Going home and my trip to Cornwall

It has been two weeks since I went on a train journey (the one described here) and took myself to Cornwall and back for a weekend.

The weather was beautiful, I ate my weigh in cream tea, got woken up by seagulls in the morning and just spent a nice few days with some of the loveliest people I have met in my life.

At the Royal Cornwall County Show - So many cream teas!

  

Beach at St. Agnes

Very cute Café on the way to the Beach

Following that trip, I finished my internship, went to a parliamentary panel discussion where I sat next to a proper journalist from The Guardian (I felt a little out of place. But the food was great.), went shopping with the money I had left, moved out of my room in the student residence, watched the England vs. Italy match in the Shutterbug Café, then got a cold while waiting for the night bus.

The next day, I boarded the plan and flew to Berne, where my family was already waiting for me. I’ve been home for two weeks now and I can honestly say that I am absolutely happy to be back.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I hated it the whole time and was just miserable 24/7. London itself is still my favourite city and I’m sure it won’t be long until I will back for a city trip, but having escaped my not-too-interesting office job and getting my social life back does feel pretty amazing. However, I already miss all the unique little cafés, restaurants and other places you can find everywhere in London. I guess you just can’t have everything, right?

Dessert for Breakfast

I want all bills to come in a book like that. It's the small things that make a difference.

Reggie the Veggie at The Breakfast Club in Soho

It's coffee in a jam jar. How can you not get excited about that?

Delicious Raspberry Lemonade and a hazlenut-chocolate thing (what a precise description Anna, well done!) at Le Pain Quotidien

 That’s it for now. I hope you’ve all had a wonderful weekend!

Thoughts while on a train

The past weekend, I got on a train to visit a family that I met three years ago in their new home in Cornwall. Starting from Paddington Station, the journey took me 4 hours and 45 minutes. That gives you a lot of time to think. So I started writing down random thoughts that popped into my head and this is how this post came to happen. 

Let's get started!

The English countryside is really flat.

Until suddenly, it isn’t.

Sheep.

That halloumi bagel from the train station was actually delicious.

Cows.

So many canals. I think I want a boat.

Looks like Harry Potter could have lived here.

Why is there an imprint of a giant white horse on that hill?

This looks exactly like the setting for all those romantic movies (that then was a recurring theme)

Where’s the sea? I want to see the sea. Oh, that’s a rhyme.

I want to be i a car and drive these beautiful country roads. I don’t have a car. I can’t drive.

I should go on train journeys more often. Looks like I actually could be productive on a train.

Only three more hours.

I’m more than halfway through this magazine and have read every single article. I never do that. Also, why do the headlines on the front page always have to say something that makes you want to hide what you’re reading from your fellow passengers?

I wonder if the person sitting behind me can see what I’m typing. Probably not. I hope not.

Didn’t finish the magazine.

Is this the sea? Where am I? I need a map.

It’s the sea. It’s beautiful.

Passing people sitting by the sea, eating fish & chips. I want to join them. I’ll have chips & chips, please.

Two more hours.

Stared out of the window fort he good part of an hour.

Seeing people meet their friends or family at the train station is simply heart-warming.

I wonder what the air outside smells like right now.

Now it’s raining. And it got dark.

20 minutes left.

Announcement over speakers: „in case you haven’t noticed, it has started raining quite heavily. Coats are advised.“

Soon I’ll be one of those people with someone waiting for me at the station, looking for me as I get off the train.

The Fire Alarm

Yesterday, the fire alarm went off in the building I’m currently living in. 

I would love to say that I was fully clothed and ready to leave the building and definitely not dressed in only a towel after just stepping out from the shower. But then I would also love to tell you that I didn’t eat a packet of biscuits for dinner because I hadn't gone shopping and there was nothing to eat apart from chocolate and biscuits. But sometimes things just don’t go how you want them to. And sometimes you find yourself in a bathroom with wet hair and no clothes on while there’s a fire alarm disturbing everyone’s Tuesday evening.

After grabbing some clothes and my phone (I wonder what that says about me) 

I peered out to the corridor to find two of my housemates having a discussion whether to leave the building or stay inside. I joined in and when the alarm was still going after about five minutes we decided to make our way to the fire escape which is conveniently located right next to my door. We stepped out, admired the brightly lit skyline of London for a brief moment and finally joint the people who had gathered in front of the building. 

Right in that moment the alarm stopped and everyone went back inside, back to what they were doing before the rude disturbance. A turn out there never was a real fire. 

Apparently a girl had burnt something in the kitchen. At least she tried.

 Apart from that incident I have had a pretty good week so far. My internship is starting to become less boring (not exactly interesting but at least I don’t feel like repeatedly banging my head on the table anymore because I’m so bored. That’s what I like to call progress), my heating is working again and I got invited to Tacos in one of the kitchens on another floor. 

Also, I’m currently wearing baby blue nail polish. I mean c’mon, that must be a good thing.

Step by step I am adjusting to this new situation that made me feel so helpless in the beginning. But now, after less than three weeks, I already know that I will look back in the end and be a teeny tiny bit proud of myself, for not throwing the towel and going back to what I’m used to.

And totally unrelated, here is something that makes me smile every morning. In a lot of tube stations around London are these boards and the quote written on it changes daily. It’s just a small thing but as we all know, those are often the most valuable.

 

Bye for now

xx 

Borough Market

Yesterday, London reminded me once more why I fell in love with it in the first place. After feeling a bit down in the morning, I decided to pick myself up and visit the Borough Market. And believe me when I tell you, it was probably one of the best ideas I've had in a while.

The place was packed with people but still managed to maintain a really relaxed atmosphere that made you want to wander around for hours. People were chatting with the vendors, taking pictures and sipping prosecco or Pimm's from fancy plastic cups.

The variety of products on offer was endless, from fresh fruit and vegetables to fish to cake to pasta...you get the picture. 

 

 I always find it hard to pick something when there are so many possibilities but after walking through the whole market for abou three times I went for an olive-cheese bread stick from the Bread Ahead Bakery. 

Good choice. Really good choice! The woman standing next to me got the same thing and I overheard her telling the vender that she usually didn't eat bread but just couldn't resit one of those bread sticks. So they must be pretty damn special.

Next stop was the juice bar. I had spotted lots of people with juices in all different colours before and thought that I'd join them. Although there was quite a long queue everyone got served quickly and I decided on a beet root, apple and ginger juice. I'm sure the popularity of the juice bar is supported by the fact that it is "in" at the moment to process everything from kale to pears into a liquid but besides that, their juices are just really good. And they make you feel like you've done something good for your body. Double win.

Before leaving this beautiful place I grabbed a brownie from The Flour Station (brownie after juice - that's called a balanced diet). I nibbled the first few pieces while walking around the quarter but was determined to get a shot of it before devouring the whole thing. (I originally planned on taking the brownie home for dessert later that day but things like that are never going to work with me. I should know by now)

I'm going to leave you with this picture of The Shard and you have to promise me to visit the Borough Market if you ever find yourself in London. 

Bye for now

xx