Almost every summer, we try to visit my family in Cornwall, England, to eat fish finger sandwiches, squeeze our cousins, and jump off rocks into the ocean. (Look how tiny Toby was here!) Here are a few photos from this year, if you’d like to see…
Traveling from Brooklyn to Cornwall feels like a Richard Scarry book — you grab a cab to the airport, fly overnight on a plane, head into Paddington Station, board a five-hour train, hail a 15-minute taxi, and take an orange ferry to my grandparents’ town. But I never mind because that’s probably why the village has remained essentially the same since I was six.
My aunts Lulu and Janey had cake and Prosecco ready for us on arrival. For their birthdays, I also brought them Sézane cardigans — how gorgeous are they?
(Should we do a week of outfits with Janey?? She’s impossibly chic.)
After settling in, we headed upstairs to play with the dollhouse my grandfather made years ago. He’d added floral wallpaper, working electricity, quilted beds…
…and even foods, like this teeny charcuterie board.
Freddie joined us halfway through the week…
…and my brother and I took him to a little café across the harbor.
This is the view! My siblings and I grew up playing in that boat pond — and here’s a photo of six-year-old Toby there, too. 🙂
Another afternoon, we took the boat into the ocean.
Freddie, Lulu, Toby, and Anton immediately jumped in. And my dad and Janey laughed…
…while I slowly and painstakingly inched down the ladder. I kept reminding myself, THIS IS REFRESHING, THIS IS REFRESHING. I don’t know how people do actual cold plunges!
We spent the rest of the week walking along the cliffs…
…playing gin rummy on the terrace…
…telling family stories…
…swimming and kayaking…
…eating all the crisps we could scavenge…
…and soaking up all the magic. (Another Sézane shirt appearance, btw!)
Not pictured, as always: jet lag, sibling squabbles, early mornings, mountains of dishes, Toby asking us how many days we had left since he was homesick for his crush lol. But it makes my heart explode with happiness and relief to share: After my grandmother died, we worried we wouldn’t be able to keep the house for various financial reasons, and this year, we found out that we could! I love imagining bringing future grandchildren here and adding them to the trusty height wall. Thank you so much for reading, and so much love, as always. xoxo
P.S. Past England vacations, and the #1 trick to enjoying family travel.
