Katie
So much has happened since we last blogged! We woke up Tuesday morning from a phone call from the landlords of the flat we looked at and loved the night before. They wanted to call and let us know that they decided on letting us the flat!!!! How absolutely exciting. It is in a great location (a 6 minute bus ride to John's work, right next to the train station, a short walk to downtown) and is the perfect size and price. They are also the only landlords that had a let available over six months, they will let it to us for as long as we're here! The only downside is that we can't move in until around November 1st. So we spent most of today calling to find a place to stay for two weeks. It took us around five hours of calling around, but we eventually found a b&b that is right down the hill from the hospital and is for the amount that we were hoping. So in regards to our future living situations, things are looking up!
Even though we decided on getting the place yesterday morning, we still wanted to check out the other two viewings we had set up for the day. The one in the morning was tiny and gross, no thanks. And we had an experience right out of a movie in viewing the second one yesterday afternoon. John and I took a short train ride from Truro to a countryside stop called Perranwell. We must have taken a wrong turn and ended up in the tiniest downtown where we stopped at the post office to ask directions. The postal worker gave us perfect directions and then proceeded to tell us she was best friends with the woman who owned the property and we should tell her "hi" when we got there :-) When we started walking in the right direction, a car pulled up next to us, which were the estate agent and the owner of the property who went out looking for us when they heard we were lost. You gotta love small towns. They gave us a ride to the property, which was literally right out of a story book. It was in the middle of the English countryside and we drove up a small dirt road to a huge farm house and a newly converted guest house. The guest house was an adorable two bedroom cottage with a huge backyard that looked over the horse stables and had a wood burning fireplace. After looking at the place, the owner Allison asked us if we would like to stay for tea and shortbread. We proceeded to spend the next hour with Allison, her teenage daughter, and the estate agent sitting in Allison's backyard drinking tea with the sun shining down on us looking out at the beautiful Cornish hills. Such a wonderful experience! They were all so kind to us. Once it was time to go, the estate agent offered us a ride back into Turuo and we had a lovely conversation with her on the way back. When we got back in to Truro, John and I just looked at each other and laughed at what we had just experienced. So cool.
After talking it over, we decided that even though the place would have been a spectacular place to live, it just wasn't as good of a fit as the other place. We would only be able to stay in this cottage for six months and it would have been difficult in the country without a vehicle. But if anyone wants a traditional English countryside experience when you visit, we will be sure to book this cottage!
As for the rest of today, we spent some more time downtown, and ate our first Cornish pasty. They were amazing, and huge! We have been told that the best Cornish pasty is a source of contention for the Cornish so it's a good thing we will have time to form our own opinion : ) Otherwise, we are now back in our room and may even watch an episode of Grey's to relax and unwind. John goes to the hospital in the morning to have an introduction meeting with his coworkers, and then we have the rest of the day to do what we like. Who knows what we'll end up doing (though tomorrow should include doing laundry....let's see how that goes!).
Until then....
Random Tidbits:
- The Brits love them some "Friends" It seems to be on all hours of the day on one channel or another
- John forgot how much he loves the show Mr. Bean....great comedy at its finest
- John is very happy to find that they air John Stewart here for his daily dose of satire :)
- It's going to take some getting used to everything closing so early! I felt so American when I said to John "it just doesn't make sense that everything closes the same time people finish up work"
- I had my first conversation with Grandpa on the phone and had no problems....yay!
I LOVE Mr. Bean! Please say hi to him for me next time he's caressing his teddy bear or driving a car down the wrong side of the street. Hee hee!
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