Fabulous Freibourg!

Guten Tag!

Well today we crossed over the border yet again, although thankfully this time the experience couldn’t have been more different than our brief interlude with Weil am Rhein, and we’re pleased to say we had very few encounters with creepy Rumplestilskin-lookalike German children!

After nearly missing the bus on account of the fact I almost forgot our passports (crazy that you can jump in the car and be in an entirely new country in just minutes), we made it to Freibourg – a beautiful wee town in the Black Forest. After getting the run down from the Tattoo coordinators on where we had to be and when, we ventured off into the depths of this beautifully quaint German town, where we gorged ourselves silly on account of the fact that it was such a novelty to be able to afford to it! Germany is so much cheaper, and we have heard of Baselites crossing the border once a month to do their grocery shopping, which is not at all surprising.

We had prime position during the street parade as everyone else took refuge on the other side of the street out of the scorching summer sun. We felt very sorry for all the band members who were so hot they were near fainting! All but one of our encounters with Freibourg residents were lovely, and I’m sorry to say that I got into a bit of argy bargy with a German gentleman. While I was standing ground, manning our parade position, Brad cooled off in the shade so thankfully he didn’t witness my most un-ladylike outburst! Basically this man started talking rather crossly to me, most of which flew over my head as I didn’t realise I was the recipient of his outburst at first due to the fact I had tuned out to all the German conversations around me. Next thing you know he’s pushing me and yelling at me in an angry German stream of abuse. Mum, Dad you’ll be pleased to know I stood my ground and rather than stand there meekly in shock, I gave it back to him in full force. Looking back I don’t know what came over me, but I must have tuned into an inner pool of anger buried deep within, because I turned to him, pursed my lips like a cat’s bum and started screaming out a few choice words of my own – a lot of which I won’t repeat at risk of damaging your innocent ears. Let me just say, after our little run-in he was no stranger to the ‘f’ word (sorry Dad), which I screamed at him a total of five times! Worked a trick though and he kept his hands to himself and his mouth shut for the remainder of the parade – poor Man, I almost feel sorry for him. Just for good measure I turned around a few times during the parade to fire off a few sharp looks, just to keep him in check. Let that be a warning to anyone trying to stand in the way of a Kiwi girl and her bagpipe parade!

After watching Michelle perform in the street parade and mini Tattoo, where Brad refused to kick a ball around with a small German disabled child (bet you’re proud Les) on account of it being too hot, we ventured off into the twisting and turning alleyways, only to stumble upon a goldmine – a food market. Brad was like a kid at Christmas as he ran back and forth between the countless bratwurst stands, trying to decide which 30cm+ sausage he was going to have for lunch. Like any sensible growing male, he decided to not have to decide and ate all three, which he declares were the best sausages of his life! Like the views from the Swiss Alps, words really cannot describe our lunch and we spent a good hour marvelling over them, whilst stuffing our faces. Dad, honestly you would have loved it – 40cm long kransky, chorizo, bratwursts you name it.

Admittedly I wasn’t as keen on the sausages as Brad was, after witnessing the naked men gang down by the river Rhine, but thankfully Brad managed to push this image from his mind.

When we arrived back in Basel, we spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering around the city, eating ice-cream after ice-cream... and yes – I finally got my Swiss Chocolate Doodle and it was worth every Swiss Franc (a lot of them).

Back to London tonight, where we’ll spend the next few days applying for jobs, before it’s the weekend again – sigh, it’s a hard life!

Love you all to bits and wish you were here to enjoy the German sausage, Swiss Doodle or the less sumptuous man sausage on the Rhine – whatever takes your fancy (and I know some of you will fancy the latter - Les...?!)

xxxx

Spectacular Switzerland!

Talk about underrated – Switzerland is possibly the prettiest place we have ever seen. It literally leaves you rendered speechless (and not just from the Swiss Doodles).

Today we headed out for a day’s adventure around the Swiss Alps and Lake Lucerne with Michelle’s band. They had organised a day’s excursion and there were two spare seats going, so we jumped at the chance to explore as well as spend some time with the family. We certainly made the right decision!

