02 Feb House on the Props – Great food in Polperro and some thoughts on photography
Sometimes you are lucky.
Sometimes you don’t search for anything and you have a small moment of inspiration. I will enter here, I will try this, where does this road lead?
Surprises, and I am talking about the pleasant kind, add so much to your life. And this also stands true when travelling.
I left St Ives in the morning then visited Mevagissey for a bit before reaching Polperro.
While I wasn’t particularly impressed with Mevagissey, I fell in love with Polperro instantly.
After leaving my car in the big parking lot outside the town I walked for about a kilometer before entering this charming place.
And no, while this is a review for a restaurant, I won’t lie and say I rushed in searching for a place to eat.
More like took my time to wander the narrow streets, admire the many boats in the small bay, took some lovely images while walking and just spending some time on a bench just looking around.
I think I have said this before but it bears repeating. Even more now while laying in bed struck with a flu and tired beyond any limits.
Seeing as much as possible is always wanted but it is also important to understand what you are seeing.
Rushing all the time is not something you want. Especially in such small, delicate places like Polperro. These are the kind of places you just rest. You look around. You study everything carefully. You walk slowly without being in a hurry to reach a place or to check an objective.
I remember seeing a photographer, a famous one, giving advice on travel photography and one of the things that stood out with me is really placing the camera down and enjoying the moment.
If you are currently looking for the best light, the best set up, the best composition, you will not actually be present there. You will not focus on what’s happening there.
And that ain’t travelling, that ain’t experimenting a new place.
Is just wasting valuable moments.
And here is my opinion on this. I am aware that if I keep practicing I might become really good one day. Not world class, not even fantastic but really good.
But is it worth it for me?
Frankly it isn’t. This is the reason I sold all my new equipment and bought some second hand one. Because in my thinking there is no such thing as a travel photographer.
We live on tight schedules, with few days for holidays and far less money for it.
I can’t dedicate 2-3 days from a seven day trip to just sit and watch the people waiting for a perfect shot.
I can’t trek 7 hours to a mountain peak just to watch the sunset and maybe snap a few pictures. If it is not cloudy, rainy, if there is no fog, etc.
I can’t let photography be my main focus while travelling.
My main focus is what I see thru my eyes. Not thru my lenses. My focus is what I touch with my hands, what I eat, what I drink, what people I meet without thinking if I should snap a pictures there or there or if the lightning will come from that part making the scene look better.
This is what professionals do. And I’m not one. And I do not desire to be one.
There are many fields in which I want to excel. Not here. Here I’m happy with being a simple guy wondering at the beauty of the world and taking some decent pictures along the way.
Pictures are a great way for bringing back memories but if you only spent time looking for the best shot what memories will you have?
So this is the main reason why I downgraded from an expensive camera with prime lenses, huge backpack and tripod to a second hand camera, an used zoom lens and a small bag for them.
I kept the tripod mainly because I enjoy taking night pictures, even in my hometown, and i find it useful.
Under no circumstances do I consider the possibility of strapping it to my back and hiking for hours so I can catch a sunset. No matter how beautiful that sunset could be. I’m not breaking my back anymore.
Moving back to Polperro I have a small confession to make. While I loved this place and found it beautiful I don’t consider it a very photogenic spot.
I consider this place to be just like it is with some people. You see a picture of them and it really doesn’t say anything to you. But when you meet them in person it is totally different.
While many will disagree and might even show me great photos from this place I really believe this is one of those places where pictures don’t do justice to the beauty of the place.
Do you remember the luck part right in the beginning of the post? Here is when it comes in.
After finishing my visit in Polperro, just when I was about to leave the harbor I started wondering ‘should I grab a sandwich? Should I wait until I reach Weymouth?’ and as I was moving towards the exit a small place caught my eye. In fact the pies in the window and the cakes drew my eye and just thought to myself ‘why not try this place?’.And entered The House on the Props.
Because here is where I ate when that day and right before starting the review I must confess that I loved it there.
What I loved from the start was how it looked inside. The House on the Props is also a b&b and it has tea rooms besides the restaurant.
I placed a link here so you can check this place for yourself because the food is great and if the accommodation is just as good then you have a big winner.
Polperro is one of those places where you could stop for a night, especially in this place since it has rooms with view to the harbor.
Talking about the restaurant I can say that:
- The staff is lovely. Smiling, very helpful, keen to help with suggestions, they are a delight.
- The food and prices. I had a crab soup, a cottage home made pie, a sweet pie, a bottle of water all at 21.50 pounds. And trust me it was worth every pence.
The food was delicious, i never ate crab soup before and really enjoyed it as well as the cottage home made pie.
This is my opportunity to thank the girl who took my order because I was lost between two kinds of sweets and when I asked her for her favorite she pointed me to an amazing pie with Cornish cream.
If you never ate Cornish cream before you don’t know what you are missing. Buttery thick, cold with a delicious taste it made the already delicious pie even better.
Until you try it yourself you’ll just have to believe me. Cornish cream is absolutely amazing. And if you read my food articles on my blog you’d know that I wasn’t that excited about many things in all my reviews.
I think that The House on the Props can cater to anything you might desire from a Cornish experience. It is great for solo travelers, it is a place where you could serve a lovely dinner with someone or a place to relax with your friends after a day of visiting Cornwall.
If you ever visit Polperro do yourself a favor and eat here. You will love it.