CHAPTER 7 CORNWALL During my holiday in Wales, I saw a competition in a travel magazine.

Durante mi fiesta en Gales, yo vi una competicin en una revista de viaje. One of the categories was to write an article about a coastal area in Europe. Uno de las categoras era escribir un artculo sobre una rea costera en Europa. I wanted to write about somewhere in Britain, so I phoned Gareth to ask him for ideas on where to go. Yo quise escribir sobre alguna parte en Bretaa, as que yo telefone Gareth para pedirle ideas en dnde ir. "You could go to Cornwall," he said. "Usted podra ir a Cornwall," l dijo. (muro de maiz) "It's a remote area in the south-west corner of Britain. "Es una rea remota en la esquina del sur-oeste de Bretaa. It has a beautiful coastline, a lot of small seaside towns and very dramatic scenery. Tiene un litoral bonito, muchos pueblos de la costa pequeos y paisaje muy dramtico. It's also rich in folklore and myths. Tambin es rico en folklore y mitos. It's a great place to write about and it will be an opportunity for you to see another part of Britain." Es un gran lugar para escribir (alrededor) y ser una oportunidad para usted ver otra parte de Bretaa." I was convinced. Me convencieron. I bought a book about Cornwall and decided to start my trip along the coast in a town called Bude. Yo compr un libro sobre Cornwall y decid empezar mi viaje a lo largo de la costa en un pueblo llamado Bude. According to the description in the book, Bude was a small enchanting, seaside town. Segn la descripcin en el libro, Bude era un encantando pequeo, pueblo de la costa. I hired a car and drove to Bude. Yo alquil un automvil y conduje para Bude. I reserved a room in one of its little hotels and then at 8 o'clock I went to a pub to have some dinner. Yo reserv un cuarto en uno de sus hoteles pequeos y entonces a las 8 yo fui a una taberna para cenar. The inside of the pub looked as if it hadn't changed for hundreds of years. Adentro de la taberna parecida como si no hubiera cambiado durante los centenares de aos. The walls were stone and all the tables and chairs were made of dark wood. Las paredes estaban hechas de piedra y todas las mesas y sillas de madera oscura. There was an empty table next to the fireplace and I sat down to enjoy a peaceful dinner. Haba una mesa vaca al lado del hogar y yo me sentaba para disfrutar una cena pacfica. As I was finishing my meal, an old man approached the table and asked if he could share it with me. Cuando yo estaba terminando mi comida, un hombre viejo se acerc la mesa y pregunt si l pudiera compartirlo conmigo. I looked around and saw that all the other tables were occupied. Yo echaba una mirada alrededor y vio que todas las otras mesas estaban ocupadas. I invited him to sit with me and soon discovered that I was very lucky to have met him. Yo lo invit a sentarse conmigo y pronto descubri que yo tuve mucha suerte de haberlo conocido. His name was Richard and he seemed to know everything about Cornwall, its history and its myths. Su nombre era Richard y l pareca saber todo sobre Cornwall, su historia y sus mitos. "Most of the legends here are about Giants and Piskies," he began. "La mayora de las leyendas de aqu son sobre los Gigantes y Piskies," l empez. "Wait a minute," I interrupted. "Espera un minuto," yo interrump. "I know what Giants are, but what are Piskies?" "Yo s qu son los Gigantes, pero que son Piskies?" "Piskies were little old men, two centimetres tall, who were all identical," said Richard. "Piskies sea hombres viejos pequeos, dos centmetros de alto, quines eran todos idntico," dijo a Richard. "They were good people who helped the old. "Ellos eran personas buenas que ayudaban a los viejo. However, they also liked to play jokes on people." Sin embargo, les gust tambin gastaban bromas a las personas."

