Pretty Plymouth

Early next morning, we went to pick up our car from the car rental company. Hubby rented a Vauxhall Astra, but they decided to offer us an upgrade because there was this other car that needed to be sent back to London (our drop-off point). The upgrade? A C180 Mercedes Benz! Ooo. We took it.

Anyway, the drive to Plymouth wasn't too bad, although traffic was heavy, it being a Bank Holiday weekend.

Plymouth turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise. We really enjoyed strolling along The Hoe; taking in the fresh air and the lovely view of Plymouth Sound (it's a bay). Some of the famous landmarks in the area such as Smeaton's Tower and the Royal Citadel also made for good photo opportunities.

Smeaton's Tower

We continued walking until we came to the Barbican Maritime Village, which I thought was rather quaint and pretty. It might be a bit touristy for some, but I found it quite interesting in its own way- with little sailing boats crowding the waterways and narrow streets lined with little shops and galleries. Of course, we didn't miss the famous Mayflower Steps, said to be the place where the Pilgrim Fathers boarded the Mayflower and sailed for America in 1620.

We had Fish & Chips and pickled eggs for lunch, which was quite nice. There was one item on the menu with an unusual name.. turned out to be meatballs in gravy. Yes, I did have to ask someone at the counter to find out what it was.

That aside, we also treated ourselves to some ice-cream with clotted cream, which I thought was yummy, although hubby didn't think so. Heh.

Our last stop for the day was the Plymouth Gin Distillery, where we joined a short guided tour to find out more about its history and also how gin is made. It was quite fun learning about the different spices that go into Plymouth Gin, as we got to touch, smell and taste them.

What a lovely day! :)