Dearest Reader,

I hope this finds you well. I am back with a bang! Warning! You are about to start reading a post on the longer side! 🙂

It’s been a while since my last post but I am now back from my months long hiatus. Lots has happened. Summer came and went, London is “nice” and grey again, back to it’s old self, just as we know it and most importantly a new job (yayyyy) but not a new boyfriend and that’s not for lack of trying! As all single ladies know! 🙂 Trust me! It’s a jungle out there! But I digress… That is the topic for another post 🙂

I wanted to tell you about my visit to Cornwall in February this year.

This year, for my birthday, I treated myself to an extended weekend trip to Cornwall. This was my first time visiting Cornwall. To say “I loved it!” is an understatement. The trip was perfect! Even the bit when my return train was cancelled because of heavy rain and flooding on the tracks, and I had to rush for an alternative train between platforms in Plymouth. Buckle up and come with me on my first Cornwall adventure! More to come!

I usually take a day off on my birthday but, this year I decided not to as I was taking a day off the next day, a Friday. I had a long day at the office. Finished work very late, after 7 pm. I scarcely had the time to read any of the birthday messages on social media or even the private ones and, on my way home, I was feeling a little bit lonely and sad, and sorry for myself 🙂 . Having said that, my brother and my sis-in-law kept messaging me during the day to answer calls from unknown numbers that day. They know I usually ignore calls from unknown numbers ha ha ha So, naturally I was intrigued! On my way home, I stopped at my local M&S and picked up two birthday candles and a lemon curd muffin. Didn’t fancy baking or buying cake, I must watch my sugar intake, remember? I got home and I was met by the loveliest surprise! A huge bouquet of flowers from my dearest and loveliest family back home in Romania. The card, of course, touched me to tears and filled my heart! 🙂 After all the excitement, I had my lemon curd muffin and a glass of Rose and turned in.

The next day I had an early start having to pack for the trip. I packed light (I thought) which turned out not to be smart packing but at least now I know! 🙂

I was taking the 08:00 am train to Penzance from Paddington. I have been wanting to visit Cornwall for years but it always felt so far away, mystic and unachievable. I don’t drive and I have always imagined that one can only get to Cornwall if they drive. I considered taking a coach but never considered taking the train. One day in November last year, I came across this Instagram account that was reviewing a sleeper train to Cornwall. The account is called @cheapholidayexp and you can follow it “for cheap travel hacks and appreciation”. Then, one January evening, I thought to myself why not just play around on Trainline a little bit and explore what destinations I could take the train to and there it was… St. Austell. The main attraction of the trip, apart from the trip itself, was going to be visiting the Eden Project. And live up to the expectation and more it did! Excitedly, I booked a return first class ticket to St. Austell and off I went on my first larger and farther away trip from London in the UK.

On Friday morning, all packed and excited, I took the bus to Woolwich and then caught the Lizzie line to Paddington. I got to the station with plenty of time to spare (as I do most times, I don’t like to be late), walked around a little bit and explored shops. Apologies in advance if the next bit is a bit TMI but it’s relevant to the storyline 🙂 I then made my way to the Ladies, took care if what I needed to take care and made my way to get breakfast before departure. I am queuing in Nero Cafe, feeling like something wasn’t right, something was missing. I look at my left wrist to check the time and all I am met by is an empty wrist, as opposed to my usual image of my watch on my wrist. In a split second, panic sets in! Oh no! I had taken my watch off and set it on the sink to wash my hands but forgot to pick it up again! What a silly thing! I never do that! With the quickest speed I could master, I ran out of Nero Cafe, ran across the concourse and down the stairs to the loo. Obviously, the watch wasn’t on the sink anymore and I felt such a sense of loss for a moment… I rarely loose things. I quickly went to the bathroom attendant; told her I left my watch there and asked if she picked it up as a lost item by any chance. Weirdly, she seemed to ignore me and was getting on with what she was doing. I asked her again… no answer. Keep in mind that by this time, I was rushing because my train’s departure time was approaching and I really wanted to get some breakfast because I was starving. I was assuming that there will not be anything consistent to buy on the train, and I was right. I insisted with the bathroom attendant, but she would still not answer my questions. Finally, a lady who was putting on makeup told me that she saw the attendant take the watch and she had it. I then demanded the attendant to give me the watch. She was trying to find excuses not to give me the watch but, in the end, gave in to my insistence after I told her that I can demonstrate the watch is mine by entering the access code. How happy I was that I decided to put a code on the watch! It seemed silly when I bought the watch but not in that moment! After successfully having recovered my watch, went back to Nero and picked up a nice breakfast I sometimes treat myself to – ham and cheese toasted croissant and a flat white. I need some comfort food after all the running around and excitement (positive and negative) of the morning. Finally, I got on the train and my proper Cornwall trip was beginning.

