#((Me feeling so exposed because now how I design my Coves is here for everyone to see.))

[riding-the-sunset-bird]

A character reference based on all four Steps of Our Life! It's only "sort of" a height reference as well since obviously they're not 100% accurate (the devs don't have specific heights for everyone to my knowledge).

I did dig into the code to try and get characters at their "normal" heights but there are other matters at play too (example: Nicolas is obviously "taller" than he should be because he needs to be pushed upwards to be visible enough above the game's text box; likewise with other very short characters).

Still, this should serve as either a nice reference guide for every character or a "height reference" in the sense of getting an idea of which characters are shorter/taller than others.

I'm also going to detail some extra notes below the break, including posts from GB Patch's Tumblr that reference any defined heights (with Cove being the obvious one) or general height things, as well as some more stuff about the MC's height in comparison to the three love interests depending on what you pick.

Cove's height is listed on GB Patch's FAQ as 4' 1" in Step 1 (also stated as "mostly average, perhaps a bit on the short side"), 5' 4" in Step 2 (in-game this is defined as "very tall" on the MC's potential height spectrum, as that is the only option considered on par with Cove's height), 6' 0" in Step 3, and 6' 4" in Step 4. A fun fact is that Cove's final height was originally 6' 3" (191cm) instead.

Derek in Step 2 is under five feet tall (this post also lists Cove as "around 5 and a half feet tall" which you could take as either close enough to 5' 4" as stated above or a potential original height he had that got changed). In-game, he's "short" but not "very short", as having your MC be "very short" will prompt narration telling you that you're shorter than Derek, whereas "short" only has you relate to him in smolness generally.

Step 4 Derek is "mostly average." He wouldn't be considered tall nor would he be considered short. His youngest brother Nicolas will "probably end up as a similar height to him" once he's more grown up.

Step 4 Baxter is "taller than average, but not especially tall."

I've been informed that, on the Our Life Patreon Discord, Step 4 Derek's height is listed as 5' 9" (175cm) whereas Step 4 Baxter's is listed as 5' 11" (180cm), so those are their defined heights. Before that, both of their heights had jumped around somewhat. A post from 2019 said that Derek was 5' 11", but a post from June 2021 said that Baxter was 5' 11" and Derek was 5' 9" (so consistent with the Discord). Then there's also another post from July 2021 (you'll have to scroll down for this one) that listed Baxter at around 5' 10" while Derek was 5' 8"/5' 9". If you're insane enough to try and use the character reference too, then Baxter would actually be around 6'1" at minimum since he's taller than Step 3 Cove (though you could also make the same argument that this means the mom trio of Pamela, Noelani, and Kyra must be decently tall as well since they're so close to Cove on the character reference).

I don't have any experience with GB Patch's other game, XOXO Droplets, so I don't know what ages the characters are in it, but since both Shiloh and Jeremy are characters seen visibly in Our Life, I thought I'd also mention that they're listed as 5' 10" and 5' 5" (or 5' 5 1/2") respectively in XOXO Droplets. Jeremy also apparently grows to 5' 8" in his 20s and he's 22 in the Our Life Cove Wedding DLC (I don't think this is spoken of in the game specifically but he's labeled as 22 in the code).

As for the MC and how their height plays into things, "tall" and "very tall" as well as "short" and "very short" tend to be considered the same for the most part in the game's code. It's not that there isn't a difference at all (I would say it's still notable), it's just that sometimes the game may be more vague about height differences. My post about Errands references this where you don't need more athletic points due to being "very short" instead of "short" to give Cove a piggyback ride.

A guesstimate I'd make is that about 5% of the time, the game will take note of whether you're "very tall" instead of "tall" or "very short" instead of "short." Otherwise, you're either "generally tall," "average," or "generally short." There are also other instances (usually with Cove) where the game might just check if you're either generally tall (around Cove's height) or not generally tall (i.e: definitely shorter than him).