We set off early morning by coach with our first stop being Seelisberg – a small town in the Swiss Alps, where we were visiting a Swiss Cheese maker. Think Sound of Music meets Heidi meets cheese – that’s Seelisberg for you. To say we saw the most spectacular views is such an understatement, making Switzerland worth every Swiss Franc we spent there (and that’s saying something as it sure isn’t cheap)! The cheese maker (there must be a proper name for them as ‘cheese maker’ just doesn’t quite work) talked us through the process of making Swiss cheese (which is made from pure milk straight from the morning’s collection from the villages cows, bacteria and a touch of redden, which is actually cow’s stomach.... lovely), and we even got to sample his cheese finery. I must admit after hearing about the ingredients I wasn’t looking forward to this part, particularly given the most natural thing I tend to eat is generally if the deep fried variety, but it was delish. We tried cheese that was six weeks, 12 weeks and an entire year old and the difference in flavour was remarkable. Both Brad and I loved the cheese that was 12 weeks old, which should have been sign enough that we wouldn’t be all that fussed on cheese that was an entire 40 weeks older... Nevertheless we bit the bullet (excuse the pun). I’d like to be able to say that this was a case of stepping out of your comfort zone and being pleasantly surprised – a case where you were left smiling sheepishly at how foolish you had been to fear the object in question in the first place... Sadly I cannot, as it literally tasted like mouldy ass. It was horrific! Thankfully I managed to slip mine to their pet cat (who was perhaps the most well-fed cat I’ve ever seen) as did Michelle, but poor Brad wasn’t so quick and had to suffer through the entire thing. Rancid is the word!

Thankfully lunch was straight after so we were able to rid ourselves of the taste of rotting cheese with a traditional Swiss meal of goodness knows what. It was some form of meat in a creamy mushroom sauce, served with the saltiest soup in world history. It was very nice though and quite fun to be eating in such a traditionally Swiss village. Sadly the lunch didn’t extend to a traditional Swiss dessert, so I had to indulge in an ice-cream or two later on in the day.

We then headed down the mountain, to a wee train station where we caught what is thought to be one of the steepest trains in the world, to the edge of Lake Lucerne, where we jumped on the ferry. I’ve said it before and I have to say it again – Switzerland is just stunning and the entire boat seemed lost for words as we travelled across the lake towards Lucerne, where we spent the rest of the day. The pictures just don’t do it justice, but I’ve popped plenty on Facebook regardless!

Back in Basel, we finished the day with a float down the River Rhine (utter bliss), which had the dual purpose of saving our tired feet, as well as cooling us off – as mentioned Switzerland is hot! I had my first ‘near death’ encounter when I was pussy-footing around, too chicken to just jump on in. While I was trying to ease myself in slowly, I slipped on a slimy rock, but thankfully my Superman reflexes kicked in, and rather than slip over and crack my head open/ break my back, instead I skied down the rock face and into the water, just like a Winter Olympian! Knowing how normally uncoordinated I am, my brief display of skill shocked me senseless, although not to worry as my three left feet have since returned with gusto and I managed to splutter and stumble my way through the rest of the trip! Brad was speechless, thinking I was a goner for sure – he who have little faith!

Tomorrow we’re off to Freibourg, Germany with Michelle’s band. They’re performing a mini Tattoo there, as well as marching in a street parade, so we’ll watch that then explore on our own for a bit.

Arohanui xx

Cruising down the River Rhine

Guten Tag from sunny Switzerland we have just spent another glorious day in the sun.

After a day comprised of little else than sleeping, today we felt considerably more refreshed to explore Switzerland’s fourth biggest city, and we meet up with Michelle at 10am. After a long, languorous walk through Basel’s streets, we pulled up a pew outside Starbucks as despite Basel’s 200+ drinking fountains, we were in dire need of a refreshing beverage!

Once we’d replenished our thirsts we went for a walk down the Rhine in search of blow up bags/ floatation devices which are used by the locals to swim in the river. After my last update I was desperate to take a few sneaky pics of the locals in their tighter-than-tight Speedos. What we stumbled across though was far more terrifying – a colony of naked elderly men, stretched out with their Swiss doodles on display to the world (Swiss Doodle is actually a Swiss dessert, which I feel far better describes the sight on the river bank today). At first I had the camera poised ever so subtly ready to take a photo of the codger in the purple Speedos... I should have guessed when Brad, who was walking a few steps ahead of us, fell deathly silent, but unfortunately I didn’t pick up on the hint and it was only when I got within the point of no return that I realised those purple Speedos were rather, in fact, an angry looking purple Swiss Doodle. To make matters worse, his neighbour (who bore a striking resemblance to the father in the Sound of the Music), chose at that moment to yawn, roll over and stretch like a satisfied cat, causing his Swiss jewels to flop all over the show. I was aghast! Now don’t get me wrong, each to their own, when in Switzerland do as the Swiss do and all that jazz, but really – we were right in the heart of the city and kids were running all over the show. From the smug look on these gentleman’s faces they didn’t give a flying cahoots. (Little tidbit for the strong-stomached (I make no apologies if you take offence – don’t say I didn’t warn you): they weren’t even lying on towels, meaning their bratwursts were rubbing all over the pavement – pavement we later saw people spread out picnicking on! Fine if you like a bit of sausage, but what if you’re a vegetarian!?)

