On Sunday we drove to Plymouth, about 35 minutes down the coast. Plymouth is, of course, from where the Pilgrims set off on their journey across the Atlantic towards spiritual freedom after one of their ships foundered 300 miles off the coast of England. There is some interesting information about the start of that journey
here. Plymouth has long suffered a reputation as being an ugly city. It was bombed almost to the ground during World War II, and was hastily rebuilt during the 1950s. The result was a boxy concrete jungle. The economic boom of the late '90s and early 2000s has led to a great deal of regeneration and architectural experimentation. The new shopping mall,
Drake Circus, which sits behind the roofless, bombed-out church, boasts some seriously strange angles.
Anyway, we were going to Plymouth for pizza and music. Lunch was at Pizza Hut - not my favourite place for pizza by a long shot, but with a 'kids eat free' promotion going on all summer, it's hard to resist. After lunch we set off for the Magistrates Court steps, next to
Kitty O'Hanlon's Irish Pub. Local band
Mad Dog McRea were playing, supported by the girl-band Sound of Sirens.
What fun we had! Jigging, drinking Guinness (well, I had local cider), eating ice cream (the girls) and tapping our feet to the very rousing tunes.
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