The train ride was lovely! I was excited to see the sea and boats at Exeter and Plymouth as the line runs very close to the sea. It felt like I would be able to touch the sea if I would have stretched my hand out 🙂 It only took about 4h 30 min to get to St. Austell. I didn’t even realise when the hours have gone by, I was too busy looking out the window and trying to imagine with anticipation where I was going and what the trip was going to be like.

I booked a very nice hotel just on the sea road, The Carlyon Bay Hotel who have also arranged a taxi to pick me up from the train station. After a 15 mins taxi drive, I was, barely able to contain my excitement, entering the hotel lobby through old large rotating doors which kept the Cornish cold air out. I checked in and, while I was browsing various leaflets and was talking to the Concierge about things to do, my small, not so smartly packed luggage, was taken up to my room by the hotel luggage porter. I went up to my room just to freshen up quickly as I was rushing for my date with… the Sea 🙂

Regardless of the weather, I love being by the sea, on the beach. For me, is more around seeing, hearing and smelling the sea, not just lounging on a sun bed, which I also enjoy sitting under an umbrella and reading a nice book 🙂

After a quick freshening up, I walked down to the hotel lobby and asked if the sea road was accessible from the hotel. They said yes but it was a bit difficult to walk because it had rained heavily for the past few days and the ground was saturated. I didn’t really mind until I realised what they meant by “saturated”! My fancy white sole city girl trainers immediately sank in the rich mud in various patches where the grass didn’t get a chance to grow. It took me a good 20 min to walk down to the beach, but it was worth it! I walked down to Carlyon Bay Beach where I met a group of young cold water sea swimmers walking back barefoot from the beach. They were all smiles, and you could see how much they enjoyed what they were doing. I find cold water sea swimming fascinating considering that I can’t swim 🙂

I spent around two hours on the beach, bundled up in my puffer jacket, scarf, gloves and hat, and loved every minute of it! I watched and listened to the waves crashing on to the shore around the huge rock on Carlyon Bay Beach, felt the cold strong wind on my face and in my hair, and smelled the sea. I was alone on the beach, enjoying the sound of the wind and the waves. Every breath was filling my lungs with fresh sea air. Oh, how I miss the sea! I would have stayed longer but some dark clouds were fast approaching, and I decided to walk back to the hotel. As I was walking across the beach back to the very long stairs taking back up to the road, a torrential rain started falling out of nowhere then transforming into hails. It felt like the skies had opened to release all the pain, stress and frustration. It was cathartic. I slowly walked up the stairs, feeling the rain drops on my face, my glasses all covered in rain drops and steamed up. After a good five minutes the shower let up and I walked the rest of the way back to the hotel in a calming rain. It was such an invigorating experience!

Back at the hotel, after freshening up, I went for my birthday Champagne Afternoon Tea, which I enjoyed set at a table by the large windows of the lounge overlooking part of the golf course. The meal was delicious, exactly what I needed after skipping lunch excited to go down to the beach. The rest of the day was very chilled, reading my book in the lounge. Having had a late meal, I had a light supper in one of the hotel’s restaurants.

The next day I woke up well rested, had a lovely English breakfast and took some time to chill in the lounge reading my book. I had booked my ticket to the Eden Project for the early afternoon and excitedly got into the taxi the hotel had arranged for me.

The Eden Project is worth visiting. I rushed my visit a little bit and I didn’t quite appreciate how much there was to see! I was a bit regretful that I didn’t book myself in for the morning to spend an entire day there. It is built in a former clay mine which looks like a crater from the viewing platform. It has two biodomes, the first simulating a rainforest environment and the second, a Mediterranean environment, as well as impressive outdoor gardens. They have free guided tours of the Biomes which you can join at various times. I joined a tour about what typical plants are found in the rainforest and their different colours, shapes, sizes, specific features, defence mechanisms. I also joined a tour about tea and spices, their origins and how they reached our shores. There is just so much to see! I didn’t realise when the four hours have gone by until I heard the call that the Eden was closing to visitors. I quickly rushed to the Visitor’s Centre looking for specific items to buy as souvenirs. I bought the loveliest pack of bamboo wooden spoons! Every time I used them, they remind me of my first visit to Cornwall. I closed the day with a lovely light supper in the Lounge.

The next day it was time to return to London. The journey back would have been a mere 5 hours but unfortunately, due to heavy flooding on the train tracks, it took much longer than that. We had to change trains at Plymouth and Exeter. It was bit of an adventure but got home safely in the end. Wouldn’t change anything of that weekend.

Head to the Gallery for a selection of photos.

Sending you positive vibes!

Miss B