse never set foot on American soil.
De Grasse was in Haiti in August 1781, when he took 3200 troops on board and sailed for Chesapeake Bay with his entire fleet, 28 ships of the line. Two weeks later, he arrived at the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. He disembarked the troops so that they could assist in the blockade of British troops under Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown nearby. He then engaged the British fleet to prevent it from reinforcing or evacuating the blockaded British Army at Yorktown. De Grasses' fleet also supplied provisions to the French and American troops, reinforced the blockade and delivered 500,000 silver pesos from the Caribbean to finance the American war effort.
Sea battle of Virginia Capes
Yorktown was the last major battle of the war. After a few weeks, the forces of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown had no option but to surrender. This in turn led to peace negotiations and to British recognition of an independent United States of America. George Washington was the first to acknowledge the importance of the part played by De Grasse in achieving victory. He said, “You will have observed that, whatever efforts are made by the land armies, the navy must have the casting vote in the present contest.”
Battle of the Capes diagram
The following year, De Grasse was not so lucky. In the Caribbean at the Battle of the Saintes in April 1782, de Grasse's attempts to capture Jamaica from Britain ended in his defeat and surrender. He was taken prisoner and brought to London, where he played a pivotal part in the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which ended the American Revolutionary War.
Before leaving Cape Henry, we also visited its two lighthouses. The older lighthouse, built of stone in 1792, was damaged during the Civil War. It was the first ever federal construction project and even, in those days, there was a substantial cost overrun. Who could then have anticipated how much the federal government would subsequently spend on such projects? The second lighthouse was built of iron nearby in 1881, because of the damage to the first one, and remains in use today. The two lighthouses stand together, on the sea shore, overlooking the waters where history was made.
This piece, written by Bob, was originally posted on our website on January 15, 2012.
When setting a novel or a TV show or a film in a particular city, writers sometime create an exact location for events. That location then takes on a life of its own and becomes famous. Therefore, when visiting that city, it’s very natural to want to visit that location. Huge numbers of visitors to London try to visit 221B Baker Street, the fictional home of Sherlock Holmes. Another example is the Cheers pub, location of the long running TV series of that name. When I was in Boston, I unsuccessfully attempted to visit it. It’s so easy to forget that these locations exist only in the imagination of a successful writer.
I was a passenger on a French liner called “The Marshal Foch” as it made its way from Nigeria to Italy, stopping at the major ports in North and West Africa. This ship was named after the supreme commander of the allied forces in World War I. It was Marshal Foch, who accepted the German surrender on November 11 1918. He hated the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, saying that it was a recipe for another war 20 years later. He died in 1929, so he never was able to boast about being exactly correct in his timeline. However, he was buried next to Napoleon in Les Invalides in Paris, so perhaps that compensated.
UPDATE: When writing these notes, I did not know that a new place opened in Casablanca in 2006. It's name? Rick's Cafe! Try visiting and let us know what you think.
This piece, written by Bob, was originally posted on our website on October 14, 2008.
The year was 1981 and Pat and I were living in London. A friend of Pat’s mentioned to us that she had never seen a palm tree, so we offered to take her on a short vacation during which we promised her that she would see plenty of palm trees. Our invitation was eagerly accepted. The friend no doubt presumed that we would whisk her away by air to the south of France or to some similar Mediterranean destination. The friend was in for a shock.
Tresco Abbey Gardens, Scilly Isles, UK
Instead of heading towards London Airport, our car made its way to Cornwall in the extreme southwest of England, a journey of about 300 miles. There were plenty of palm trees there for her to see. How on earth can that be? Cornwall is on the same latitude as frozen Labrador in eastern Canada, which it faces across the Atlantic Ocean.
The explanation is called the Gulf Stream, a very strong current in the Atlantic Ocean. It begins off the south coast of Florida, where it collects huge quantities of warm water, which it pushes across the ocean in a northeasterly direction.
Watch the video below for a visual explanation of the Gulf Stream.
The first land it encounters is Cornwall, where the warmth of the ocean changes the Cornish climate to one where palm trees grow, even at the latitude of 50 degrees north. The Arctic Circle is not far away at 66 degrees north. If the Gulf Stream flowed in the opposite direction, the Caribbean would be a most chilly place but, fortunately for all those happy calypso singers and limbo dancers, it does not.
Penpillick House Hotel - Owner Len Davis
On that short visit to Cornwall, we stayed at the Penpillick House Hotel, near Par, in southern Cornwall. Here our friend became aware of another anomaly, which is that Cornwall is two faced. By saying that, I am not accusing it of deceit or hypocrisy. I simply mean that Cornwall's southern coast is utterly different from its northern coast. Near our hotel, the land meets the sea at about the same level. There are no beaches or cliffs. The land is covered in thick green foliage, which is probed by fingers of the sea creeping quietly inland. It's peaceful and mysterious. The northern coast is quite different, with plenty of high cliffs and noisy waves crashing ashore on broad beaches.
