Cornwall - corny, and wall

It was B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.
And I LOVE England.

So, once upon a time, I went to England. It´s actually been a while, because having a boyfriend is a bit time-consuming, and it leaves me with little time to spare on things like my blog. Also, I´ve been feeling a little non-inspired about writing, feeling like I have nothing much to say except, "look at my holiday, it was nice!". And, on top of this, I´ve been having a bit of a travel crisis lately - I feel like nothing travel-wise really catches my attention, and I´m a grandma who wants all the comfort and easy no-stress experience she can get. Which is why I totally believe in group travel as a perfect way to go out and see something but not having to be a responsible organizer yourself.

This holiday, I got to tag along one more time. Bente and David, a couple that I know through my Referendariat/ teacher training (Bente was one of my first social contacts in Verden and we hung out a lot). I needed something to do in my long six-week summer holiday (no teacher boyfriend -> you have to somehow find something else to do unless you want to sit around the living room and stare at walls) so I asked her if we didn´t want to go to England together? And she said she was already going on holiday there with David, but I could join them. I made very sure that this was actually very ok for them and since, even after asking them 10 times, they still said it was ok, I booked a flight and train to Plymouth to meet them in their second week of vacationing in the South of England for their leg in Cornwall.

Looe Beach

Camping with seaview

The first stop was Looe. We had two nights of camping and I was very grateful for dad´s expensive tent that gave me trust in its wind-and water-resistant abilities. It did not disappoint.

I loved the little town of Looe with the incoming sea fjord/river dividing it in two separate parts which you can cross on a bridge (lame) or on small boats that ferry you to the other side for a pound or so which is of course a lot more fun. Also, I found the seagull-safe rubbish bags highly amusing - them being made out of resistant materials to fend off hungry air-rats that can actually, apparently, get very aggressive and greedy if you let them (so let´s not let them).
I ate some fish and chips and realized once again that I don´t like fish if it tastes like fish. I drowned one half of the portion in tartar sauce and the other half I gave to Polly (Bente´s dog) and David.

Around Talland Beach

Fowey

On the way to the next sleeping place, we stopped in Fowey. It was the cutest town as well, and I enjoyed it hugely, even though there were lots of tourists around.

Cadgwith

Cadgwith is another small fishing town, this one with thatched roofs and actual fishing industry. So cute!

By the way, we got around driving. Bente drove most of the time in her own car (they had come over by ferry) and I got to sit around in the backseat with Polly. I was glad I didn´t have to drive because the left-side driving PLUS the multi-lane roundabouts are pretty scary!

Pasties!

Cream Tea - Scones and Clotted Cream with jam

Porthleven

Oh, and the food! Ginger beer, Cider, Cream Tea, Pasties...I thought I´d never get tired of it (but then I did, one can only eat that many Pasties in one week). Britons eat everything with fries, by the way. Hamburger with fries, ok. Pizza? Goes with fries! Soup? Fries! Other stuff? Fries!

Mount St Michel

Boulders of Virgins something something

The Cornish Coast off The Minack Theatre near Porthcurno, in the very West of Cornwall

Land´s end - the very very Western tip of Cornwall

We did a lot of hiking all in all, got soaked a few times (not me, bless my cheap raincoat and rainpant combo), went out for dinners most evenings and pasties most lunches, and visited some natural sights, which was lovely.
One time we also stayed in a country Airbnb and got to spend some time with locals. The host was the sweetest lady making her own orange jam and giving us lots of veggies from her garden upon departure.

Foot Comparison time

We hung around a few times on a beach but I never felt compelled to do some actual swimming. Bente went, and some locals did, but most of them in wetsuits.

Whippet at Tintagel (the crossing to the island was closed on that day due to high winds)

After a week of soaking in all this cute Britishness, the lovely coast-views, morning teas on camping chairs, late-night card-playing in campsite-gamerooms so our phones could charge, and listening to British accents, we left again for continental Europe.
One night we spent in Salisbury and then the next evening it was off to Dover, a last coast walk to see the chalk cliffs, and then on to the ferry back to the main land.

Beautiful!!

Oh, and with corny, I meant that not in a negative way. It´s just so pretty that it´s almost kitschy - right?
And the walls - that´s true, too.There are 48.000 km of natural hedges in Cornwall that have been fencing the country streets in for centuries. They are made up of earth and hedge and shrub and are very dense - a historical, natural landmark which is very typical of Cornwall. It also makes driving there a lot harder unless you are on the bigger main roads. The streets are very narrow and two cars cannot fit next to each other unless one stops at one of the many small indentations and lets the other one pass. It´s like a giant maze.

Next year I might actually travel to England two times for work - once with my history bili group to Hastings and surroundings, and once with the sixth form (Oberstufe) to London for a week. I´m not crazy about going to metropolitan cities with a bunch of pupils but it´s also kind of cool to be able to go there for free, to a country that I love.

Also, for next year, we have just booked a one-week trip to Crete in June. It´s a hippie apartment in the middle of some olive groves and pretty close to the coast so I´m excited about that :)

Next up, we are going to the Canary Islands for Christmas with the family on a cruise ship. Lots of food, too, but in 20° C and sunshine. Heheehehe.



Bye :)