Saint Michael's Mount

Sunday I caught the first train down to Penzance which is pretty close to St. Ives; it took just over an hour by train.  When I got there I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  See Saint Michael's Mount.  The tourist center was just outside the train station so I stopped in and talked to them; they said I could easily walk there along a coastal path.  So I set off down the 2.75 mile path to Marazion where it was located.  The wind coming off the water so it was almost hard to breath.  There were tons of wind surfers out along the coast taking full advantage of the windy conditions.  Once I made it to Marazion you can catch a boat across or there is a causeway through the sea which you can walk across when the tide is low.  I should have said already that Saint Micheal's Mount is a castle located on an island just off the coast at Marazion.  Unfortunately I got there just as the tide was coming in and didn't want to risk getting caught half way across in the water so I decided it was probably safer by boat.  For 2 pounds fare I got a choppy boat ride over to the island.  I was kind of concerned as I was walking there that the water might be to rough to make it across but it is the sea.  Once I got across I checked out the causeway path which was nearly entirely covered with water by now.  I bought my ticket to tour the castle and did that unfortunately the gardens were closed but I managed to get a look and some pictures peering over the castle walls which I wouldn't particularly recommend.  It made me a bit sick to my stomach.  Climbing up the mount to the castle was a rugged path.  Walking up I got to see the battlements and cannons outside of the castle which was amazing.  The castle itself was filled with some interesting historical artifacts like weapons, maps, and furniture.  The views out over the sea and back to shore were amazing from atop the castle.  After viewing the castle I walked around the grounds and by that time they were informing people they were closing the island early.  The winds were expected to pick up and they were concerned about getting off the island.  After hearing that I joined the long line of people waiting to get off the island.  Finally I made it on the boat and I thought the waters were rough on the way over the trip back was worse.  I was clinging to the seat, we were in a boat about the size of a large fishing boat, and you could see the waves coming towards the boat looking like they were going to splash right in.  The boat driver pictured below had not even a shred of doubt on his face which was slightly reassuring.  I wanted to kiss the ground when we made it back to shore.  I probably only in the boat for about 10 minutes but it seemed like forever.  After making it back to shore it was getting late and I had enough adventure for the day so I headed back for the train.  It was an amazing adventure well worth it.