This is actually relevant to the heights because, following all above information, one would assume that Step 4 Derek is average, Step 4 Baxter is tall, and Step 4 Cove is very tall going off the MC's potential "height spectrum" of very short, short, average, tall, and very tall, but it's not entirely the case.

A "tall" MC (generally tall) will look "down" at Step 4 Baxter just as he will look "up" at them or they'll look directly at each other if the MC is "average," same as Step 3 Baxter, but--

when the game has any instance of differentiating between "tall" and "very tall" (they never do this for Step 3 Baxter so the base assumption would have to be that he's just average height), things change.

During Baxter's apology in the wedding of his Step 4, Baxter dips his chin to look at the MC if they're "short"/"very short," levels his chin to look at the MC if they're "average"/"tall," and then lifts his chin to look at the MC if they're "very tall." A generally tall MC still has to lean down to kiss him if they choose to do so though.

Also, during the intimacy scene with Baxter (either in his office or his living room), if the MC is "very short," "short," or "average," it states that Baxter is taller than them. If they're "very tall," then Baxter is shorter than them, but a "tall" MC is "almost the exact same height" as him.

This is all a really long-winded way of saying that GB Patch referring to Step 4 Baxter being "taller than average but not especially tall" might mean that he's some infuriating middle ground between average and tall where he's not quite one but not quite the other either (which honestly is very Baxter of him so I can't even be mad).

[closetkpop]

Acquainted Ch. 4 (Mark Tuan x You Arranged Marriage AU)

A/N: Re-posted because it was taken down. If anyone has tips on how to stay under the radar help a writer out please. 

Ch. 1, Ch. 2, Ch. 3, Chapter 4

You had been talking Mark on and off for a month now but hadn’t actually seen him since the funeral. Work had also piled up between you and your best friend that going out was not even an option. That is until you made it your mission to have a night out at the club for your 24th birthday. You invited everyone close to you like your best friend, and Jackson but also Mark who insisted on bringing his girlfriend, Jinyoung, Bambam, Yugyeom, JB, Youngjae, and even your bother who may or may not be able to make it to town. You called to reserve a table for 12 people and bottle service because there is no way you or your best friend planned on being sober. Jackson was more than willing to be designated driver seeing he didn’t want us getting hurt. You closed your office early so that you and your friend could go shopping for a sexy dress for the night. One thing that was nice about shopping with her is that she always knows what looks best on me before you even do. She picked out this green and black sparkly strapless dress for herself. For you she picked out this short red velvet halter type dress that was backless, had a deep v-cut and also showed a bit of side boob. You weren’t used to showing so much skin usually you balance it out. For example, if you’re coving your legs, you’ll show off cleavage, or if it’s a short dress, you’d cover up top, but today was your day so why not flaunt?

You and your best friend started drinking when you were getting ready. By the time you had gotten out of the Uber, you were buzzed and were waiting on everyone else to show up. You were taking pictures to post on Instagram and your best friend went all photographer mode on you. After taking many photos at different locations of the waiting area, you were going through them and you realized that you actually looked really good in that dress. You and your best friend were deleting the bad ones when Jackson came up behind and gave you two a bear hug.

