Prost!

For eight years I learnt German and every October there was some sort of Oktoberfest celebration in the form of dress ups and eating pretzels. I have also attended the Brisbane Oktoberfest which was a night of shenanigans and whole bunch of fun (most which I don't remember due to the large amounts of beer). This year I actually got the chance to celebrate at the real thing - and it was incredible!

Its hard to describe how much fun this massive massive festival is. It happens every year in Munich for two weeks to celebrate the marriage of some prince and princess (wow I should really know that) and this was the two hundredth anniversary so it was even bigger then usual. Just know that this event has to be put on your life's to do list.

We decided to head over to Munich for the opening weekend so I was up bright and early (two am!) on Friday morning to get to Heathrow and start my mission to Munich. It was only a two hour flight but when you include all my travel time door to door I actually ended up travelling for 12 hours! A lot of that had to do with me missing the sign to the camp-site and walking around the streets of Munich for an hour. Luckily I wasn't too lonely with my wanders - on the way I had met a couple of other Aussies so at least I knew I wasn't the only one who was bad at reading signs. Once we had worked out where the camp-site actually was a German guy in an Audi four wheel drive pulled over and offered us a lift. There was that hesitation where you are like ' is this guy dodgy? will he rob us? kidnap us?' but after sussing out the situation and realising kidnappers generally don't wear polo's and chinos and drive Audi's I figured we would be alright. We jumped in the car and got driven straight down to the camp-site that was actually really close. Grrr that hour of walking was a wasted hour of beer drinking!

Once I had checked into my tent and caught up with Shea (my Oktoberfest partner in crime) we headed into the city centre to check out the beer garden. We thought we would have a bit of a hang out, maybe a drink or two, bit of food and basically just chill out before the festival started the next day. Our bit of a chill out turned into a massive drinking session. After one stein on and empty belly we were on our way to being tipsy and started chatting to a bunch of people from Chile who were in town for the festival. The second stein found us chatting (in very bad German) to a bunch of locals. The third stein we were joined by my cousins and friends and I think around that stage we finally got something to eat. After a bit of a chat there we headed over the the Hofbrau House which is the most famous beer hall in Germany and had our fourth stein. After my fourth litre of beer things were getting blurry and to be honest I don't remember much of the night. We snacked on pretzels and gingerbread hearts and after awhile we thought it was time to head home. I was so exhausted from all my travelling and walking I actually fell asleep on the train on the way home.

The next morning we were up bright and early to tuck into breakfast (to relieve the slight hangover from the night before) and get on the first bus into the beer halls so we could snag ourselves a seat. Once we arrived at the festival it was really different then I expected. I had imagined just lots of big buildings all focused around beer but it was more like a real carnival with a Ferris wheel and other rides, food vendors, market stalls and of course big buildings all focused around beer. As many other people were there early trying to line up for a spot in the beer gardens we pretty much just ran for the nearest and shortest line which was the Lowenbrau tent. After an hour and half of waiting in line the doors open and we were herded inside. Even though we had gotten there super early we still couldn't get a table inside but with a bit of luck we scored a position in the outside beer garden. Luckily the weather was clear and sunny - even though it was a bit chilly - so we didn't have to worry about getting rained out.

At 12pm the festivities officially start when the Mayor Munich taps the first keg. Five cannon shots are fired for the whole festival to hear and from the first one the beer is flowing. After about 20 minutes we were given our first stein and the shenanigans began. The first beer is the hardest to drink as it is still quite early in the day and I was still slightly hung over. By halfway through I was already a bit pissed and well on my way to enjoying the celebrations. We spent the day people watching and drinking and chatting and all that comes with festivals like this.

The best viewing was watching the beer wenches carry all the steins. I think the record we saw was 12! Four in each hand and then balancing another four in the middle. Its incredible. I can barely lift the one with one hand. In fact I was generally using two hands just to lift it to my mouth (I wouldn't want to spill any!). The rule of thumb is that even though your stein only costs 8.60 euro you give your beer wench 10 euro and get her to keep the change. If they don't get tips they wont come back to your table. Ours was really good and came back quite frequently. It got to the point where she came back every few minutes and we just couldn't drink our beers that fast. After telling her to come back in half and hour but she was back again in 10 minutes we were getting pretty confused. That is until someone at our table realised that she was an identical twin - which explains why we were getting served so often. It was kinda cool having twin beer wenches and every time they came around we would cheer!

Halfway through the day we were joined by my cousins again which was great as John had been five years in a row so he had the system sorted. We grabbed some food and a few more drinks and then it all got blurry. After a few hours of drinking and very little sleep I actually fell asleep at the table. I know I know - I'm soft. I couldn't believe it but all I wanted more then anything was to crawl into bed and sleep for days. I wasn't as bad as some of the other people there (asleep in their own vomit or peeing there pants - yup it got that messy) but I knew I was bad enough to have to go home even though I didn't want to. It was probably the best decision I made as after a good nights sleep I was all ready and set for the next day.

The next morning we had a bit of sleep in before getting up and getting ready at our own pace because we didn't need to rush to get a seat. It was good to take our time and actually have a shower which was my only one in four days - YUCK! I know but there was over a 1000 people at our camp site and only three shower blocks. Once we were ready we caught the bus into the festival and had a decent look around before heading into the Paulener tent. We had our first beer of the day (which took the longest to drink) and had a pork knuckle and pretzel while trying to talk to an Italian family that joined us at our table. I feel like Oktoberfest is a bit more multicultural then other festivals I have been to. At Pamplona I only met Spaniards Aussies and Kiwis but at Oktoberfest I met heaps of different people from around the globe. After awhile we wanted to move and check out the rest of the grounds as we had only see one other beer hall. We headed to the Hofbrau tent which was already going crazy. We snaggled a table at the back of the hall and hasitly avoided the pig pen and our undies getting ripped off.

