My European Adventure: Cornwall & London
After the year that has been 2019 so far, I was so incredibly ready for a break. This year I decided that I didn’t want anything too foreign as there has already been a lot of transition and change in the last few months. So, I decided to head to one of my favorite places in the world – Great Britain.
As much as I love London, I didn’t want to spend the entire trip there so I spent the first half of the trip in Cornwall which is the most southwestern part of the country by the sea. I just wanted to get away, and trust me, I found myself way out in the sticks.
Low tide of the causeway leading to St. Michael's Mount
In Cornwall
Penzance, the town in Cornwall where I was basing my travel from, was a five-hour train ride from London Paddington. I thought that after a seven-hour flight I’d go mad on the long train, but I actually passed out for most of the train ride and woke up about 45 minutes before the train rolled into the town. At first, I was struck by the color of the water. Was I near the Mediterranean? No, I was still in England.
I made my way to the lovely inn that I was going to be staying at, dragging my luggage up a steep hill. Little did I know that climbing up steep things was going to be the theme for the trip. I was so charmed by the inn and the people who were working in it. The street that the inn was quiet and as soon as I got up to my room I opened my window and took a peak at the amazing sea view.
For my first full day of exploration, I decided to head to St. Michael's Mount, this castle on this hilltop in that has its own island. When I arrived at the beach it was rainy and the sea was a little rough in the water taxi, but I was blessed with some amazing views by the time I climbed my way up the hill. The gardens that were built into the base of the hill were some of the most lovely and fragrant that I’ve ever been to. I enjoyed a long leisurely lunch by the sea. By now the sun had come out and the island was being flooded with tourists – it was decidedly time for me to move on.
The following day I decided to drive. I’d driven in Scotland before which kind of prepared me for driving in Cornwall. The key difference was that the roads were a little bit wider in Scotland, at least in the parts of the Highlands that we were in. I will admit to you that it was a bit daunting, but I made it!
Next, I went to another town called St. Ives. It was a much more active town than Penzance, but I actually missed the quiet of my little town that I’d already come to love. I was eager to get back to the lounge at the inn so that I could journal and look at the photos from the day.
The views when I got to Porthcurno and the Minack Theatre were completely worth it. I was in awe of the seaside cliffs and the turquoise waters. I did get a little turned around at one point, but it led me to Merry Maidens, a group of standing stones in the middle of a field that felt pretty Outlandish to me, so of course, I had to go and touch them!
Londonbound
Far too soon it was time for me to make my way back to London. I was looking forward to the rest of my trip, but I was going to miss being in Cornwall. The noise and activity of London was definitely jarring and though I would have never thought of myself as a country person, I was really missing being in the middle of nowhere! The pace in Cornwall was everything that I had been craving for the past few months.
After arriving in London I met up with some friends and we went on a stroll through Greenwich park before getting dinner at a pub close by. The following morning, I was meeting up with some friends who planned for us to overlap in the city for a bit. I got the chance to show them around my favorite city since it was their first time there, so I did love that.
I also did some touristy things that I’ve never done before, like go over the Tower Bridge. We stopped through Borough Market, but it was way too crowded to be truly tempted by any of the food. After getting some drinks at Mr. Fogg’s Society for Exploration, we headed to Leicester Square to see Avengers Endgame. Stopping to see a three-hour movie while on vacation in Europe might explain to you my level of nerdom if you haven’t discerned this yet.
The following day we explored Little Venice before heading to afternoon tea at Fortnums. How delicious that was! That evening, we were all a bit travel weary so we decided to get some Indian take out and enjoy the delicious food in the flat that I was renting.
Photo:
The next day I was on my own again and decided to do some shopping! But first, I went back to Borough Market for some lunch! Then I went to Camden Market to one of my favorite clothing stores in London, Collectif. I also stopped by a crafting store and just generally soaked in my last full day in London. I closed out the evening with my favorite walk across the pedestrian bridge by the Embankment station. I was a beautiful sunset and I was so glad to have this precious time away.
Want to read the full day-by-day adventures? You can check them out on my personal blog over at jessicapinkston.com.
The next day I was on my own again and decided to do some shopping! But first, I went back to Borough Market for some lunch! Then I went to Camden Market to one of my favorite clothing stores in London, Collectif. I also stopped by a crafting store and just generally soaked in my last full day in London. I closed out the evening with my favorite walk across the pedestrian bridge by the Embankment station. I was a beautiful sunset and I was so glad to have this precious time away.
Want to read the full day-by-day adventures? You can check them out on my personal blog over at jessicapinkston.com.