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The European school year has a shorter summer break than the U.S. (6 weeks instead of 10), but a good number of shorter breaks spread out through the year that the U.S. doesn't typically include. On the latest of these, a one-week break in May, I got the chance to return to the UK (without the hassle of the pesky multi-hour jetlag-ridden trans-Atlantic flight).
I've been to the UK twice before (London in 2012, and backpacking in the Lake District in 2014), but this was my first chance to see what Cornwall was all about. Turns out that it's about the same latitude as Wrocłąw (50-ish N):
Overview.jpg
Despite its northerly location relative to North America (if Falmouth were moved to North America, it would be on the southern shores of Hudson Bay), the warm Gulf Stream actually creates an almost sub-tropical microclimate zone. Palm trees are pretty common, and some of the gardens host tropical plants that would never grow in the wild elsewhere in England.
A couple of short flights got us to London, where we hopped a train to Paddington Station. Then a groovy sleeper compartment on the 7-hour overnight train ride to Falmouth:
sleeper 1.jpg
I can't say enough about how cool traveling in a sleeper compartment is. Comfy. Long enough bunks even for me--must have been 6' 6" at least. Breakfast in the dining car. And you begin your first day on arrival well rested and ready to do stuff. Trains are cool. One of the things Europe does far smarter than the U.S.
I've been to the UK twice before (London in 2012, and backpacking in the Lake District in 2014), but this was my first chance to see what Cornwall was all about. Turns out that it's about the same latitude as Wrocłąw (50-ish N):
Overview.jpg
Despite its northerly location relative to North America (if Falmouth were moved to North America, it would be on the southern shores of Hudson Bay), the warm Gulf Stream actually creates an almost sub-tropical microclimate zone. Palm trees are pretty common, and some of the gardens host tropical plants that would never grow in the wild elsewhere in England.
A couple of short flights got us to London, where we hopped a train to Paddington Station. Then a groovy sleeper compartment on the 7-hour overnight train ride to Falmouth:
sleeper 1.jpg
I can't say enough about how cool traveling in a sleeper compartment is. Comfy. Long enough bunks even for me--must have been 6' 6" at least. Breakfast in the dining car. And you begin your first day on arrival well rested and ready to do stuff. Trains are cool. One of the things Europe does far smarter than the U.S.
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