Allow me to explain - To be served a beer you must be seated EXCEPT for one place in all of Oktoberfest and that is the pig pen. It is a standing only section of the Hofbrau beer hall and is normally dominated by Aussies and Kiwis. The rumour is that if you walk in there you get your undies or clothes ripped off you. God knows why but you can understand why we didn't want to go in there. The rest of the Hofbrau house is fairly civilised - you know the usual - standing on tables, singing ridiculous songs in a language you don't know, constantly doing 'cheers' with the whole table, smashing glasses, making a mess and generally just acting crunk (crazy + drunk). Like I said usual and civilised for this kind of celebration! It was so much fun at our table - we met a couple of Mexicans, some Americans and more kiwis. Passed the time comparing travels and talking while listening to the oompa band play. Unfortunately we got kicked off as the table was reserved so we headed onto the next beer hall with our new crew of peeps to check out that scene.

We went to the Augustiner where we had to squeeze onto a table with a bunch of middle aged German people. It was good to experience Oktoberfest with German people who were there because it was tradition and normal for them. They were a really friendly bunch of people and were really good to talk to (in my sort of German - their sort of English). They even explained what "Ein Prosit" meant and wrote down the words so we could sing along next time. After awhile they headed off and we were lucky enough to score the whole table which meant we had a whole platform for dancing and singing and more drinking. I couldn't tell you exactly what happened for those few hours as my memory is blurry but what I can tell you is that it was SO MUCH FUN! It got to the point where you just pick ANY stein up off the table and start drinking as they are all half drunk and all the same beer. Doesn't matter if its yours or not its all in the spirit of drinking.

At the end of the night we had to run off to catch our last bus so after one more cheers without adopted Oktoberfest crew we headed of into the night. I ended up getting separated from Shea and making my way home in a taxi and passing out in my tent. I'm probably the worst Oktoberfest buddy - always falling asleep and losing Shea but she made it home safely. The next morning I woke up holding an Oktoberfest hat in my hand. I have no idea where it came from. After checking out the photos its just sort of appears on my head halfway though the day. Score! Shea woke up with some random hoodie on. So overall it was a beneficial day for both of us.

After a quick pack of my bag and a bit of a goodbye to Shea (who was off to Switzerland) I started my mission back to London. After another 6 hours of travel I finally arrived back at my new house exhausted and wrecked but extremely happy after an amazing weekend. Sorry if this blog is a bit disjointed but there are several black holes in my memory due to the 15 or so litres of beer I drank in three days.

Home Sweet Home

While all the partying and tennis playing of the last few weeks has been going on I had been crashing with friends for two weeks while I was trying to find a place to live. After a few dodgy viewings or finding a fantastic place and not getting it I was well and truly sick of sitting on gumtree and living out of a suitcase (yet again). Not to mention that while my friends were so lovely and kind as to let me crash I was starting to feel bad about invading their and their house mates space.

Luckily for me I found a room through a friend of a friend. I had been to dinner with a couple of people from the house and had been there for a house party so without even seeing the room I was like 'yup' count me in. Its literally down the road from where I was living and in the same kinda house which is great because I loved the area and liked having the space of a house rather then a flat. It was a cheap price which means more money for travel and exploring London but its not as dodgy as having a hole in my roof.

I am living with four kiwis so its good to have a bit in common as opposed to living with Egyptians who barely speak English. My roomies are really fun and friendly and I already feel at home here even though I have been here just a week. My room is as big as my last one and I finally have every girls dream - a wardrobe just for your shoes.

I think that now I am all sorted. I have a job (and going permanent in October - yay!), a good flat, gym membership, fantastic group of friends, future travel plans to Wales and Austria. I am such a grown up now! I couldn't be happier. Clearly being a millionaire would be an added bonus but I'm not fussy.

Wednesday Night Tennis Club

After bragging about how awesome I was at tennis on the weekend I had to try and prove my skills. A friend of mine from Topdeck, Amy, has been going to tennis coaching with a few of her friends every Wednesday and invited us along (which is how my drunken rant started by the way). So last Wednesday night I headed along and gave it a go.

For 7 pounds we get two hours of tennis coaching as a group which definitely helps my no so great tennis skills. It also helps me work off my 'Heathrow Injection' which is what they call that extra little bit of weight you put on when you arrive in London. All the pub meals, taste testing the beers and ciders and having the tube on your doorstep adds up to a few extra kilos and this was a really fun way to work it off and meet people.

Generally after working it all off the plan is to put it all back on again by heading out to dinner. Every week someone chooses somewhere different around the area. Last week we headed to an Indian restaurant where were we had a couple of beers and good chat over a really yummy and cheap meal. For 10 pounds we got a starter, main, side dish and rice (yet another reason for the Heathrow Injection! - cheap food). It was really good to be out meeting new people and doing something active. The next day I was aching but in a really good way. Unfortunately I couldn't go this week as I am saving my moola for Oktoberfest (yay!) but hopefully I can keep it up so that eventually my tennis skills match my drunken babbling!

New Discoveries

Friday night wine night seems to be a regular occurance with me and my london crew and on the weekend it was no different. We all headed around to Leannes for a couple of drinks and a game of 'CRANIUM' which is the boardgame we gave Toni for her birthday. It was heaps of fun as we got rowdier and rowdier with each question - often just laughing and talking instead of playing the game. It actually turned into a bit of an epic night - including an injury. While running to collect things for a question Leanne had a bit of a stack and completely nailed her toe resulting in brusing and blood. Oh dear. Who thought a boardgame could get so crazy!