Richard's stories were fascinating and it seemed like only fifteen minutes had passed and not three hours when the pub owner announced that it was closing time. Las historias de Richard eran fascinantes y pareca como slo quince minutos haba pasado y no tres horas cuando el dueo de la taberna anunci que estaba cerrando tiempo. "It's been a pleasure talking to you tonight. "Es un placer hablar esta noche con usted. Thank you," I said to Richard, as we stood outside the pub. Gracias," yo dije a Richard, cuando nosotros estbamos de pie fuera de la taberna. Thank you for listening to an old man's stories," he replied. Gracias por escuchar a las historias de un hombre viejo," l contest. Richard smiled, shook my hand and walked away. Richard sonri, agit mi mano y se alej. Although I never saw him again, Richard and his stories accompanied me throughout the rest of my trip through Conrwall. Aunque yo nunca lo vi de nuevo, Richard y sus historias me acompaaron a lo largo del resto de mi viaje a travs de Conrwall. I remembered one of the stories when I arrived in Poundstock the following day. Yo record uno de las historias cuando yo llegu a Poundstock el da siguiente. "There's an old church in a little village called Poundstock," Richard had told me. "Hay una iglesia vieja en un pequeo pueblo llamado Poundstock," Richard me haba contado. "In the 14th century, a man called William Penfold was the priest of the church. "En el 14 siglo, un hombre llamado William Penfold era el sacerdote de la iglesia. Although he was a priest, he was also a member of a group of pirates that attacked ships leaving the area. Aunque l era un sacerdote, l tambin era un miembro de un grupo de piratas que atacaron naves que abandonan el rea. Eventually, William Penfold had a fight with the rest of the pirates and left the group." En el futuro, William Penfold tena una lucha con el resto de los piratas y abandon el grupo." "Is that the end of the story?" I asked. "Es ese el fin de la historia?" Yo pregunt. "No. A short time later, the pirates interrupted a Mass that William Penfold was giving in his church. "No. Un tiempo corto despus, los piratas interrumpieron una Misa que William Penfold estaba dando su iglesia. They brutally murdered him on the altar." Ellos lo asesinaron brutalmente en el altar." "What a horrible story!" I exclaimed. "Eso es una historia horrible!" Yo exclam. "It's so violent!" "Es tan violento!" "There's more," continued Richard. "Hay ms," Richard continu. "People say that his ghost still haunts the church." "Las personas dicen que su fantasma todava frecuenta la iglesia." Words can't describe what I felt as I walked through the empty church remembering Richard's story. Las palabras no pueden describir lo que yo senta cuando yo atraves la iglesia vaca que recuerda la historia de Richard. It was very quiet and cold in the church and it was easy to imagine Penfold's screams as he was being murdered. Estaba muy callado y fro en la iglesia y era fcil imaginar los gritos de Penfold cuando l estaba siendo asesinando. It was good to go outside again, into the warm sun. Era bueno ir de nuevo fuera, en el sol caluroso. I sat down next to the car and looked at my map. Yo me sentaba al lado del automvil y miraba mi mapa. I decided that the next day I would go to Tingagel Castle, home of the legendary King Arthur. Yo decid que el prximo da yo ira a Tingagel Castle, casa del Rey legendario Arturo. * * * * * * * * * I grew up reading stories and seeing films about King Arthur. Yo crec leyendo historias y viendo pelculas sobre el Rey Arturo.

There are many stories that describe him as a virtuous king who attracted the best knights in the Christian world to serve him. Hay muchas historias que lo describen como un rey poderoso que atrajo a los caballeros ms buenos en el Christian mundo para servirlo. They were called Knights of the Round Table and their mission was to fight againts all the evil forces in England. Ellos se llamaron Caballeros de la Mesa Redonda y su misin era luchar contra todas las fuerzas malignas en Inglaterra. Richard had told me something about King Arthur that had surprised me. Richard me haba dicho algo sobre el Rey Arturo que me haba sorprendido. "You know that King Arthur was born in Tintagel Castle, don't you?" asked Richard. "Usted sabe que Rey que Arturo naci en Castillo de Tintagel, (no lo haga)?" Richard pregunto. "No, I didn't know that," I replied. "No, yo no supe eso," yo contest. "Actually, I've never thought about exactly where King Arthur was from. "De hecho, yo nunca he pensado exactamente sobre de donde era el Rey Arturo. I just thought of him as English." Yo apenas pens en l como ingls." "Well, he was from Cornwall," said Richard. "Bien, l era de