“Happy Birthday Y/n!!!” he said pulling away and giving y/f a peck on the lips and saying she’s beautiful. That’s when he saw you and started blushing. “Thanks, why are you blushing?” you said hitting him “No reason. You look nice.” “No she looks sexy.” You friend chimed in “It’s okay, I know she’s going to be breaking hearts tonight. Just remember you are mine.” She said to Jackson “I know, I love you.” Jackson said “You love me?” you friend squealed “Did you hear that y/n? He said he loves me! I love you too!” she said kissing Jackson “I’ve loved you for a while, I just didn’t know how to say it. But I guess it just came out.” Jackson said “Truth is I’m crazy in love with you.” “I am in love with you too.” Y/f said kissing him again “I’m happy for you two. You guys belong together.” You said hugging each one of them and laughing. “Sorry we’re late.” You hear from behind you. It was Jinyoung and you could also see the rest of the guys trailing behind him. You also haven’t seen Jinyoung since the funeral and you weren’t sure if it was the alcohol or not but Jinyoung had definitely gotten bigger. Like his arms had more muscles to them, and when you hugged him, everything felt toned against your skin. He was dressed like a total gentleman with a dress shirt, tie, and pants. He held your hands to twirl you around, “You look incredible. Happy Birthday!” he said hugging you again “Thank You.” You were welcomed with four other hugs from the rest of the friends before you noticed an absent Mark Tuan. You all decided to go inside and start partying but before you went to Jackson to ask if had heard anything from Mark, but he said that Mark never responded to him. So you decided to call him. “Hey y/n Happy Birthday!” Mark said answering the phone “Thanks. Are you going to make it tonight?” “And miss your birthday? Yeah right! I’m actually going to be a little late. Save a birthday shot for me okay?” “Okay, I will. Bye.” You said hanging up the phone As soon as you got back to your table, you were welcomed with confetti, sparklers, and a large champagne bottle. The club staff put a sash on you that said birthday girl, and a tiara on your head. It was incredibly over the top, but it was greatly appreciated. You toasted, thanking everyone who came out to celebrate and started dancing. Everyone wanted to buy you birthday drinks, to which you gladly accepted. Needless to say, you had gotten drunk within an hour and needed to sit down for a bit. You got back to your booth and Jinyoung came to your with a bottle of water. You took off the sash, and moved into the booth more so he could sit next to you. He took off the bottle cap for you, and the cool liquid felt so refreshing, you couldn’t help but sigh before closing it. “Always taking care of me.” You said to Jinyoung “Thank You.” “It’s not a problem. Are you having fun?” he said putting his right arm around you feathering your exposed back. You would be lying to yourself if you said it didn’t feel good to have a man’s hand on you like that. He started leaning into your ear so he wasn’t yelling over the music. You shook your head, “Yes, thanks again for coming,” you said leaning your head on his shoulder. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He sad smiling down at you and his eyes creased. He interlocked his free left hand with your right hand, and just sat there people watching. After some time had passed you started to feel less drunk and more buzzed again so you placed your hand on Jinyoung’s thigh and squeezed it slightly to get his attention. He was a little taken aback by your forward move but when his eyes met yours, he couldn’t help but smile, “Feeling better Princess?” You chuckled at the nickname, “Yes, do you want to dance?” “It would be my honor.” He said getting out of the booth and taking your hand helping you down and fixing your tiara. You adjusted your dress that had rode up and met up with your best friend and Jackson on the dance floor. The DJ was playing some house music and you guys had made a little circle so that everyone could dance freely. Yugyeom was in the center and you could tell all the girls were looking at him hungrily. Bambam was hyping Yugyeom up, while JB, and Youngjae were enjoying their beers and swaying to the music. Many songs, and shots later, the song transitioned to a remix of Rude Boy, and S&M by Rihanna and you were feeling yourself so you started swaying and rolling your hips. A stranger placed his hands on your hips, and said you looked beautiful. His hot breath hit the right spot on your neck and leaned back into him. Jinyoung was furious but he kept a poker face. Instead of making a scene, he stood in front of you and gently cupped