What I love most about London is there is always something new to discover and on the weekend I discovered my version of HEAVEN - the Borough Markets. Located at London Bridge its a fresh food market that is on during the week but is pumping on the weekends. Leanne, Sean, Clare and I made our way over there and were very excited about what we saw. Hundreds of stalls all with different types of fresh food with little samplers out and about. We wandered through and tried lots of different pesto's, sauces, chutneys, jams on crackers and tried nearly every cheese that was on offer. It was actually quite filling and if I am ever near by I think I will just pop down there for lunch.

We had been advised to 'look for the cathedral, smell the cheese and turn around' to find the most delicious chocolate tart in the world. The directions sounded vague enough but they were actually spot on. Underneath the cathederal there was a cheese stall that sold bread with hot cheese melted onto it (hence the smell) and as we turned around we saw what could only be described as an out door french patisserie. They had soooo much to choose from (I was eyeing off some pretty wicked brownies) but Clare and Sean took the advice of their house mate and opted for the chocolate tart. It was delicious - so rich but sooooooooo good.

Along the way we were trying lots of dips and a few of them had a bit of a bite to them. One little sign even said 'extra extra hot' and silly me thought I could handle it. I eat spicy food quite often at home and really enjoy it so I figured they wouldn't have anything out there that I hadn't tried before. I even asked the lady if she thought I would suffer and she said ' it grows on you' which was all very mysterious but I gave it a go anyway. At first I couldn't taste anything so I re dipped my pita bread. WORST. MISTAKE. EVER. My mouth was on fire! It really did grown on you... and it just got spicier and spicier until I was breathing fire. Needless to say I didn't invest in any of that chilli dip.



After checking out most of the stalls we were trying to hunt down some lunch so we headed to a different section where there were massive woks filled with fresh thai green curry and pad thai, hamburger stands, fried chicken stands but after much deliberation the girls opted for a falafel wrap which are my current new addiction and a market visit tradition (we had tucked into those at Portobello road markets too). A bite to eat and we were off to another market at Southbank.

This market happens on the first weekend of every month and while it is nothing like the Borough Markets it was still good to check out. The only problem was we were already so full from eating our way around the other market that we didn't really feel like having much. We grabbed a free sample of Moroccan chicken (note to self go to Morocco) before investing in the most chocolaty brownie I have ever eaten and I don't mean to brag but I am a chocolate brownie connoisseur. We checked out a bit of folk dancing while we ate them and after grabbing a quick drink we headed over the Waterloo Bridge to Covent Garden.



On the way we stopped off at the Aussie & Kiwi store which holds lots and lots of favourites from home. Allens lollies! Vegemite! Solo! Pizza SHAPES! and much much more but as it was EXTREMELY expensive (around $6 for a box of shapes) I behaved myself and didn't buy anything. Although it has kicked in a bit of a craving for some home comforts so every now and then when I am feeling rich I might drop by there after work and get a bag of snakes.

Covent Garden is yet another market but its a little bit more structured and a lot more high brow with actual shops intertwined with the markets. We had a quick browse of a few shops and market stalls and noted that there was a really good Paella stall and a cupcake shop that I will definitely be visiting soon. The crowds there were pretty hectic as it is a pretty big touristy area and there were lots of street performers around so we got over it fairly quickly.

The next stop on our day out in London was a vintage clothing sale at an old pub that I had read about on a London event website. I think the others may have been a little bit skeptical about this place as I wasn't 100% sure what it was called...or where it was...all I knew was it was on Holloway Road. We found it eventually and had a nice long browse around. The girls picked up some really good bargains with Leanne finding a 80% wool winter coat for 15 pounds and Clare scoring some boots and a skirt. Unluckily for me the only thing I invested in was a fake silver ring that tarnished about 3 hours after I bought it. Bummer! It was still fun to have a look around and I think I will be doing a bit more op-shopping along the way.

What a day! But it certainly wasn't over by a long shot. After a couple of hours rest at home I headed out to a house party of a friend of a friend (thats how it goes over here it seems as I never seem to know the host of the party but oh well!) where we tucked into bbq food and made the most of the available grog. The house was beautiful and would be my dream home in London if I was a millionaire and it had a great area out the back to sit and drink. And drink we did. So much so in fact I ended up telling everyone I was really awesome at tennis. For those of you who don't know my athletic abilities let met tell you they are crap and for those of you who do know me are probably nodding along with this sentence. Needless to say I will never live that little rant down and now whenever I play tennis I have a lot to live up to.

After a few (probably too many) drinks at the house party we headed out to Clapham High Street which is an area not far from where we all live that has lots and lots of bars, clubs and restaurants and is basically a really fun area to head out in. We met up with another friend and discovered a place called Cafe Sol and ended up spending the night on the dancefloor until we got kicked out at 3 am. Midnight stop at Maccas followed by the night bus and we ended up crawling in the door at 4.30am.