Cornwall," dijo Richard. "The legends say that Merlin, Arthur's teacher, lived in a cave below Tintagel Castle. "Las leyendas dicen que Merlin, el maestro de Arturo, vivia en una cueva debajo del Castillo de Tintagel. When you get to Tintagel, stay at the Castle Hotel. Cuando usted llega a Tintagel, hospdese en el Hotel del Castillo. It's opposite the ruins of the castle. Est en situacin opuesta a las ruinas del castillo. The town is a few hundred metres away." El pueblo est unos cientos metros de lejos." I did exactly what Richard had suggested. Yo hice lo que Richard haba sugerido exactamente. I arrived at Tintagel just in time to see the sun going down into the sea behind the castle. Yo llegu justamente a Tintagel para ver el sol que bajando en el mar detrs del castillo. It was a romantic moment and it was suddenly very easy to believe that all the legends about King Arthur and his knights were true. Era un momento romntico y era de repente muy fcil creer que todas las leyendas sobre el Rey Arturo y sus caballeros eran verdad. I continued my journey early the following morning. Yo continu mi jornada temprano la maana siguiente. The next few days were filled with beautiful views and the sound of the sea and the wind. Los siguientes das se llenaron con las vistas bonitas y el sonido del mar y el viento. And I wrote my article sitting in small hotels, on beaches, in pubs and in tea-rooms. Y yo escrib mi artculo asentado en hoteles pequeos, en playas, en tabernas y en cuartos del t. As I approached Chapel Porth Beach three days later, I remembered another of Richard's stories. Cuando yo me acerqu a la Capilla del Puerto de la Playa tres das despus, yo record otra de las historias de Richard. "There is a famous legend here of a Giant named Boster. "Hay una leyenda famosa aqu de un Gigante nombr Boster. He was an evil man who terrorised the people who lived here." l era un hombre malo que aterroriz a las personas quienes la vivian all." "What happened to him?" I asked. "Que le pas a l?" Yo pregunt. "Well, he fell in love with the beautiful Saint Agnes. "Bien, l se enamor de la bonita Santa Agnes. She saved the people from him," he said. Ella salv a las personas de l," l dijo.

"How did she do that?" "Como lo hizo ella?" "She asked him to prove his love for her by filling a hole in the mountain at Chapel Porth. "Ella le pidi que demostrara su amor por ella llenando un agujero en la montaa en la Capilla Porth. She knew that the hole didn't have a bottom. Ella supo que el agujero no tena un fondo. Giant Boster didn't know. El gigante Boster no lo sabia. He cut his arm with his sword and tried to fill the hole with his blood, but he died from the loss of blood. l cort su brazo con su espada y intent llenar el agujero de su sangre, pero l se muri de la prdida de sangre. That's why even today, the sea at Chapel Porth is red with his blood." Eso es por qu incluso hoy, el mar en la Capilla del Puerto es rojo con su sangre." I stood on a mountain looking down at the sea at Chapel Porth and discovered that Richard was right. Yo estaba de pie en una montaa que mira hacia abajo al mar en la Capilla Porth y descubr que ese Richard tena razn. The sea looked red! El mar pareca rojo! The remaining eight days of my drive through Cornwall were full of Richard's stories. Los ocho das restantes de mi paseo a travs de Cornwall estaban llenos de las historias de Richard. I passed by towns like Zennor, where the local legend tells of a mermaid who hypnotised a nobleman's son. Yo pas por los pueblos como Zennor, donde la leyenda local le cuenta a una sirena que hipnotiz al hijo de un noble. He followed her into the sea and drowned. l la sigui en el mar y se ahog. I also passed Rill Point, where people first saw the Spanish Armada on its way to attack Britain. Yo tambin pas Punto del Arroyuelo, donde las primeraspersonas vieron la Armada espaola en su manera de atacar Bretaa. By the end of my trip, I had finished my article, which was well received by the magazine. A finales de mi viaje, yo haba terminado mi artculo que fue bien recibido por la revista. I didn't win the competition, but they published my story and I have Richard to thank for telling me about the legends of Cornwall. Yo no gan la competicin, pero ellos publicaron mi historia y yo tengo que agradecerle a Richard por contarme acerca de las leyendas de Cornwall. They made the article much more interesting. Ellos hicieron el artculo mucho ms interesante. I will always have a special place in my heart for that old man whose stories converted Cornwall into a mystical and magical land for me. Yo siempre tendr un lugar especial en mi corazn para ese hombre viejo cuyas historias convirtieron Cornwall en una tierra mstica y mgica para m.