your face in his hands. You put your hands around his neck and pulled him closer to you wrapping one leg around his waist and kissing him. His hands started to rub your thigh and you were sandwiched between making out with Jinyoung and a stranger grinding behind you, neither man wanting to let you go. Jinyoung pulled away from the kiss and said “Princess, I don’t like sharing.” He said looking at you with dark, hungry eyes. “I’m sure that I can satiate you.” You look up at him and smile sweetly, “But it’s my birthday.” He smirked and released your leg, “It is, and I have a gift for you. But you have to come outside with me.” You go to release the grip of the stranger that was behind you to follow Jinyoung out, who was already halfway to the door. Your hands brush over his and he interlocks his hands with you. You turn around to thank him and tell him to let go but to your surprise the person behind you is no stranger. It’s Mark, and you are shocked and confused at the same time. You look at him and no words come out thinking to yourself is this the man that you have been grinding on? “Hey beautiful. Long time no see.” Mark said squeezing your hands. You pushed him away, and walked away angrily. He had a girlfriend and even though you didn’t like her, you hated cheaters more. You went outside to follow Jinyoung, and Mark had also followed you outside. He caught up to you and stood in front of you causing you to stop in your tracks. “Hey what’s wrong? Why are you mad?” “You have a girlfriend, Mark!” you exclaimed, “And you completely missed my party. It’s 3AM. What happened?” “My girlfriend said she didn’t want me to go. That she didn’t like you and I had to choose between her and you.” Mark said. He closed the gap between your bodies, “I chose you.” “Mark, I didn’t-“ he locked lips with you. It was a short kiss but you were more confused than anything. Do you stay here and figure out what’s going on between you and Mark, or do you follow Jinyoung? Guess Jinyoung saw what happened and he came up to you and handed you a box with a bow on it, and flowers. “I told you, I’m not going to share you. I can give you my all but if you are not sure what you want, then I don’t want to be in the middle of it. I just can’t hide my feelings for you anymore. Let me know when you are sure you want me.” He said going to his car “Wait you’re not leaving are you?” you said going after him “Yeah, you can come with me if you want.” He said holding out his hand You thought it over for a second before you spoke. “My things are inside. I will grab them and meet you here.” He smiled, “I’ll be waiting.” You walked passed Mark who had just witnessed everything and looked furious. “You’re not seriously going to leave with him?” “Why wouldn’t I? He’s been straightforward with his feelings about me since he’s met me. Whenever we’re together it’s so easy to hang out. He’s incredibly nice, and such a gentleman.” You said defending him and grabbing your things. “Trust me, he doesn’t want to do nice things to you.” Mark said harshly You ignore him fully aware of Jinyoung’s intentions. You go to say your goodbyes and start walking out. “Mark, I can handle myself. Goodnight.” Jinyoung is waiting for you in his car and you walk your way over to the passenger side and climb in. “Glad you made it Princess.” He said placing his hand on your thigh “Open your gift.” You look at the box and open it and see a necklace with a pendant in the shape of a heart. “I love it.  Thank You.” You said placing a kiss on his cheek. “I’m going to put it on.” “Go ahead, Princess. It’s the only thing that you’re going to be wearing tonight.” He said with a smirk Your cheeks heated up when you started blushing, and you squeezed your legs together trying to hide the fact that you were getting aroused. You put your hair in a high ponytail so that the air can cool your neck down. Jinyoung noticed you tense up and started to massage dangerously close to your inner thighs. You were getting all worked up and when you looked over at him he was driving like nothing was happening. “Jinyoung please it’s not fair.” You whispered. “What isn’t? I can’t read your mind.” He said sweetly pulling into his driveway As soon as he placed it into the parked position, you grabbed his collars and forcefully kissed him. You breathed heavily, “I want you.” Before kissing him again loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. “Inside now.” He said in a demanding voice. He turned around and got out the car and went to open your car door. He gave you a hand and held you close by the waist walking into his home. When he was unlocking his door, you started kissing his neck, and he gave you a playful smack on