The next day was a struggle as most Sundays in London seem to be for me as I was hung over yet again. Highlight of the day was skyping with the family as it had been a little too long since I had spoken to them and I was falling behind on all the news. After a few hours online I headed off shopping with the girls to Shepard Bush before meeting up with my cousin for Sunday Roast. Due to the trains being delayed and all that fun transport stuff I got all the way to Shepards Bush before spending 15 minutes in the shopping centre then turning straight around and heading in the complete opposite side of London to the pub where my cousin and her hubby were at. This usually would have been a simple 30 min tube ride on one line directly across the city but since the line was closed I had to get the over ground to the next tube line which wasn't a big deal except I missed the train by 1 minute and had to wait 15 mins for the next one. In London waiting any longer then 7 minutes for public transport is a travesty!!! Once on the next tube line I sat on there for half and hour before getting off and discovering my connecting tube stop was closed. The next option was to get the bus but when I walked out onto the street I found out the bus stop was closed due to a cycle ride for charity event. I then had to walk up the road to the next bus stop and waited another 10 minutes. Only when I got on I realised I only had to go one stop and could have walked there in the 10 minutes that I waited. UHHHH being hungover and lost is NOT FUN - especially when your friends who are shopping text you and tell you they just saw Eva Longoria in Topshop.

It was all worth it in the end as I got to catch up with Robyn and Nick and their friends while tucking into a roast meal. Well I tried to tuck in but at this stage I was still borderline hungover and didn't want to push it. It was a good way to spend a Sunday arvo and another chance to discover a new pub. After a very very long bus ride back home (I just couldn't deal with all the tube/train drama) I was showered and tucked in bed by 9pm.

It was a tiring weekend but one of the better ones I have had in London (apart from my time at Topshop I haven't really had any bad ones) and I was happy that I had made the most of my days off. There is so much to do and see and even though we crossed a few things off our list we added about 10 more things onto it. I am already anxious that I am running out of time and I have a longer visa then most! Still if I can get out and do something at least once a week then I will be happy girl!

Wee Trip To Scotland...

Well it has been awhile since I blogged last and its mostly due to me couch surfing and being unable to sit at a computer long enough to write out a chunk of posts - that and I have been crazy busy living it up in the UK.

Couch surfing seems crazy and fun and part of the way to get settled but sometimes it just sucks. Its mainly because I was taking a giant step backwards. On Friday I packed up all my stuff into bags again (my backpack, a new suitcase, Toni's backpack, Toni's suitcase and Leannes backpack - yup I had that much crap) and handed my keys back to my landlord. I didn't even get to say goodbye to my Egyptians -which wasn't that much of a shame since I still didn't know one of their names. I was going to be crashing with Toni for a little while until I found a place to live. It worked out well because Friday was Toni's 25th birthday and to celebrate we were heading out to dinner and then onto a bus to Edinburgh for the long weekend.

We had a great night out at a local Thai restaurant eating our fill of delicious food and having a few cheeky drinks before heading back to Toni's place. Where we all got get changed into our travelling clothes (which equals baggy pants/tights) and having desert - a chocolate cake topped with a tea light candle for the birthday girl to blow out. After we all got settled and packed we headed for the bus station. The plan of attack was to get the 11pm bus and drive through the night and arrive bright and early in Edinburgh at 8.30/9am. We were lucky we got to the bus stop early as they had 4 buses running due to the Fringe Festival so we jumped on the first one and got away early.

We had all been slightly dreading this bus ride as Megabus aren't famous for their comfortable travelling and an overnighter could have left us wrecked. It turns out it was a really smooth ride. We popped a few sleeping pills and by about 12pm most of us had coma-ed out and we slept most of the way. Apart from a few pit stops it was a quick drive and we ended up arriving in Edinburgh early. It was good as I woke up just as we were arriving at the bus station so it turns out overnight travel really is the way to go. Leanne (is our Topdeck family travel agent) had booked us into an apartment about a 20 min walk from the bus station so we headed there to dump our bags before we hunted down some food.

After a big breakky of bacon and eggs we headed off on the free walking tour of the city. These free walking tours are the best things about travelling Europe as they are mainly done by history students or academics who are living abroad. All you have to do is tip them and since that is their salary I find that they are really passionate and interesting. We saw a fair bit of the city on foot which was good because it sort of orientated us (a little) and we learnt a bit more about the city. We visited the Royal Mile which is in the centre of the old town and features these things called 'closes' which are basically little courtyards surrounded by all the old buildings. We stopped off at a church, saw a few statues, learnt about their writers museum and we checked out a graveyard. The highlight of the tour was that we saw where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter novel as well as the school that they say inspired Hogwarts. From the cafe she had a view of this school in a beautiful old building with four tall towers and they say its how she got the idea for the four houses of Hogwarts. I am not sure about that but I can see how that building could easily become inspiration. We finished the walking tour by sitting in the sun at a park at the bottom of the Edinburgh Castle and learnt a bit more about the history. It was a great way to end the tour as we were all exhausted from the bus ride and the three hours of walking.



To cap off the tour our guide took us to a local pub that did a meal and drink for 5 pounds. After another good meal we headed back to check into our apartment. On the way I saw a guy wearing a kilt playing the bagpipes so that was another cliche to tick off the list! One we got to the apartment we were happy to find we were a house away from the owners and in an down stairs apartment. I don't know how Leanne found this place but I was so glad she did. It made a difference having a nice place rather then a hostel especially as we had a big lounge room to hang out in plus a kitchen (which we never actually really used - but it was good to know it was there). There were two bedrooms and a fold out couch so we had plenty of places to crash. We spent the arvo basically just chilling out and chatting while we drank and ate junk food. Clare and Sean had been to Edinburgh before and said the pubcrawl that ran there was the best in Europe. With a statement like that how could we not check it out??