A typical example of the northern coast is to be seen in the world famous TV serial "Doc Martin". It is filmed on location in the village of Port Isaac, although in the show they have named the place Portwenn.
Click on the video below to see Doc Martin – Behind the Scenes
The village is full of hills and cliffs and narrow winding streets, typical of northern Cornwall. Add to that mixture, the thousands of "Doc Martin" fans who come from all over world to see the location and Port Isaac is prosperous.
Doc Martin's house is the small grey stone house in center of photo
In that, it differs from most of the rest of Cornwall, which is one of England's poorest counties. So much so, that Cornwall at present receives substantial subsidies from the European Union as a deprived region - no prizes therefore for guessing which way the Cornish will vote in the forthcoming referendum as to whether Britain should exit the European Union. (Update: Britain voted to leave the EU.)
Map of Cornwall and Devon
In the east, Cornwall is bordered by the county of Devon. The two counties are separated by the River Tamar. On the Devon bank of that river stands the town of Devonport, where both my parents were born, met and married. They had many relatives living on the Cornish side of the river and this led to visits to Cornwall during my childhood, when we lived in London.
At that time, we depended on a great steam engine known as the Cornish Riviera Express which would leave Paddington railway station in London and take us non-stop in just a few hours to Cornwall. It was the Concorde of its day.
Click on the video below to see the Cornish Riviera Express.
This train and its route were almost as famous as "The Flying Scotsman", the steam engine that headed north out of London towards Edinburgh.
Flying Scotsman
In the early 1920s, my father played soccer as a goalkeeper for St Austell Football Club and that led to visits to that town, one of the largest in Cornwall, which is still the center of the Cornish china clay industry.
China Clay Mountains in St. Austell
Driving into St Austell between large white heaps of recently mined clay is like travelling though a moonscape. It's eerie.
Truro Cathedral
The only city (as opposed to a town) in Cornwall is nearby Truro, which has its own cathedral built in the city center in 1876. At the time, it was the only cathedral to be built on a new site in England since 1220.
Truro Cathedral interior
A great mansion named Boconnoc, together with its 7500 acre estate, is located close to the hotel where we stayed in 1981. It is even listed in the Doomsday Book, which was prepared in 1086 on the orders of William the Conqueror.
Click on the video below to see Boconnoc estate.
Boconnoc had already enjoyed a remarkable history, when it was bought early in the 18th century by Thomas Pitt, grandfather and great-grandfather of two British prime ministers. Pitt paid for Boconnoc by selling to the Regent of France a great diamond brought back from India. The Pitt Diamond was set eventually in the sword of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Early in the 19th century, Boconnoc passed to another British prime minister, Lord Grenville. Then, in 1864, it passed to the Fortescue family. Eventually the great house fell into disrepair. It was requisitioned during World War Two and used by the US Army as an ammunition dump. When finally returned to the legal owners after the war, it was a dump in every sense of the word.
High Sheriff Anthony Fortescu with sheep on London Bridge
The High Sheriff of Cornwall is an office going back to Saxon times. Once it carried real power, but these days it carries none. However, the High Sheriff continues to be the official representative in Cornwall of the Queen and has the right to drive a flock of sheep across London Bridge. The appointment is today treated simply as an honor to be passed around annually among distinguished residents of the county.
Anthony Fortescu, late owner of Boconnoc
Until his recent death, this year's High Sheriff of Cornwall was a gentleman named Anthony Fortescue who had earlier inherited a sadly dilapidated Boconnoc. He then devoted many years of his life to restoring it to its former glory and seems to have done a fine job. In addition, he exercised the ancient right of the High Sheriff of Cornwall to drive a flock of sheep across London Bridge. When he did so last August, one cannot imagine how or why the police would permit such disruption to the London traffic. Perhaps they were promised some well cooked lamb with mint sauce as a bonus for their efforts. That leads us on to the ultimate Cornish dish, the pasty.
Check out the video below all about the Cornish pasty made by the Cornish Pasty Association.
Before leaving Cornwall, try eating a Cornish pasty. This is prepared by laying uncooked pieces of beef, onion, potato, turnip and other vegetables on top of some freshly rolled dough. Add pepper and salt to taste. Then fold the dough over the beef and vegetables and bake until the resulting pastry is golden brown and until the contents of the pasty are cooked. It's delicious but the reason that it's such a good idea is that it provides a complete and balanced meal in a form that is easy to carry. No knife and fork is needed. Many a Cornish miner would take a pasty with him to work, when a plate of meat and vegetables would have been impossible to carry. So try a Cornish pasty and, if there's no convenient mine to descend before eating it, one can always sit under a palm tree instead.
This piece, written by Bob, was originally posted on our website on December 4, 2015.