your butt and you let out a soft yelp “Not yet. I have neighbors.” He opened the doors and you walked inside. He turned around to close and lock the door and gave him a back hug making sure there is no space between, and trailed your hands over his torso. You feel him chuckle, “Like what you feel?” You just hummed in response and finished unbuttoning his shirt and he slides it off. While he’s taking off his undershirt you fumble with his belt and take it off. He is now shirtless and your hands are trailing his chest while you kiss down his back. Your hands start to go down towards his crotch and he stops you by taking your hands off of him. He turns around and kisses you deeply. “Princess, it’s your birthday. Let me treat you.” He said caressing your body, “You know this dress is a bit too revealing don’t you think? There’s not much covering the front,” he said feeling the fabric that was over your chest. “I mean if you’re not careful, anyone can see your pretty boobs.” He said pushing the fabric aside and grabbing one, sucking on it. “They’re so soft. You’re so naughty, you’re not even wearing a bra.” You ran your fingers through his hair as his tongue went to work. “Jinyoung please.” You whimpered. You had enough of his teasing. “Not yet. You know how much you were teasing me by this.” He said referring to your dress. He pulled you close to him, “What I’m doing to you is not even close.” He fixed your dress and turned you around where the zipper was. He gave you a kiss on the neck before sliding the small zipper down and unclasping the hook around your neck. The dress fell into a pool around you feel and Jinyoung help your step out of it and put it neatly aside. He looked at your body, and you were only wearing panties, heels, and the necklace he had given you. “You seriously are incredibly beautiful.” He said reaching behind you and carrying you. You wrapped your legs around him and started to grind your pelvis hoping for some friction. He laid you gently down onto the long part of the sectional and positioned himself between your legs. He started kissing your inner thighs while removing your heels. He hooked his fingers into your panties and pulled them down in a quick motion. You felt his hot breath against your core when he spoke, “Princess, are you sure you want to do this? Once I start, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.” “Definitely sure.” You moaned He made no hesitation and started pleasuring you. Using his tongue only first, he slowly started to add fingers. “You taste so good, and you’re so tight.” He said adding another finger. You moaned out in pleasure and slowly felt your climax approaching. “Jin-Jinyoung I’m about to-“ “Come for me Princess, come on my fingers, I want to taste your juices.” He said relentlessly pumping his fingers in and out of your core, all while his tongue circled your clit. You ran fingers through his hair and bucked your hips forward and arched your back as you rode your high. Jinyoung took out his fingers and sucked them clean before hovering above you to kiss your lips. While he was kissing you, you started to zip down his pants to which he stopped you again. “No, tonight is all about pleasuring you.” “But why should you do all the work?” you questioned clearly frustrated about how needy you were. “Who said that I’m doing all the work?” Jinyoung smirked before planting a kiss on your lips. He laid next to you and pulled off his pants, freeing his hard erection. You bit your lip when you saw his juice coming from the tip already. He leaned over to his wallet and pulled out a condom and slid it over his hard member. He grabbed your hand and helped you straddle him. He placed his hands on your hips and said, “Ride me.” You started rubbing your folds to his shaft making it slick with all the wetness and the foreplay he had caused. You start to focus only on the head allowing it to slightly enter your tight hole. This caused Jinyoung to slap your ass again. “Don’t tease me. I don’t like it.” You giggled and sat up, “You’ve been teasing me, I’m just having a little fun.” You said holding to his chest. He was about to respond but then your phone started ringing. He looked over it and then looked at the position you two were in. Both of you were naked, covered in sweat, had bite marks and scratches everywhere, and he was rock hard in between your folds. He chuckled panting, “Did you want to answer that Princess?” You bit your lip at the nickname he gave you that was once innocent but now sent shockwaves to your core. “I think you can wait a bit longer seeing that you only plan on being a tease tonight.” You said winking and hopping off of him to answer your phone. “Hello Mark?”