After a round of kings and 'i have never' we were well on our way to being pissed before we even hit the pub crawl. We arrived at the pubcrawl with perfect timing to grab a drink before we all headed off as a group. It was 12 pounds for the night and you get a shot at each place as well as a drink at the first bar. These nights are fantastic because you always always get your moneys worth back in drinks and you never have to worry about finding a good place on your own. This one was particularly good as each place they took us too had really cheap drinks and we got a variety of places. We hit a bar that played live music and one that had a huge dance floor as well as a sort of sports bar with 1.60 pound drinks. After a few shots and lots of drinks the night was kind of a blur. We ended up hitting about 6 places and having a fantastic night drinking and laughing and carving up the dance floor (as we do). We were drinking Vodka Irn-Bru which is a softdrink they have in Scotland that out sells Coke and Pepsi. Its really sweet and tastes similar to creaming soda so it goes down well with vodka.

In the early hours of the morning we got the munchies and headed off to try and find a maccas. We could NOT find one anywhere - we even befriended a really friendly Scottish girl and she lead us to a kebab shop but we weren't keen. We wanted fried food dammit!! After stumbling around for a little bit and a bit of drunken shenanigans involving traffic cones and dog statues we discovered a Burger King where we had our drunken munchie feed we headed home and crashed until about 11am the next morning. When we woke up we all started comparing stories and trying to piece together the night as most of us had hit it so hard there were a few black holes in our memory. We then got out the cameras and checked out all the photos. It was like that scene at the end of 'The Hangover' so I've put together a little collage. Just try to imagine Katy Perry and Flo Rida singing 'Right Round'.

While all this drinking and touring the city was going on there was also the Fringe Festival which is a month long Comedy and Arts festival in Edinburgh. We were up there in the last weekend so the place was crowded and there was heaps of stuff going on. After a pub meal in Deacon Brodies Tavern (who was one of their famous writers and all round Scottish favourite) we hit the shops for a hangover bum around. The boys were in charge of getting us tickets to a comedy show so we left them to it and headed straight for the shoe shops. After a quick browse we realised we really weren't in the mood for it so we headed back to the apartment to chill out, drink and get ready for the comedy show.

The boys did a good job of scoring us tickets because we headed into a stand up/story telling show called Tom Wrigglesworth Nightmare Wedding which was basically a crazy comedian telling us the story of his crazy wedding night in Las Vegas. He had video clips and voice overs which helped tell the story. It was good it was a bit of a mix instead of just one guy on stage reeling off jokes. After a good start to the night we kicked on a grabbed dinner at a Thai & Indian restaurant. We were walking down the street and smelt the curry and headed up stairs and found ourselves a decent meal. After dinner we decided to try and back it up and hit a bar not far away to meet Lisa - a friend of Arrons. She was actually the only Scottish person I really spoke to in my time there and she was really fun. Lisa took us to an Irish pub (they are EVERYWHERE) where they had an Irish band playing. It was good to be out and about but there was no way we could back it up. I was almost sleeping standing up and my whole body was aching from the night before (I think that means I am getting old! oh no!). I had also run out of money and blown enough of my budget on booze so after a quick drink at the Irish pub we headed back to our apartment and had a bit of a chat and a cup of tea before heading to bed(After writing that sentence I realised I really am old).

The next day we basically just had to get up, get ready and go as our bus was heading back to London at 11am. We spent the day on the bus and this trip was the PITS! We were all tired and cranky and basically being stuck on a bus for night hours which was NOT fun. I was so bored I started and finished a book and even slept. It just seemed to take FOREVER. The worst part was the sun was shining and it was a beautiful hot day and instead of enjoying this day off we were sitting on a bus. You can't really complain too much though because we had had an amazing weekend and spending a day on the bus is the price you pay for having a cheap holiday away. In total my transport and accommodation only cost me 100 pounds. Its stuff like this which is one of the key reasons I wanted to live in London because it means I can see things on the weekend for quite cheap. And if they are any where near as crazy fun as this one then I will be a happy girl.

Although apart from the walking tour I didn't get to see much of Edinburgh I know for sure I definitely want to go back. Not right away as there are heaps of other places to explore but I might try and head up this time next year for the Fringe Festival or even attempt the Hogmanay. Edinburgh is now up there on my top cities list with San Sebastian and Amsterdam. The list is growing and growing and I think it will continue to grow as long as I am here. Until I can go explore somewhere else again I am going to attempt to see more of my own city as there are still heaps of things in London I haven't done!

Work & Play

Bright and early Monday morning I started my new job as an Administrator for the Nursing and Midwifery Council of the UK and I have to tell you I was a little bit excited (which is weird because it is work after all). With work comes a paycheck and I was very excited about getting a nice regular deposit of funds into my dwindling account!

Once I arrived I was introduced to Rachel who was the girl currently doing my job and she would be the one who was training me for the week. She is also an Aussie and has been in London for two years so she taught me a lot about the city as well as the job. So after a quick introduction to what I was doing we got stuck into the work. I am working in the legal department that deal with cases of misconduct by nurses in the UK and its basically my job just to maintain the database with case details and manage spreadsheets with information. I also process a few files and do some basic paperwork so overall its a pretty cruisy job and after a couple of days I think I had it pretty much down pat.

