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Day 1: London

I've finally arrived in London... a little tired and disoriented, but doing pretty well. We left Halifax at 9:15 last night (although it seems like it was just earlier today since I hardly slept on the plane). We got to London at 7:30 am which is 3:30 am Halifax time and 11:30 am Vancouver time... so I don't really know what time or day it is right now.

We had a little trouble finding our hostel.. went down a few wrong streets... but we got there eventually, it only took a few extra minutes. The British people around here are pretty friendly - they're eager to jump in and help you with directions, even if they end up mixing you up even more!

We're staying in an area called Paddington... nice name, eh? It's close to Notting Hill.

Well. . . . I don't really have anything exciting to report yet... all we've done is fly over, ride the tube for an hour, and walk (with our extremely heavy bags) to our hostel. This little internet cafe is right down the street from us, so I imagine we'll be coming here often.



Day 2: London

How is everyone? Things are going quite well here today. As of yet I haven't picked up an accent, but I'm working on it.

This morning, we got free breakfast at the hostel, and then we (Leanne, her 4 roommates, and my roommate Nik) proceeded to Westminster Abbey. It was really interesting, but a tad bit creepy stepping over all those graves of famous dead people. I saw the graves of Winston Churchill, Charles Darwin, William Shakespeare, and Charles Dickens to name a few. After that we took the tube (the transportation in Britain is so efficient) to another area of the city for lunch in a pub. And then we went to our SWAP orientation, which was quite informative. The job prospects are looking good, there were quite a few interesting ads - I especially liked the sound of the ones in Oxford. We took a red double decker bus to a cafe for dinner, where we had our first cups of English tea. A huge cup for only 60 pence. And then Leanne and Kris (a girl I met yesterday) went to a movie tonight. The cinemas here are quite odd, and they play the most hilarious commercials beforehand.

Anyway, it's almost time to go back to the hostel, there's a pub night tonight. Tomorrow we're leaving London, for who knows where. I think we'll stop in Cambridge in the morning, and then stay in Norwich. That's what I'd like to do. In the morning we also hope to set up bank accounts (it's extremely easy for us to do so.)



Day 4: Liverpool

Hey folks!

We're now living in Liverpool, which is a totally different experience. Yesterday morning in London we were somewhat in a state of stress. We had to leave our hostel, yet had no idea where we would be travelling to. First, we had to go to another side of London to set up bank accounts. It seemed like a daunting task, yet it proved to be extremely easy and fast. The people at the bank were wonderful and really friendly and helpful. Plus they have wicked little senses of humour. Then we went to the train station, very confused, and after talking to numerous unfriendly, unhuman, unhelpful information centre staff, we were about to give up. But then we all of a sudden boldly decided to take a train to Liverpool. We rushed to the platform, and 3 hours later we were in a totally different Britain. Different buildings, different accents, different mood. It was already evening when we arrived, so we just checked in and walked around the city centre. Most of the shops were shut though.

This morning we had a nice free (anything free is nice) breakfast in our B & B, and then went down to the shops. They have lots of Gap stores here, it seems to be the only North American store. Anyway, guess what we bought? Mobiles!! We each have a phone with the One 2 One network (there's 5 networks here and it's much cheaper to ring someone on your own network). It's a pay as you go plan, so we just buy as much time as we want. Annnnnd, INcoming calls are free to me, SO if anyone wants to ring me, feel free! My number is 07984 711248.

We also went to the Tate Art Gallery today... which was... interesting i suppose. I'm not sure what we're going to do this afternoon, we're staying another night here. Liverpool is about halfway up the island of Britain, on the west coast. Tomorrow we're going to Scotland - most likely Edinburgh - which isn't too far away. We'll hopefully stay in Leanne's aunt's friends' flat.

One good thing about going to Edinburgh is that we can check the job listings there - there's another SWAP office up there. Oh, at our orientation a few days ago, one funny thing the woman said about Canadians is that we always have maple leaves sewn onto something - and right at that moment Leanne and her 5 hostel-mates and I were sitting there each with a flag on our bags... we went bright red and laughed our heads off. One time when Nik (who's from California) went out with us he also commented on how patriotic we all were with our flags - we just replied with "well, we don't want to be mistaken for Americans".. I don't think he was too impressed.