Ch. 5, Ch. 6, Final Pt. 1, Final Pt. 2

[rememberthattime]

Chapter 20. Cornwall

In my Christmas post, I wrote about the months of travel Chelsay and I had booked before my busy season: from February through July, we’d fly to Lake Bled, Belgium, Amsterdam, Seville, Paris, Croatia, Lisbon, and the Azores.

Even with all of these trips booked though, we’d left one bank holiday weekend open… We couldn’t decide on the right destination, so it just stayed empty for months. April soon arrived though, and now only a few weeks out, flights were way over-priced. …And that’s how we decided on our first England vacation. By default.

Chelsay and I chose the country’s southwestern tip and the quiet county of Cornwall. Given its coastal location, I was expecting a leisure-filled weekend of tea & scones along the beach and sandy walks whenever the sun popped out. What we actually got (misty shores, mystical forests, and mythical castles) hit us harder than the salty Atlantic hits the craggily Cornish coastline.

Now 20 “chapters” in, I’ve developed a pattern for how I write each post: start by introducing where we went, share some brief context about what was going on in our lives preceding the trip, and then dig into our adventures.

For Cornwall, providing context of what’s been happening is just referring to the last post. There were only 10 days between our return from Seville and departure for Cornwall, but we still managed to stay busy. Over the weekend in-between, Chelsay and I enjoyed a massive lunch at our favorite restaurant over here (Dishoom), slowly strolled through Hyde Park, visited the London Design Museum for an exhibit on the Russian Revolution (showcasing  the radical but unfulfilled architectural blueprints for a Communist capitol city… see our Berlin post for my interest in the failings of Communism), sipped tea at Candella (a tearoom in Kensington that we’d discovered on our college trip to London), and walked through the city’s Little Venice neighbourhood on a rare sunny day. 

All that said, for a deeper context on our happenings before the Cornwall trip, we’d have to dig into a subject that weighs heavily on every one of my thoughts each day: the Bears. The NFL Draft fell on the Thursday night before Chelsay and I left for Cornwall… This year, the Bears went 3-13 (the worst season in franchise history), with the only positive being that we’d “earned” the third pick. With a pick that high though, I went to bed confident I’d wake up the next morning to see we’d added a future star.

I awoke at 2:30 AM sensing a disturbance.

Something was wrong… I turned over to check my phone and, to my horror, the Bears had traded half our picks to move up ONE spot and draft the only guy far from a sure thing: Mitch Trubisky. I was up for an hour ranting to my dad… I won’t go into the many reasons this pick is embarrassing, but only time will tell if betting the franchise on a third-team ACC quarterback with 8 total college wins that couldn’t beat out an undrafted free agent for the starting spot was the right call. Either way, I’ll remember that night for a long time.

Our road trip began the next day, and we picked up the car up from Reading rather than London to avoid traffic… driving on the other side of the road is tough enough outside of gridlock.

We’d intentionally reserved the smallest car possible to navigate the tiny Cornish lanes, but rental companies over here are just short on automatics… the only option available was an off-the-lot Jaguar XE: a win for style, but a boat in terms of size. I can’t drive a stick though, so I guess we were “stuck” with the Jag.

It was a pain navigating the boat out of the city, but we made it into the country and it was all open “motorway”, rolling hills, and colorful fields from there. Setting the tone for our mystical weekend, we passed Stonehenge to start the trip. …Chelsay handled maintaining the mood from there.

The adventures really kicked off the next morning, but not before a classic English breakfast at our charming B&B outside Dartmoor National Park. I write about breakfast in nearly every post… it’s just the most important meal of the day. If there is ever a post where I don’t write about breakfast, the trip probably sucked. Sincerely, my dream is to be reading this in 20 years over a plate of scrambled eggs, sausage, hashbrowns, and a cup of coffee. My dream is also that Mitch Trubisky will have led the Bears to five Super Bowls by then.

Speaking of fairy tales, our first adventure of the weekend would be Wistman’s Wood, a mystical, mossy glen in the heart of Dartmoor. To get there, we’d take a short hike through a valley of rocky tors and open heaths, spotted with (this sounds ridiculous, but I swear it’s true) wild horses and stone circles dating back 4,000 years.

Wistman’s Wood feels even older though… like, Jurassic. The glen is filled with gnarled oaks that battled to grow through grass-covered boulders. Each tree is so coated in moss that you’re sure they haven’t moved in centuries, but the place feels so haunted that I swear they could come to life at any second.

Continuing with the eerie theme, our next stop in Dartmoor was Lydford Gorge, which includes a cavern known as the Devil’s Cauldron. We couldn’t descend into hell on an empty stomach though, so we stopped for a phenomenal lunch at the Two Bridges Hotel, including tea & scones, butternut squash soup, and chocolate & banana cake.