Its clearly not my ideal career but I am happy to be out and working. I only work a 36 hour week and get paid fairly well (in terms of admin assistants anyway) to do not a very strenuous job. I don't have to report to anyone regularly and so I just plod away with my files and my data and do my own thing. This is both good because it means there is no pressure and no one breathing down my neck but its also slightly lonely. Luckily for me one of the girls I was working with at Topshop also got a temp job there so I at least had one friendly face. There are also about 6 or 7 other Julia Ross temps there who are all young Aussies so there is at least some similar people to chat to during lunch. Overall my first week went pretty well and I think that while I am getting settled in London it will be a good stepping stone and hopefully in a few months time I am able to score that dream job! If not I am still working and living in London and thats the real dream! The highlight of my days during the week is lunchtime because it means I can get out of the office, wander down the street and get a coffee/sandwich/chocolate and walk along the Thames or Fleet Street which are both near my office. I also work right near the Strand which is a fairly famous street that has the royal law courts (ohhh all the men in their fancy suits - best lunchtime entertainment ever). It kinda fun to know that where you work is actually a spot on a Monopoly board. Depending on what tube I get I also get to walk along the Thames and get views of Big Ben and the London Eye regularly. There is nothing like an icon of London to lift your spirits and remind you why you are living thousands of miles away from your family and friends. So while its not a perfect job and I am not going to change the world doing it - right now its perfect.

During the week I also checked out a few places to live as I was determined not to stay in my falling down house. I did find one place that was really good and almost took it but after a bit of consideration (I'm not rushing into anything this time) I decided it probably wasn't right for me as I didn't meet all the housemates (because we were all going to be newbies in the house) and it was a bit out of the way. By that I mean it was a good 20 min walk from the night bus stop - which is clearly a priority at the rate I am boozing my way around London haha. So still no where new to live but I still have a little while until I am homeless so I wasn't massively stressed.

Since I finally had one part of my life sorted it meant I could relax a bit about my future in London and so I decided to spend the weekend down at Hawkesbury Upton with family friends. During the working week it was so good to have something to look forward and when Friday finally came around I was super excited to be getting away from the city and seeing some close friends. I was also looking forward to being looked after by my 'other mum'. Friday night was supposed to be a quiet one at Toni's place with her, Leanne and myself having dinner and a few drinks. Well, I should have known better. A quick phone call from other Topdeckers and our quiet night and few drinks turned into a whole bottle each and a impromptu gathering and piss up. We spent most of the night talking and laughing and planning our trip to Edinburgh, Belgium and onwards. At one stage we even had a world map out and were pointing to places we were planning to go. I'm not sure if these plans will go ahead but we did create a plan for Edinburgh from a drunken night out and we are actually going so you never know!

After getting home at 2am I was looking and feeling a bit worse for wear when I woke up at 6am to get ready for the bus down to Bristol. I'm not sure if you guys remember but me and Caroline nearly missed our bus there last time so I was determined not to miss it this time. So after a quick pack of my backpack and a shower I was out the door and ended up getting there 45 mins early. Sitting at a crowded bus station in the cold while I am hung over really early in the morning is SO not the way to spend a Saturday morning! Luckily I was able to have a bit of a snooze on the bus and when I arrived in Bristol I was feeling much better. After a quick pit stop to a local shopping centre on the way home I arrived in Hawkesbury about 12ish to a big hug from Sylvia and a hot cup of tea. Those two things made me feel so happy and calm it was a nice feeling.

After a quick catch up chat with Sylvia I spent the afternoon eating and drinking my way around the area. A big pub lunch in a restaurant/pub then onto another little pub to try a cider (I really need to get into it I think). We had a lazy drink while answering quiz questions (which I totally won even though we weren't really keeping score but I can't help it if I LOVE quizzes) before heading to ANOTHER pub to catch up with a friend of Sara and Mark's. It was sort of like a pub crawl really... That night I was treated to a roast dinner (YYYYUUMMM!) and more drinks before me and the kids went out to a neighbouring village (or town??) to hit up some more pubs and have a bit of a dance.

By this stage I was already a bit pissy so I was having a great night just drinking and dancing as I hadn't been out 'clubbing' since my first weekend in London so I was loving it. I also go introduced to raspberry cider which will probably lead my demise into true alcoholism as it is delicious! With the mixture of a dance floor, fun people to hang out with and lots of booze I was a very happy girl.




The next morning after a glorious sleep in I was happy to find that I wasn't hung over at all. Well not very much at least and I was treated to a proper home cooked English breakfast which made a welcome change from cereal (that I have EVERY day). Sunday was spent doing what everyone should be doing on a Sunday - being lazy. We basically just hung out in the conservatory, listened to music, watched tv and all together just lazed around. I had been feeling a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) as I knew that all my London friends were hitting up Brick Lane - where they have heaps of curry houses - without me and I was devastated. I didn't feel too bad for too long however when I got ANOTHER roast dinner with desert. Take THAT London friends - when is the last time you had a home cooked roast! Oh I was so spoilt while I was there and I was pretty bummed to leave. Two days wasn't long enough and I felt a bit down on the way into London as it was rainy and I was tired and I was going home to a place with a hole in the roof and average house mates. In saying that I am lucky that I have a place away from the city that I can go to and be with friends and hang out so I shouldn't be bummed at all! Plus, I better not get used to running 'home' to visit them or they will get sick of me and I wont get any more home cooked meals!

It was a big week of work and play but the next one is going to be even bigger as I was on my own at work now with no trainer (such a big kid) and the next weekend is a bank holiday and our trip to Scotland. Hopefully next time I write I've got loads of stories and photos!

Visitors,Family Dinners, Shopping Sprees, House Parties and Hangovers

What a week! After having a shaky start on Sunday with a hole in my roof I have to admit I was pretty down and bummed about the situation.

On Monday I was lucky enough to have Toni (one of my lovely Topdeckers) come to crash for a week. It was nice to have some girl company in a house full of boys - which many don't really speak English. It was also good for someone to come and check out the hole in my ceiling and analyse my next move. After chatting to the landlord (once he got back from holidays) I decided it might be best for me to start looking for somewhere a bit more...sturdy... to live. The landlord seemed to think that the hole in the ceiling was from a past flood of the bathroom and nothing to do with the fact that there was (and still is) a constant leak of water from the bathroom. "leftover dampness" is what he called it. "Gross" is what I called it. The leak is currently dripping onto a power board/microwave whenever someone has a shower. Once I pointed that out to him he told me that he will just plaster over the hole but not for a few weeks until he can get his mate who is a plasterer to do it.