Anyway enough about Swiss sausage, we ended up stumbling across the waterproof bags, which are perhaps the best invention ever (up there with Les’s Macaroni Cheese that is). We walked a few km along, popped our stuff in our bags, wrapped them up then jumped on in. Well I flailed around whining about how cold it was for a few minutes, before screaming grumpily and throwing myself when Brad made movements to push me in.... And we were off – zooming down the River Rhine like a real Swiss local (but wearing considerably more modest bathing attire). It was GREAT fun, possibly one of our best experiences yet, and we had a whale of a time flying along, before pulling ourselves out at a bank by our hotel. We dried off in the sun, had a drink, then went off in search of sustenance – all that river water sure makes you hungry! After a lunch of kebabs (mine and Michelle’s – deep fried cheese, although I was tempted by the fries kebab, Brad opted for boring falafel), it was time to say goodbye to Michelle as she had to head back to get ready for band.

Brad and I relaxed with a wee afternoon kip (still so ridiculously exhausted), before heading out on a walking tour. It was great exploring the old and new town, but the experience was slightly hampered by how tired I was feeling. I could barely make it up a flight of stairs before needing a rest. I was sick again before after feeling queasy all afternoon (doubt the deep fried cheese kebab helped, silly girl), so fingers crossed I’m on the mend.

Basel really is very pretty, and we’re looking forward to exploring more of the country tomorrow. We’ve decided to head to Lake Lucerne (Michelle’s going there with her band too, so we’ll be able to see her as well) which is supposed to be amazing. It’s described as the most picturesque part of Switzerland and is only an hour away by train. The following day we’ll either head to Alsace in France, Freiburg in the Black Forest, Germany, or with Michelle and the band to watch them do a street parade in Germany. We fly back into London on Tuesday night, where we’ll stop this gallivanting and start working quick smart!

Oh and another piece of information for you. Everything is so ridiculously expensive here, but the minimum wage is around 80k... Makes sense I suppose!

Love to all and really do wish you were here (I know, I know, I’m like a broken bloody record!) It’s lovely having Slops here, so make sure you all get your a into g and head to the Northern hemisphere quick smart. I’ve decided to head to St Petersburg, Russia for my birthday (it’s where one of my favourite novels, The Bronze Horseman, is set) next February, so you should all start buying your lotto tickets so you can fly over! I figure if I can’t celebrate in the beautiful NZ sun like I’m accustomed to, I may as well go the opposite end of the earth!

Auf Wiedersehen
xxx

Basel-tof!

Love from Basel, Switzerland – a scenic city right on the border of France and Germany – so much so, that since our arrival 24 hours ago, we’ve already been to three different countries: Switzerland, Germany and France. Not bad for a day’s work!

After a very early start yesterday morning (and only two hours sleep), we headed to the now very familiar airport. The plane ride would have been very picturesque, but I’m afraid we can’t comment on that as we spent the entire flight sound asleep – the kind of sleep where your mouth hangs open, and you’re even prone to a spot of dribbling. Not the most glamorous, but we didn’t care in the slightest!

Our trip got off to a bit of a rocky start when trying to navigate our way to our accommodation. After going round and round on the tram a few times, the conductor took pity on us and managed to point us off in the right direction. Despite all our research, the tram route had actually changed so no matter how many times we rode that darn thing around we were never going to get there! It’s times like these you really do rely on the kindness of the human spirit, as if it weren’t for this conductor (whose only English was ‘have a great day’), there’s no doubt in my mind that we’d still be on that tram! Anyway.... So we made it to the bus station, which then took us across the German border to a little place called Wil Heilm Rhein. After the bus dropped us off on a back street that wouldn’t have been out of place in the film ‘The hills have eyes’, we found ourselves knocking on the door of a house straight out of some creepy horror film. After knocking and standing at the door for a good ten minutes, this old man (who had been sitting in the garden staring at us for the entire time) gets up and yells something in German. Another five minutes later this fat, bald, Rumplestilskin lookalike opens the door then says something about his parents not being home and he doesn’t know when they’ll return –yes that’s right, this creature is actually a child! We are near delirious at this stage (40 degree heat wearing jeans and jackets, running on two hours sleep, and feeling sick sick, sick) and are just lost for words. Brad isn’t having a bar of it and we both storm off back towards the bus stop and the only shop in town – aptly named ‘Pussy Girls’. Suffice to say, our first experience with Germany hasn’t been about the beautiful Bavarian landscape, or refreshing steins, or delicious food – rather we found ourselves in some tiny backwater, where we were convinced was the inspiration behind the horror film Hostel.