Anyway, my time is almost up, and my eyes are getting a little irritated - the guy next to me is smoking at his computer (you're allowed to smoke everywhere here). I'm also craving another cup of tea... even though I've already had 4 today. . .

Right then, I'll talk to you when we get to Scotland.

cheers.



Day 5: Edinburgh

Hello!! We are in Scotland now and we're loving it!! Edinburgh is such a nice city, we're overwhelmed at how cool it is. If we had to choose now, we would definitely choose to live here.

We left Liverpool this morning, and took a train across the country. We took one train east to York, which was a little less than three hours. The countryside was beautiful as we went from Liverpool to Manchester to Durham to York. So many sheep!!! York is supposed to be a nice historic city but we had no time to explore it, our next train left a few minutes after we arrived there. So we took a train north to Edinburgh, gazing at more scenery. The trains are great, it's definitely the best way to travel. And of course we have our rail passes, so we can take as many trains in one day as we want (we have 8 days within a two month period - we've used up 2 days so far).

When we got to the station, we took a taxi (one of those black ones) to where we're staying, which was such a luxury. No struggling with our bags on the tube or the buses. And it was only £6. We're staying with these friends of Leanne's aunt, and they're so nice. They have the coolest flat, it's like something out of the movies. It's on this street on a big hill, and all the units are the same - tall brown cement row houses with huge doors that lead into the most curious hallways I've ever seen. There's a front hallway that's all cement and has a spiral staircase that goes three stories up - one floor to get to each flat. They're on the second floor.

The couple we're staying with are hilarious. They have really strong Scottish accents, but we can understand most of what they say (which is a lot more than I can say for many of the people I've encountered in the last few days!) The ceilings in the flat are so high and our rooms have little lofts where the beds are! There's a fireplace in every room, and the place is over 100 years old. It's so nice to be staying with people - I've hardly been in England a few days but I'm missing the stability of being in a regular home. I think we're only going to visit one more city after this (most likely Nottingham), and then back to London, and then we'll decide on a place to settle. No more of this nomadic travelling business.

You should SEE the internet place we're in right now - it's the most awesome place I've ever seen. It's HUGE (two floors), has hundreds of computers, advanced technology (including webcams on every computer - maybe I can figure out how to work those!), and is extremely cheap - £1 for 2 hours! You can get a 24 hour pass for £3!!

Oh I forgot to tell you the best part of this city. As you walk down the streets of downtown, there are hundreds of ancient buildings - but right in the middle, situated on top of a huge hill - is this spectacular CASTLE! Edinburgh Castle, to be precise. It's breathtaking - it's just unbelievable to be walking down a regular street and have that right beside you. I thought the only castles were miles away from the city.

Anyway, I should finish this essay now... I'll talk to you soon!



Day 7: Inverness

Hiya!

We're way up north now, in the town of Inverness. Quite a bit chillier up here, we've got all our winter clothes on. We're staying in a grand little hostel, which is right on the Ness river, and overlooks the Inverness Castle! It's a beautiful wee city.

It was good to get Helen and Stuart's addresses, we'll have to try ringing them soon. That'd be really neat to stay with either of them, and we will actually be in that area in a couple days. We could at least pop in for a visit.

By the way, Jane, no, the people we stayed with in Edinburgh did NOT have sheep... hahaha. It was a flat downtown, no room for livestock. They did have two cats and a huge fish though. Guess what one of the cats names was? Rar!! You have to roll the r's when you say it too. She was a bonnie lass, that one.

We also saw Aberdeen today, which is on the east coast. Yesterday in Edinburgh we went to the Royal National Gallery, and to the museum. I think tomorrow we're going on a cruise to try and track down the Loch Ness Monster, she lives just around here.

Anyway, my time is up on the computer. Talk to ya later!

