St Ives is a Cornwall gem

Second only to Cotswolds, Cornwall is the most amazing place in England, and one of my favourites in Cornwall is St Ives. It's a very small town and it's difficult to find parking but it really is one of the most charming places I've visited and of course it has a little beach where children are playing. If it's lunchtime you can have a Cornish pasty, bring it with you and have it by the beach looking out over the water. If not there is plenty of chances to buy ice cream. I warmly recommend a visit!

Musician on the main street

On the way out of St Ives

Land's End - the most westerly place of England

Our next stop was Land's End. It's the most westerly place of Cornwall and England. This is our second visit so it's obvious we really like it. This time we stayed at the Land's End hotel - we could think of nothing better than to stay in the middle of it and we really hoped we would catch the sunset. But first off, Pendennis Castle. It was built in 1539 for King Henry VIII to guard the entrance of the river Fal. There is another castle, St Mawes, which is its opposite number of the east bank and they were built to defend from the French and Spanish threats of future attacks.

Caught some bees outside the castle...

...as well as some guys who were fishing

We got to Land's End in the late afternoon...

....and we managed to catch a bit of the sunset

The morning after we took a walk. 

The landscape is very rugged

And they have a farm close by. We were met by a rooster who kept guard. 

Their pig was catching a lot of attention. 

Sneak peak of the Lake district

Earlier this summer, when it was still nice outside, we went on a trip to Hadrian's wall - the Roman wall that goes from coast to coast and was protecting the Roman empire from the north. On the way we passed through the Lake District. So pretty! Will we go back there - most definitely!!

Padstow is a real tourist attraction

Padstow is probably one of the most famous places in Cornwall England, meaning that there are lots of tourists. There are some activities in the harbour and the street are packed. It's very beautiful but not much to do. As always in Cornwall, the tide is very evident.

The tide is very evident

Children fishing 

There are some activities on the streets

Lots of tourists sitting around

Sort of saw The Queen at Windsor

Exactly one year ago Maria and I went on our first road trip together - to Windsor Castle, one of The Queen's official residences. When she's not staying there it is open for public (same rules apply for Buckingham Palace). It's a magnificent castle - huge (difficult to get a sense from the pictures how large it really is) and obviously well preserved. And Windsor is such a nice little town.  

Outside the castle we ran into some girls in old fashioned clothes... 

The crooked house - can't go to Windsor without taking a picture of it!

Coolest telephone booth I've seen!

The Queen is calling

A couple of pictures from Piccadilly Circus

We went to see Les Miserables at Odeon at Leicester Square this evening and on the way there and after we passed by Piccadilly Circus. Lots of people as always, but because of the warm weather there was even more than a usual Saturday evening. It's fun taking pictures at Piccadilly (almost as fun as Time Square) and especially at night. Still haven't caught it after a rainy day, when there would be lots of reflections and this time I didn't take on any buses. But why do everything at the same time?

Does it get more London than this?

I walked by Buckingham Palace yesterday and could not resist to take a picture of the iconic London figure - the Buckingham Palace Guard. Haven't seen the changing of the guard yet - I guess I should do at some point. Until then, these pictures will have to suffice!

Mysterious Stonehenge

Stonehenge is one of the most famous sites in the world and is at a very convenient distance London. It's fascinating to walk around the monument while letting the audio guide telling you about the history (nobody has any idea of why it was built though). Archeologists believe it was built 2200-2400 BC but there are indications that the first stones were raised as early as 3000 BC. In either case, it must have been quite a job to get the top stones on top of the standing ones. Wonder how they did it.  

Pappa

Weather can change fast...

Looks like someone is looking down from above...