At that point I was like 'Riiiiiiiiight' time to bail. So thankfully I had Toni here to help me make light of the situation and cheer me up as I was still depressed over my crap Topshop job and my falling down house. Later that day we kept hearing the door slam and we realised that the latch wasn't working on the front door. So basically all you had to do was to come along and push it open - either that or the wind blew it open. The landlord heard it slamming so came over with a screwdriver and wiggled it before saying ' all fixed' and leaving again. Yeah well it wasn't fixed - it kept doing it pretty much all arvo and then again some of the day on Tuesday.

We basically just bummed all day before heading off on a walk of Wimbledon Common. The common isn't too far away from my house but I wasn't 100% sure how to get there. After a quick look on google maps (How did I ever live without it?) I realised it wasn't too far away if we just short cut through the park. Possibly my worst idea ever. We ended up getting there... just 40 minutes after we were supposed to. However we got a good view of the Wimbledon Tennis Arena and checked out all the pretty houses and fancy cars in the area. Note to self: Find a rich sugar daddy and make him buy me a house in Wimbledon. They were beautiful!

That night we wandered down to a local pub and had a meal with a friend of Toni's from home. It is always good to meet new people and suss out another pub in the area. The pub called 'the Park Tavern' had a really nice beer garden out the back so we sat in what was left of the sun and chatted away. They were all Kiwi's too so once again I was the token Aussie. I still haven't really met any new English friends but I'm working on it!

No matter where you are in the world it seems that there is always a tight-arse Tuesdays at the movies. We made the most of this by checking out Step Up 3d with Leanne. After spending a whole week with her and then the next week not seeing her I was lacking in Leanne dates. It was good to have a quick catch up and do something fun and cheap like seeing a movie while munching on lollies. I have been really good since I have been back and not eating massive amounts of junk food nibblies but I have recently discovered these caramel bite thingy's. Its only going to go downhill from here I think. But oh well! you can't not eat junk food at the movies!

During this week I was lucky enough to have a visitor from home. Ash had come over and was about to embark on his big Europe trip so it was my turn to play tour guide of London. I was such a fraud! Luckily he wasn't paying me because I didn't really know much about where to take him. In fact he knew more from his guidebook then I really knew. We met at Kings Cross where he was staying and made our way to Picadilly Circus. From here we walked down to Trafalgar Square and then along the strand so he could check out some of the sights. We crossed the river so he could see the London Eye and Big Ben before we settled down and grabbed a meal and a beer. I was trying to find a cosy English traditional pub but of course everywhere I turned I couldn't find one. Clearly I haven't explored enough pubs for this to happen - seriously! I am in Britain and couldn't find a pub! Something has gone wrong somewhere.

After a good catch up over a drink we headed back over the river to St Paul's Cathedral where we decided to go in and check it out. It was 9.50 pounds to get in which I though was a bit exxy for a cathedral visit but that was until I got inside. Wow. Just Wow. I don't mean to brag but after trekking my way across Europe I have seen some mean cathedrals but this one was by far the prettiest and the best. Inside the artwork was just amazing and the place was just gigantic. We headed up the stairs (around 500) via the Whispering Gallery up to the top to get 360 degree views of the city. Luckily it was a sunny day and Ash managed to score a few good piccies. I was silly enough to have no battery on my camera - I must have lost my touristy touch once I unpacked my backpack.

That night I was heading out to dinner with my Topdeck crew as two more members had arrived and settled in London. We met at a bar serving two for one cocktails and caught up with Sean and Clare and heard all their travel stories. It was so good to see them again after running into them at Pamplona and its nice to have an addition to the crew. The lucky ducks had managed to score themselves a place to live and Clare had even found a job! As I was still unemployed and living in a falling down mess I was extremely jealous!

After a few cocktails we headed down to a Greek place that had been recommended by a friend. It was a tiny restaurant run by a old Greek man where there is no menu. You just pay 9.50 pounds and they keep bringing food out to you. We had probably about five courses all up. We had pickled veggies, olives and chillies on a plate, spinach and cheese puffs, cheesy pasta and pasta salad and then about seven different dips with bread. That was just the entrée! Then we got given tabouleh, cous cous and lamb (which just fell right off the bone), tuna and chicken for mains. Then for desert we got Greek yoghurt drizzled in honey. We were completely stuffed! Taking into consideration all the wine/beer we had drunk it seemed weird that we were able to walk (not roll) out of that place.

I love Topdeck catch ups they are so much fun! Its so good to have a group of friends already in London that I can hang out and go out drinking with and know that its going to be fun. We had a great time eating and chatting and even discussed regular 'family dinners' every few weeks. We also planned our first 'family holiday' to Scotland for the long weekend in a couple of weeks time. After the restaurant we headed to another bar down the road for a quick drink where I had one of those small world moments. Of all the bars in London I walk into one where someone I had met a few months ago travelling was working. So that's about the third time something like that has happened. Watch this space because I am sure there will be more.

On Thursday morning I woke up feeling slightly hungover to the sound of my phone ringing. I got a call from a recruitment agency setting me up with an interview for Friday and some shifts for Topshop. So I headed off to the dreaded place. It wasn't so bad this time. I think because I had had a few days in between and was put in the sort room (not the dungeon) with a friendly temp time passed pretty quickly.

