Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

👀👀This week, I visited Scarborough and Whitby. I used to love planning trips in detail, but after visiting a few cities over the summer where I had local friends, I’ve gradually become more spontaneous. ✨✨This week was full of unexpected hiccups, yet it brought me the most wonderful experiences I’ve ever had.😯😯 🍎Because I get carsick, I opted for the train instead of a coach, traveling with a friend. Unfortunately, after we’d waited for half an hour, the train was suddenly canceled—my first time encountering a last-minute train cancellation. 🎈🎈 😍We bought tickets for the next available train to Scarborough and settled in for another wait.💕💕 💓Temperatures dropped sharply that Friday, and the waiting area was open-air, so it got quite cold. Oddly enough, I didn’t feel upset while waiting. 🚘🚘 😻I’d seen posts online before about delayed trains, where bloggers and commenters would express so much anxiety, and I’d always thought cancellations must be a huge hassle.🙉 But when it actually happened to me, I couldn’t care less. Was it because I just didn’t mind, or had I been infected by the laid-back, low-efficiency vibe here?🦋🦋 🙊🙊We eventually boarded the train, though our direct route was changed to one requiring a transfer in Sheffield. We had half an hour to wait there, so my friend and I killed time taking photos in the station.👉👈 👣We noticed a nice staircase corner and decided to wait until the area cleared to take pictures. Something funny happened then: a passerby suddenly popped into our shot, throwing up a peace sign with both hands! 🌈 👀Just as that happened, more people appeared. Seeing we were taking photos, they didn’t interrupt—they just waited, smiling. 😁😁 A few were grinning from ear to ear. After we finished, they walked off with the person who’d photobombed us—probably a family.👍👍 We arrived in Scarborough an hour later than planned, but we made it.🤪🤪 We checked in with our roommates, who said they were already 40 minutes away on foot. It was 11 a.m., so we decided to split up for a bit: we’d grab lunch first. Scarborough’s streets are wide, with low-rise buildings that aren’t too dense. My first impression was of a cozy seaside town. We picked a Mediterranean-style restaurant, only to find the flavors were quite one-note. A tomato stew, for example, had just sweetness and sourness—barely any salt, let alone spice. We ordered a chicken dish and a lamb dish. When they arrived, the lamb was a whole bone-in leg, and the chicken came as six seasoned sandwiches. The seasoning lacked depth, but the portions were generous. The chicken sandwiches tasted okay, though the accompanying yogurt sauce was totally inedible. Overall, the meal was passable. As we left the restaurant, the sea came into view. I grew up in the central part of the country, where the only big water I knew was the Yangtze River, so I rarely saw the ocean.🏝️🏝️ That’s why I always get excited visiting coastal spots. Scarborough’s sea felt gentle and lived-in, with surfboards, pets, and people everywhere. ⛰️ We reached the shore around noon, and the sun glistened on the water, making it as blue as the clearest sky.🌌🌁 We wandered along the coast and noticed traces of tourist development. In the distance was the Scarborough Fair, familiar from the song—now filled with fish-and-chip shops and arcades.🎑🎑 #ScarboroughFair