PS - a traditional greeting in Inverness is:
"How's yersel?"
"Ach, yer seein' it!"
I'll have to try that one out on one of the locals.



Day 9: Nottingham, Day 10: London

Hello!

We're back in London now, and I'm writing you from Canada House beside Trafalgar Square.

So, after leaving Inverness, we picked up our bags in Edinburgh and continued to Nottingham. I had such high hopes for that city, but I wasn't all that impressed in the end. We only stayed there one night, in a very cramped hostel. The city is kind of mediocre, nothing exciting. So we came back to London to get our bank cards and see our London buddies.

I think we've decided to park down in Edinburgh, Scotland for a while... it's such a beautiful city. The job prospects are good there too. And it doesn't hurt to know someone there (Bill & Margaret & Marc). Our friend Megan is going to come with us I think, I don't know how long she'll stay. Plus, two of Leanne's friends from Halifax just bought plane tickets to come visit us in November, so that's exciting.

I'm sad that I'm missing Thanksgiving. . . Leanne and I have decided to have a turkey dinner Monday night - most likely in our hostel room or something, haha... we're invited a few other Canadian people that we'll be with too.

Unfortunately we didn't find the Loch Ness Monster, but we'll check next time we go up.

Well... I've been told that I have to get off this computer in one minute... so I better finish up. We're staying in London tonight, and then tomorrow we're taking the train to Edinburgh. So I'll be emailing again soon...

cheers!



Day 11: London

We decided to stay an extra night in London, so now we're leaving for Edinburgh Sunday morning. Megan and Allison (the girls that Leanne met in the first hostel, and who are staying in our hostel right now) are coming with us. At the moment, Allison and I are in an internet place on Oxford Street - London's most famous shopping street. There are huge crowds of people walking below us, I've never seen so many people. Haha - guess what - I can see people hopping off the bus - they're literally jumping out while the bus is still moving... it's not going too fast, but still.

Guess what we're all doing tonight? We're going to see Les Miserables! A real musical in London... it'll be quite the experience. We're all going to get all dressed up. The tickets weren't too expensive - they were £25.. so that's about $50 or so.

Yesterday we also went to Buckingham Palace - did I tell you that? We didn't get a glimpse of Queenie unfortunately... or any royalty for that matter.

Speaking of Queenie, I forgot to tell you what store I went to in Scotland... Safeway!!! It was so exciting. I checked to see if they have all the same produce codes there, and they do. My manager asked to check before I left.

We all went to the laundromat (sorry, the "laundrette" as they're called here) this morning. That was fun. I didn't have any clean socks or underwear ("pants" as they're called, we have to call our pants trousers).

Well anyway, I don't think I have any more news. I'll write you when we get back to Scotland.

ta ta.



Day 13: Edinburgh

We made it back to Edinburgh, and it's good to be back. Today was probably the last time for a while that we had to lug our baggage around the sidewalks and tube and train.

We're staying in the best hostel in the world. I think we're gonna stay for a whole week. It's only £11 a night, the beds and floors don't creak, it has washrooms bigger than a cupboard, and really cheap meals with a big kitchen that you can use yourself if you want (we can cook our Thanksgiving dinner!) Plus it's right across the street from the BUNAC office (where the job & accommodation listings are) and it's on High Street - the cobble-stoned street that Edinburgh Castle and all the historic buildings are on.

So Les Mis was great last night. I'm glad we saw a show while in London. Megan and Allison are still in London, they couldn't get a bus until 10 pm tonight. We took the train (cause we have the passes) but they opted for the bus cause it's much cheaper for them (but it takes 9 hours.)

Tomorrow we're going to starting looking for jobs and a flat. And no, I'm definitely NOT working at Safeway! A guy in London told us about this SHEEP FARM in Scotland that was looking for workers (all year round) so Megan and I are going to look into that... haha, wouldn't that be funny.

Guess what? In our hostel rooms (which have 4 beds each) - each of our beds are NAMED! My bed is named Almond Fudge, and Leanne's is Pineapple (Ham sleeps below her.) Her room is right next door to mine, so that's nice. I haven't met any of my roommates yet, hopefully they're ok.