Next was Lydford Gorge, which is another two-mile loop that included a 40 ft waterfall and the Devil’s Cauldron mentioned earlier. The waterfall is probably big by England standards, but having been to Iceland, it’s like following the Vatican with your local church. That said, the walk was especially pleasant (descending into the Gorge through bluebonnet fields and walking along the babbling creek at its base), and the destination, the Cauldron, was well worth the trip. It really reminded me of the Devil’s Pulpit in Scotland: moss-covered rock reaching up about 50 ft, with just a sliver of daylight between the tight walls. Like Scotland (and Wistman’s Wood earlier in the day), the Jurassic Park theme song played in my head.

After the Gorge, we left Dartmoor and headed for dinner on the coast. The forecast said rain the whole weekend, but it was dry at the moment, so we set aim for the prettiest Cornish beach town: St Ives.

St Ives could be any Italian coastal town… Cinque Terre, Amalfi, Positano, etc… it just need to be 40 degrees warmer. Its best feature is the shallow surrounding waters, which give the city’s bay a unique teal color.

We walked the town for a bit and had dinner (and hot chocolate) at a beachside restaurant, with seagulls barking and the smell of the salty Atlantic nearby. As the sun set, Chelsay and I went to play near the waves, getting as close to the break as we could before running away. After a while, we were the only ones on the beach… did we drive everyone else away? Do they all just go to sleep early here? Nope. I looked around and the waves were quickly starting to reach the buildings at the end of the beach… I see now, it’s high tide. Chelsay and I sprinted off the beach just before the waves could catch us. 

We retired back to our B&B for the evening, but one thing I want to make sure we remember is navigating the tiny country lanes that night. In our boat car, the single lanes left only inches between us and the hedges that framed the road. If I wasn’t already a pro at driving on the UK side, we’d have just slept in the car.

Luckily we made it to the B&B in Tintagel though, because breakfast the next morning was another treat. This place was even better than the last: with a higher quality full English, better coffee, and views of the King Arthur’s Tintagel Castle.

We’d visit the castle the next day, but the Sunday of our three-day weekend was already committed to exploring the many coastal towns of Cornwall.

Our first stop was Port Isaac, a salty fishing town not far from Tintagel. The weather was rough (misty rain and harsh winds), but the sea was rougher… Heavy waves crashed against the stone coastline, causing a rumble that sounded like thunder. We walked through the town, which hangs along a cliffside before descending into a small cove, and looked on as fisherman in their yellow, rubber coats waded out from the cove to judge the weather conditions. Based on the wind from the below video, my advice would be to wait it out.

After Port Isaac, we decided to head for Marazion and St Michael’s Mount. The Mount is famous for its causeway, which is only passable during low tide, but sinks under the bay at high tide. Chelsay and I happened to arrive at low tide so we stayed dry as we crossed, but we wanted to return to “walk on water” as the causeway disappeared.

The sun had returned too, so we decided to take a break for lunch in one of the towns overlooking the bay. Passing through Penzance (known for its pirate attacks), we stopped in a town called Mousehole and enjoyed soup, sandwiches, a shake, and famous Cornish ice cream at the Rock Pool Cafe along the coastline.

After lunch, we still had a few hours until high tide, but decided to head back to St Michael’s Mount and explore the beach in the meantime. The low water levels exposed barnacle covered rocks, which trapped several tide pools and some unlucky sea life. Chelsay and I poked around the tide pools for an hour, finding small crabs, snails, and colorful shells.

Eventually, the tide started to rise, and we walked the Mount’s sinking causeway, splish-splashing across as the path disappeared into the bay.

For dinner, we returned to St Ives, but were so exhausted after that we thought about just calling it a night. There was one town we hadn’t visited yet, St Agnes, but our comfy bed was calling…  It would’ve been so easy to just head back to the B&B, but our shared travel priorities (sites > sleeps) led us to St Agnes instead. We were rewarded with one of the top 10 experiences we’ve had in Europe.