Friday was the big interview day. As I headed into town I think I prayed to every possible person you can pray to that I would 'just please get this job'. It was for an Administration position at the Nursing and Midwifery Council of the UK which wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I spent 3 years studying Communications but it would be a steady pay check and a means to start living the London lifestyle. Plus it would mean I could commit more money to rent and therefore get a nicer place. After a quick informal chat with two of the managers there I was offered the job on the spot! Hurrah! I can't tell you the feeling of having that weight lifted off my shoulders! I literally skipped once I got out onto the street. Not enough to freak out other pedestrians but just a little because I had butterflies everywhere. I then spent about 50 million pounds in phone credit telling nearly everyone I knew before calling the recruitment agency trying to get out of my Topshop shift. Unfortunately I had to go in and work as I could not give them 24 hours notice but I didn't mind because it meant it would be the last time I was working there. I could go back to a normal oblivious shopper! Whoooop! So after a quick change at home I headed back into Topshop for my final shift.

Don't worry - I still managed to celebrate my job getting. After my shift at Topshop I met up with Ash and had a few celebratory drinks starting with a Margarita. It was good to be out with a mate celebrating but since I was exhausted from working and lack of sleep due to interview nerves I had to hit the hay pretty early. I was sad to say goodbye to Ash but glad to know I will be seeing him in November when he is back. It is his 21st birthday when he is here again so I have the next few months to explore the place and plan something epic. He is doing some of the same Busabout route as me so hopefully I instilled some wisdom about the places and he has a great time. If you want to check out his travel blog http://3monthswithagingerbreadman.blogspot.com/.

Saturday morning was another semi-hungover morning after those Margaritas and several other drinks. Luckily we got a bit of a sleep in before heading to the Portobello Road markets with Leanne, Sean and Clare. I'm not sure how to describe how packed this place was. It was a miserable rainy cold day and yet the streets were FILLED jam packed with people. It was a fun atmosphere but actually looking at the stalls without ramming 6 people was completely impossible. We had a slow wander down the road, checked out Notting Hill and grabbed a famous cupcake from Hummingbird Bakery. We basically just mosied around checking out the shops and the crowd for a couple of hours before grabbing lunch (yummm falafel wrap) and heading back to the tube station.

Since I ACTUALLY had a reason to by clothes since I needed work clothes we headed to Westfield at Shepards Bush. It is the biggest shopping centre in Europe and it is insane. We walked in and on the first level there is Louis and Chanel everywhere. There is also a champagne bar in the middle of the isle so you can just drink some bubbly while you watch people shop. I don't know about you guys but at my local shopping centre at home in the middle of the isle are lolly stalls and phone case suppliers. It was an absolute mission to get around this place or even find the stores that sell clothes cheap enough for me to buy. Which was probably a good thing as I could have gotten out of hand (so much built up shopping time inside me!) and I would have blown all my cash.

It was a fun day out but after awhile the crowds just got too much. I was still exhausted from my dodgy sleep and repeated hangovers so it was time to head home. After a bit of quiet time at home before Toni arrived I was ready and raring to go to a house party down the road. Everyone came by my place beforehand to have a few pre drinks and check out the hole in my roof (what an attraction!). The landlord had replaced the carpet and given us a new couch and chairs during the week which was nice an all but ummm could he maybe fix the hole in the roof? It was nice to have somewhere sort of clean and nice for my friends to sit. Next house will definitely have a good living area!

So after getting a bit tipsy on our pre drinks we wandered down the road to Sam & Lance's place (Toni's friends from NZ that we had dinner with). They live about 10 min walk away so we didn't have to stress too much about stumbling home. On the way we picked up 3 bottles of wine for 10 pounds (after already demolishing one) so we were ready and raring to party. We got there just as they were hitting the pinyata for one of the house mates birthday. After a few quick intros we were given the guided tour of the house (which was pretty similar to mine without the holes) before settling into the living room and embarking on drinking games. Two bottles of red wine later we were more then a little tipsy and we headed home. It was a fun place to be but since we were the randoms who had never met the birthday girl it felt like a good time to bail. On the way home we dropped Leanne off at the busstop where she promptly sat almost on top of the girl sitting there even though there was a whole bench free. I laughed so hard I was crying. The poor girl must have thought I was mental but when Leanne was like "Whoops! Personal Space!" seemed the funniest thing in the world to drunken me. In fact I laughed all the way home and when I woke up in the morning and I am still giggling about it now. Its probably not at all funny to you guys reading but just try and imagine.

Sunday was moving day! Not for me (not quite yet anyway) but for Toni who was shifting into her new place. We grabbed her stuff from mine and Leannes place and dumped it at her new one before heading down the road to Nando's as me and Leanne were hung over (oh dear yes again) and in need of some fatty food. After filling up our tummys yet again we had a wander along the area right near Clapham Junction. There were lots of cute cafes and restaurants and a couple of shops and I thought to myself 'Hmm this is my kinda scene' so I am thinking of looking at places around that area. That afternoon I had a viewing at a place at Wimbledon which was only one tube stop down from me. It was a nice place and the girls were really friendly but I didn't get a 'omg I have to live here' feeling and I was a little bit nervous about rushing into a place again. I have a couple of weeks left on this months rent so I am not homeless quite yet so I think I will see what I can find. Although I know its the best way to do it I am not looking forward to a week or so of trawling through gumtree and checking out places. It will be worth it when I find the ideal flat!

That pretty much sums up my week. I promise to be better with my blogging in the near future but my excuse was all my hangovers! haha not really just spend most of my time online checking out places to live!