Anyway, that's about it for now...

Mike in Almond Fudge



Day 14: Edinburgh

Happy Thanksgiving!

So I hope you're getting enough updates from me now... it's gone from every few days to every day, hahaha.

Today we started looking for jobs, it was exciting. I applied at 6 places - mostly coffee shops and music stores, as well as the Royal Museum of Scotland. Leanne applied at a lot of bookstores (it was funny because there was always a bookstore beside each music store so maybe we'll work next door to each other) - and she already got TWO interviews for tomorrow! I'm jealous.

We went to a really cool thrift store this afternoon, and I got this awesome long brown coat, for only £10. It's great, and it's perfect for the chilly Scottish winters.

This evening we went to a pub / restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner... we tried to buy turkey at the grocery store but they only had big uncooked suckers. Nothing easy. So at the restaurant I had Thanksgiving haggis!! It was quite good actually, with the neaps and tatties.

Anyway..... I'll chat with you later.

bye.



Day 15: Leeds & Sheffield

Helloooo,

Today I decided to go on a wee adventure by myself. I hopped on the nine o'clock train and headed to Leeds. I've been wanting to see what the city's like, and it's nice to have some time apart from Leanne for a while. Plus, she had her two job interviews today and I had nothing to do.

The scenery from Edinburgh to Leeds was beautiful. It's amazing that there's so much countryside in such a small country that has such a large population. Plus there was complimentary tea on the trolley service, so that's always nice. I must drink about 5 cups of tea a day these days, which calls for frequent visits to the water closet. And while we're on the subject, have I told you anything about the toilets in Britain? A commentary on them could easily take up a whole e-mail. Visiting them is always an adventure in itself, sometimes you have to pay 20 pence to get in, and they each have the craziest automatic soap/water/drying systems (you never know where things are going to shoot out from), not to mention the futuristic doors that automatically whoosh open and the signs above them that say "engaged." (I swear Britain has a secret passion for Star Trek.)

Anyway, moving right along... In Leeds I went to the art gallery and the libray. I tried to look up my family history, but it's more of a challenging task than I expected. I went to a Safeway there too, and bought a wee jug of milk for only 28 pence. I asked the chap working there where the granola bars were and he looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. I told him that it was a type of snack food, and he took me to the crisps aisle... oh dear.

Leeds was nice, but I still like Edinburgh better. And it's kind of odd that every city I passed on the train today was bright and sunny, yet Leeds was cloudy the whole time I was there. It must be a sign.

So then it was off to Sheffield. I hopped back on the train, my favourite vessel to travel in. (I'm going to miss trains so much when I come home.) Sheffield gave me a good first impression, but the only building I actually went in was city hall. There was a friendly old bloke working there that told me a bit about the building and gave me an informal tour. They have a big theatre inside (seems kind of odd to be in a city hall) where they have concerts with artists ranging from orchestras to the Cowboy Junkies (Oct 20) to Alice Cooper.

I saw some signs pointing to the Peak District, and since I'd heard that it was supposed to be brilliant there, I followed the signs. However, I had the slightest feeling that the Peak District was actually miles away in the countryside. Well after walking miles and miles through the suburbs of Sheffield for over an hour I realized that it was really miles away in the country. So I gave up my quest, and settled for walking through the university grounds and the botanical gardens. On the way back I had to stop for fish and chips (with mushy peas of course) at the "Slug & Fiddle" pub because it had such a clever name. The waitress at the Slug told me that the best way to get back to the train station was to take a cab (for 3 or 4 quid) as it was a good 30 min walk. But me being the cheap traveller that I am, I decided to walk... I ended up running the last half, and with not a moment to spare. I took a train to Doncaster and then another to Edinburgh and got back here at midnight.

And now it's time to go to bed.....

cheers.