Half an hour later, and after breaking down on the side of the road, stripping off my clothes and changing into shorts and a singlet (right outside Pussy Girls in actual fact – in hindsight, perhaps not the best move, but given how expensive Switzerland is, trying to earn a bit on the side might not be such a bad idea), we managed to get on the bus which took us back to Basel, where we recouped our strength by stopping at McDonald’s to eat and use their free Wi-Fi. By some random act of fate, our bus just happened to drive past a sign for ‘Dorint Hotel’, which is where Michelle was staying. I managed to navigate my way to her, while Brad lapped up the air conditioning in McDonald’s and found us some new accommodation.

Now I must mention the most significant thing we have noticed about Switzerland so far – the extraordinary prices. It defies believe! Our McDonald’s combos cost us NZ$30, and don’t even get us started on the accommodation. They have one hostel here which is NZ$100 a night! We’re staying in a hotel which Brad found on a last minute style website, which is costing us a small fortune, but is a much better deal than the rip-off backpackers. We were also pleased to learn that this hotel gives you a card which allows free public transport all around the city, which saves us about NZ$20 a day as well. It’s also right in the heart of the city, next to a supermarket (there is no way we’re eating out – our diet for the next five days is bread, luncheon and apples!) and a few minutes away from Michelle’s hotel. Brad has also found that one of the 40 television channels is in English and conveniently is playing highlights from the British Open - an act of god if ever I saw one!

I’ve been lucky enough to pick up another bug somewhere along the line, and woke up yesterday morning feeling nauseous and with stomach cramps – not the best feeling when you know you’ve got a flight ahead of you! It’s gotten worse and as a result, we’ve decided to stay in the hotel today. I made it outside for a few minutes today, but literally had to turn around and run back, where I have kept a close eye on the bathroom. I won’t go into details, but let me just say that luncheon and apple certainly doesn’t taste as good on the way back up! Thankfully Brad is a placid and peaceful creature and is more than happy to doze and watch golf while I feel sorry for myself.

Now on to more pleasant details – honestly, so far this update has done nothing but whine! Despite me feeling crook and the fact that just stepping outside will set you back your life savings, Basel is absolutely beautiful. Contrary to my original presumptions, is ridiculously hot here and easy to see why the local tradition is floating down the River Rhine, clutching a floatation device! We’ve decided to give it a go, as if you can’t beat them, then there’s no choice but to join them! It’s hilarious – picture a beautiful, historical city, built upon the river, then imagine thousands of screaming Swiss tom-foolering down the river at an alarming speed! They then all jump out and stand around in their too-tight Speedos, slapping each other on the back, standing a bit too close for comfort, puffing away on their cigarettes, then setting off down the street on their bicycles (it pays not to watch this too closely, as obviously the logistics of wearing Speedos whilst cycling doesn’t quite add up). We’ve been amazed at just how many people smoke over here – everyone! There’s little point in coughing gently, whilst fanning your hands around your face – they don’t understand, and would instead just think you’re trying to brush away a bug. Seriously everyone does it – even the blimmen newborns probably puff away after a good old feed of breast milk!

Michelle managed to get us tickets to the infamous Basel Tattoo last night (tickets start at about NZ$150) and it was absolutely amazing. We loved every second of it. The most talented brass bands, pipe bands and performers from all over the world play, and it is such a professional show that we were left with goose bumps. Brad enjoyed the Norwegian army who did a marching display with guns (I’ve never seen anything like it), but we also loved the Australian brass band who played all sorts of classics – Waltzing Matilda, Love is in the Air, and a multitude of Kylie Minogue classics – including locomotion, where they even marched in train-like fashion. Brilliant! Michelle played really well and looked very pretty, and I had to stop Brad screaming out ‘Way to go Hoe’ in between the last note being played and the applause starting! In retrospect I should have let him go for gold. Those players are just so focused on playing; I’d be interested to see what it would take to put them off. The Swiss band didn’t even bat an eyelid when their props (ten huge Swiss cows) started bucking, fighting and even emptying their bladders! The Mexican army were also a real laugh and played outside afterwards, to which Brad and I had a bit of a knees up, until I decided we absolutely had to go or a member of the Russian army might actually shoot me for throwing up all over his way too shiny shoes.

