I was going to St. Ives...but I was the wife with 7 packs!

I've been trying to think of a limerick for how I arrived at St. Ives...

I was going to St. Ives,
I was the wife with 7 packs,
7 packs but only 3 backs...
Actually, I was going to Pendeen,
to the Inn sight unseen.
With me were my 7 packs,
on a bus with Judah and Jacks.

I'll have to work on this some more...



We left Bath in the morning in time to catch the train for Penzance. Ate lunch on the train to save time once we arrived in Penzance. Upon arriving in Penzance, Jason found a bus for Jackie, Judah and I to catch and it literally was leaving as we heaved all our stuff on board. I have the name of the town and the B&B we will be staying at but I have no sense beyond that as to where I will get off the bus and how I will find our B&B.

As I'm leafing through the bus timetable trying to make sense of the whirlwind I begin to laugh because I realize I really have no idea where I am! I ask the lady next to me and she says, "Not to worry," that's her stop too and she'll point the way to the Inn for me.

Judah, Jackie and I struggle off the bus for we now have our own packs plus Jason and Julian's - Jacob kept his which really ended up helping us. Lucky for us, the Inn was only 1 block from the bus stop. I walked in to the pub and couldn't tell where the registration desk was - so I walk back out and looked around...then walked back in and approached the men at the bar.

I asked where we could check in and the man at the bar looked at me very funny like. He asked my name and then he told me we had booked for the day before! So here I was with my 7 packs and two kids supposedly waiting for Jason to arrive after his 10 mile hike. We were going to drop our bags off and walk backward to meet him and the boys and show them the way to the Inn...

I tell the man at the bar my situation and ask for his suggestions. He calls around but no one answers. So I think, maybe Jason got our next hotel wrong and we are booked there for the night. I call but no, we are supposed to arrive the next night. Finally, I am able to make reservations for that night and I am so thankful that I have a place to sleep!

Next dilemma to tackle is how to get to St. Ives. The man at the bar asks me how I will go and I tell him all I have is my feet and my purse! Lucky for us, a bus would be coming by in 5 min. So out I run telling Judah and Jackie to follow me and I would explain it all later!!!

We caught the bus just in time and loaded all our stuff on. I barley had enough change to cover our 40 min trip. After catching my breath, I realized our bus was a double decker and motioned for Jackie and Judah to follow me up top. What a view. Finally our "tires" had wheels to them and I thought of Jason and the boys having to walk along leisurely while we sat in style seeing the same thing they were! Little did I know to worry about their adventures...

That's when I realized again that I had no idea where St. Ives was and how I would know to get off the bus. So I ask again to the crowd, "Does anyone know where St. Ives is?" The lady next to me says it is her stop and she will point me the way to Tregenna Castle where we will stay for 3 nights.

Where would you find a castle but up hill! So up, up, up the three of us walk. We check in, the kids watch tv while I try to figure out how to contact Jason and let him know where to catch up to us. My cell phone is dead and then when I plug it in I still have no coverage. So then I think I'll send him an email...how he will check I don't know but at least it is information. Next I try Skype but can only leave him a text message - by then I have no idea if he has cell coverage but I figure that Jason and the boys are all having adventures and that we may as well enjoy our own lovely castle!

We eat a late dinner and return to our room. I prepare the kids and tell them to expect dad the next night...when I hear footsteps coming down the hall...what a happy reuniting moment it was.

Well, all for now..
-Jenny