Day 16: Scottish Highlands

Hi,

Today we went on a tour of the Scottish Highlands, it was great. We saw castles, mountains, Rob Roy's grave, the Wallace Monument (aka the guy portrayed in Braveheart)... and tons of nice scenery. One castle was so interesting - we went in it and it had this huge stone spiral staircase that went off to all these floors with the craziest little nooks and crannies... all sorts of passageways to odd little rooms. Our tour guide was awesome, he was really funny. We passed this one city - Calendar - and he said the only thing interesting about it was that it is run by "Scone Grannies"... Scone Grannies are little old woman who do nothing else with their days than visit little tea rooms. They buy scones and share the latest gossip, and argue over who's going to pay for their scones. And then there's the scone grannies' husbands. See, the grannies run the town, and therefore they boss their husbands around. You can find the husbands standing outside of shops (because it's not manly for them to go inside and shop) waiting for their ladies. So we drove down the street searching for the husbands - and we found tons! It was hilarious. We grabbed lunch in the town that Ewan MacGregor lives in, but didn't catch a glimpse of him though.



Day 17: flat hunting

Today we started looking for flats. We rang a bunch of people while sitting in Starbucks and made 3 appointments to view places. I also applied to Starbucks while I was there... haha, cause it's in such a nice location. It's upstairs and overlooks Edinburgh Castle. I also gave my application in to HMV... so hopefully I'll get a job somewhere.

Anyway, we just got back from looking at one of the flats. It was such a nice place, but sort of out of our price range. It would be perfect if we had another roommate (and it's big enough for someone else too), but I don't know if we can find someone. Megan might stay with us. The building was Georgian, so it was really old and had high ceilings and stuff. It has a really large sitting room, small kitchen and two bedrooms. It was £550 a month, so that'd be 275 pounds each... but if we had a third person it's only about 190 each. So, if any of you in Canada feel like coming over to share the place, that'd be swell! haha.

We're looking at another place at 6:30, and a third one at 8 tonight. They're both a lot cheaper so hopefully they'll be nice as well.

So that's that. I'll tell you if I find anything...



Day 18: work! accommodation!

Guess what??

We found a place to live! And I got a job! All in the same day! After looking at 4 flats yesterday, we decided that we really liked the first one... even though it's a little too expensive. So we phoned the landlady back and snatched it up (she had other people interested that were about to phone). I paid the deposit, and we're going to move in tomorrow!

And then when I went in to visit Leanne on her first day of work, her boss asked me if I was looking for a job as well. So she told me to come back for an interview in the afternoon, and after about 2 minutes she was like "ayyyyye, I like you, you're hired." So now I'm working at the same bookstore Leanne is at - it's on Princes Street, the main street of the city. I start on Monday. The only problem is that now Leanne and I will be living AND working at the same place - no time alone! It's only part time, so maybe we won't have the same shifts. And since it's part time, I also need to find another job still.

So our flat is 3 Lynedoch Place - you have to pronounce it "Lin-daccchhh" (like you're clearing your throat) not "Lin-dock". It's only a five minute walk from Princes St and the bookstore... it's perfect. It has a really large sitting room, one huge bedroom, one small bedroom, kitchen, washing machine, bathroom, really high ceilings (it's a Georgian building) and large windows so it's bright. There's a garden in the front and a patio in the back. It's on the main floor, but it's sort of like being on the second floor because there's a flat in the basement that has its entry at the front - a wee staircase that goes down to their front door. Therefore it's safer that way for us - no one can get at the windows to break in.

The rent is 550 pounds a month, so 275 each. We're hoping to get another roommate to make it 185 a month each. We have a 6 month lease (that's the minimum amount of time you have to get it for in the UK) so we're there until April.

Anyway, that's my exciting news. I can't wait to move in and get out of the hostel! Finally, my own room. One guy sleeping in my hostel room at the moment snores like mad, it's hard to sleep with that racket. The flat is fully furnished, and so all we have to do is bring our suitcases and backpacks in and we'll all done. Our landlady (her name is Jane) is even going to pick us up from the hostel to take our stuff over.

Alright, I'll talk to you later, after we've moved in!

bye!