Since we had a car, we spent a couple of the days we were there exploring other parts of Cornwall. We had visited St. Ives before, but only when it was cold and only for a few hours.So we packed our beach gear and headed down the winding Cornwall roads. We were a little concerned when Evie started making noises similar to those she made prior to her bout of car sickness in Scotland, but then, much to our relief, she fell asleep instead of throwing up.
In St. Ives, we parked at the top of a very steep hill and took a shuttle bus down to the beach that we wanted to visit. To get to the beach, we walked through an alleyway filled with small galleries. St Ives is a beautiful town with several beaches and lots of cafes and galleries and boutique style shops. But we weren't there for shopping!
To fully enjoy the beach, we first had to get some food because some of us were getting very grumpy. Evie waited patiently for her chicken sandwich that she hardly touched.
Then she gobbled up her mint chocolate chip ice cream cone with much enthusiasm.
I reluctantly changed into my maternity bathing suit....
And then we finally headed to the beach, where Evie and Jim frolicked down below and I wrapped myself up in my sweater again and enjoyed the sunshine up on the sand.
The beach princess eventually wrapped herself up in her towel and came up to hang out with me for a little while.
After the beach, it was time for cream tea! But first a gaze at one of the many St. Ives harbors.
Scones:
Our next great Cornwall adventure was a visit to the Eden Project which is "an educational charity (charity number 1093070). We use exhibits, events, workshops and educational programmes to remind people of our dependence on, and connection to, the natural world"
If you want to check out their website it's www.edenproject.com.
The main attractions within the Eden Project are their two biodomes--a Mediterranean biodome and a Tropical biodome. They are pretty spectacular looking from the outside and even more impressive on the inside.
Evie checked out the biodomes through the Evie-level peep holes in the fence:
She smelled the flowers...
and observed the very cool sculptures in the Eden Project (but was a little scared of the giant bee sculpture)...
Posing in front of the Biodomes:
Inside the Mediterranean Biodome, there were many puddles in which to splash:
There were also many rocks on which to climb:
And more funky sculptures:
We got to sample some delicious tomatoes that had been grown in the dome. Yum!
The Tropical Biodome was very humid and tropical (obviously). It had a lookout tower high up in the treetops, but we didn't go up because we hadn't pre-booked tickets (and we wouldn't have been able to get up there with Evie in her stroller or been able to climb up all the stairs while hugely pregnant and have a fear of heights, respectively). So, we just stayed on the ground.
Evie enjoys a refreshing baobab fruit smoothie in a tropical bamboo hut:
Outside again, we passed a sculpture made of discarded electronics. This one sculpture represents the electronic waste that the typical person discards in a lifetime. Scary!
The final building we visited at the Eden project was what was known as "The Core." Inside was the ultimate fridge magnet collection!
Very important messages were imparted:
We watched a video about The Seed, a 70 ton sculpture which, after the roof of the building was removed, was lowered into the center of The Core with a giant crane.
Then we visited The Seed!!! It was very cool, actually.
We thoroughly enjoyed our day at the Eden Project and definitely recommend it if you're visiting Cornwall. What an environmental and architectural feat!
Only one day left in Cornwall...to be blogged about tomorrow!