While in St Ives, we plugged in the directions to St Agnes. We had to do this in every big city we visited because our cell reception was so poor once we hit the country lanes. I’d seen pictures of the specific site I wanted to visit in St Agnes (an abandoned tin mine on the coast), but figured we’d be able to find it once we got closer. Well, we followed the GPS but it led us into a residential area… Not what I was aiming for, but we didn’t have any cell service to course correct.

One thing I haven’t written about (and never thought I would) is Chelsay’s frequent need for restroom breaks on these trips. I don’t know if she drinks a lot of water or she just has a small bladder, but every time we board a plane, get off a plane, make it through security, make it to the hotel, leave the hotel, enter a tourist attraction, etc, she has to make a stop. St Agnes was no exception, so we had to park the car in this residential area for her to find a public restroom. I wasn’t sure how we’d find the tin mine, and with the sun setting quickly, we’d soon be out of daylight. Chelsay’s bathroom break must’ve been fate though, because the building she went into had a map of the town. I didn’t know the name of the site we were aiming for, but the map showed a mill logo just a few miles away.

With the help of Chelsay’s fateful bathroom break, we arrived at the Wheal Coates Tin Mine at 8:00… just in time for the show. I really hope that I can remember the excitement we shared that night. The barren brick mill stirred a sense of exploration. The rugged coast line and the teal waves thundering below reminded us of the size and power of our surroundings. The bursting wind nearly knocked us over, building the feeling of adrenaline. And the orange and pink sky, with rays of sunshine fading into the Atlantic horizon, provided the stage that hosted this magical setting.

The next day was the last of the trip… we were tired though, and slow to start. Breakfast nearrrlllyy matched the sunset from the night before, but the most valuable ingredient was definitely the coffee.

We managed just enough energy to head out for the day, starting with St Nectan’s Glen, aka Merlin’s Waterfall (with King Arthur’s Tintagel Castle nearby). There was some sort of “faery fayre” going on in Tintagel this weekend, and the pink and green-haired crowd eat up this type of mystical forest. Luckily we arrived before the crowds, but Chelsay and I knew we were in for something good when the ticket lady told us the waterfall was “charged” and that it “was giving off a lot energy.”

Beyond the “energy” though, our walk through the forest showed yet another side to Cornwall. On Saturday, we hiked through open heaths and rocky tors in Dartmoor. On Sunday, we explored salty Cornish towns and picturesque coastline. Now, on Monday, we were walking through a lush glen and wading knee-high into creeks to find a hidden, mystical waterfall.

Continuing with the Merlin theme, we decided to make our last stop Tintagel Castle, King Arthur’s castle… or sort of castle. Actually it wasn’t his castle, he was just born there. No, conceived there. What? Okay, whatever, the whole story is made up. Arthur’s or not, the castle ruins were very cool, and the misty rain and bursts of wind provided the perfect mood to explore the rugged remains.

The highlight wasn’t even the castle or coastline though. Just that morning, over our slow and late breakfast, I’d read about Merlin’s Cave, which sits in the bay below Tintagel Castle. The only problem is that you can only find the cave during low tide, which wouldn’t be until 2:00. Well, it was 1:00 when we were leaving the castle, so Chelsay and I decided we were close enough. We headed for the beach, and given our aggressiveness, were the first and only to explore the cave.

While the waves crept into the cave from both ends, I thought about how surprising of a trip Cornwall turned out to be. This was our domestic-by-default trip because flights had gotten too pricey! Like Iceland, Greece, Scotland, and Seville before though, this weekend still delivered something exciting and unique every single day. The mark of a great trip is the number of memorable activities… and between Wistman’s Wood, Lydford Gorge, St Ives, Port Isaac, St Michael’s Mount, St Agnes, St Nectan’s Glen, Tintagel Castle, and Merlin’s Cave, Cornwall certainly proved to be much more than a filler trip.