Nearly a month ago now (already, eek!) I was blessed with a visitor from America, my dear friend Heidi. Heidi and I met on our semester abroad in London nearly three years ago and have remained friends ever since. When she decided to make the hop over the pond to see me and to make her first visit back to the UK, I was ecstatic. We both came to the quick conclusion that Cornwall was where our hearts most desired to visit and so a week in a cottage in St. Ives, along with a short stint in York (northeast England) and London, was just what the doctor ordered.
York was where we began our trip and for two and a half gloriously sun-filled days (a rarity this year, believe me in one of the wettest on record) wandering around the cobblestoned streets admiring the gorgeous cathedral city. The main highlights were walking along the ancient city walls, going to Yorkminster, visiting the Railway museum, and eating at Betty's cafe, a Yorkshire institution.
 |
| outside Yorkminster |
 |
| At Betty's |
 |
| Railway museum |
 |
| view from the walls of York |
After York we made the long trek down to St. Ives. It was two hours to London (standing most of the way) and then a layover in Paddington station and then a 6 hour train ride down to St. Ives. It was an exhausting day but the minute we got to St. Ives it was immediately worth it. We rented a local woman's cottage right in the heart of the town, and were so pleased with it the entire week. It was cozy, comfortable, and we really loved having a place of our own to come back to and relax each day.
 |
| entrance to the cottage |
We spent our week wandering around the winding streets of St. Ives, hiking, eating, and taking small day trips around Western Cornwall. We managed to visit Penzance and see a play, Twelfth Night, at the Minack theatre with its incredibly breathtaking views of the Atlantic coast as a backdrop. We visited two art galleries, had an afternoon cream tea, ate cornish pasties (rhymes with sassy), and slept in. The only bummer was that it was cold, windy, and rainy periodically and despite having so many beaches around us, the thought of swimming in water that was at most 40 degrees fahrenheit kept us from entertaining the thought of traditional beach pursuits. The cold summer weather is one thing that I've had a hard time getting used to. It is late July and it is still risky to wear shorts or a dress without worrying that I will get cold as the highs are usually around 60 and damp. Despite the weather though we had a fabulous and relaxing time before heading back to London to conclude our vacation together.
 |
| The Minack Theatre |
 |
| Afternoon tea breaks |
 |
| The surfers' beach in St. Ives |
 |
| pasties- a cornish speciality |
 |
| Harbor of St. Ives |
 |
| St. Michael's mount |
 |
| 14th century pub in St. Ives |
London proved to be anything but relaxing; we were out from 9am to 10pm each day and our feet felt it. We had three days to reminisce together and ended up having an afternoon tea with a professor of mine from UST at Fortnum and Mason (highly recommended if you ever visit London), saw two more plays (Midsommer Night's Dream and One Man, Two Guvnors), had an indian meal, and visited old haunts from our Farringdon days. It was such a great time and really a magical way to end our trip where it all began for us three years ago. We finished off our last night in a pub on the Mall partaking in one last moment (for Heidi) of pure English bliss.
 |
| Afternoon tea platter at Fortnum and Mason |