The great thing about Basel is not only the fact it’s so beautiful, it’s also ridiculously close to a number of exciting places. I’d like to go to the Blackforest (where Snow White and Rose Red was set Gems!), Zurich and Alsace – a wee French town that was annexed by the Germans throughout history. Michelle has a few days off so we’ll take a few road trips, before heading back to Basel so she can get to the Tattoo in the evenings. There’s also some really neat walking tours which we’ll do. Either way, we’ll be avoiding eating or drinking out at all times – why wouldn’t you when a small bottle of coke costs about NZ$5! It’s mental – but we imagine the average wage must reflect the ridiculous prices.

It’s crazy being in a country where hardly anyone speaks a word of English. Not many tourists come to Basel apparently, so instead of everyone rolling their eyes and muttering away to themselves about bloody tourists, rather they just think your special needs! We were in the supermarket earlier and had people nattering away to us, only to stop, smile sympathetically and back away when they caught a glance of our ‘deer in the headlights expression’. Lots of people speak French in Switzerland so I thought we’d be okay, but we haven’t encountered any in Basel so far. It’s all part of the adventure though and can prove to be quite entertaining.

Love you all and wish you were here. We could all float down the River Rhine together, laughing merrily to ourselves – mind you, it might not be a good idea. As much as I love you all, I don’t think I’d be too keen on seeing you in tighter-than-a-fishes-arse Speedos!
Dunkershan!
xxx

Ibiza - Viva Espanol!

I pipped Brad at the post, and was the first to venture into Europe on a girl’s trip to Ibiza over the weekend, to celebrate Nat’s 25th birthday.

Ibiza was exactly as expected – full of English party-goers, Europeans strolling around in g-string bikinis (without their tops at that!), and ridiculous heat. We all know I love the heat and relaxing on the beach, but let me tell you this was insane and even too hot for me! The Mediterranean provided no comfort, and it was more bath-like than refreshing!

Our apartment was right on the beach, with a beautiful view, right in the hustle and bustle of it all. Complete with two pools, it was the perfect spot, although given the scorching heat, even the pools couldn’t stay cool and refreshing for long. The resort also charged NZ$40 to use a sun-lounger for the week – despite the fact you were staying at the hotel. Rip-off mongrels!

It was also ludicrously expensive, but thankfully my tighter-than-a-fishes-arse-ways saw me come away with a few Euros in my pocket. I was slightly bitter though when munching on a miserable bit of toast, with a few baked beans sprinkled on it – a meal that set me back NZ$10. We all ended up heading to the local supermarket and pretty much just eating dry bread, on account of the limited kitchen facilities in our apartment and the ludicrous prices of local eateries!

The nightlife was great, but other than that there wasn’t much else to do – aside from lie on the beach, For this reason I wouldn’t go back there, as I need a little more to keep me occupied. You could venture over to the other side of the island, but really all there was to do there was visit more beaches. The beaches were stunning, but the scorching heat prevented me from making the most of them. I wasn’t alone in this, and spent most of my time with Helen, who couldn’t stay in the sun for long either, on account of her gorgeous peaches and cream Irish skin! The birthday girl had a grand old time though, which was the aim of the game, and is planning to head back as much as she possibly can!

The highlight of the trip was hand’s down, being in Spain when they won the World Cup. It was utter mayhem, with people screaming and running through the streets chanting ‘Viva Espanol, Espanol!’ It was amazing to be part of that atmosphere, and is certainly an experience I will never forget.

Another experience I will never forget is the plane ride home. I swear, I actually thought I was going to die. People were screaming, and the turbulence literally threw a Hostess off her feet and onto someone’s lap! I was scared out of my mind, but the lovely Helen assured me that this sort of thing ‘happened all the time in Europe’. It was only when we got off that she told me, she had never been so terrified in her life and thought we were goners! She’s so blessed – despite being terrified herself, she was comforting me, as well as the girl next to me (who looked like she was saying her final prayers and was white as a sheet). The funniest thing was, when we landed the Pilot says over the speaker: “you may have noticed a bit of turbulence back there...” WTF – how could you not notice the turbulence? People were screaming and the air hostess was thrown sideways! It certainly answered the age-old question I have often wondered – if you ever had the misfortune to be involved in a plane crash, would the staff help, or run for their lives? I assure you, it’s the latter. No one offered any consolation over the speaker – it was each for their own. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the pilot abandoning ship with his personal parachute. The cheap flights over here are great, but the service is just shocking!

Meanwhile while I was away, Brad was living it up far more than I was and went out all but one night, making friends with all and sundry! He had a grand old time and certainly wasn’t sitting at home moping, pining for my presence!

Today we popped out to Camden markets again (one of my favourite places in London) and Brad picked up something he has been coveting since our arrival, and his first visit out there all those weeks ago – a wrestling mask! As you can see by the picture, he was very excited and hasn’t taken it off. Gave me a blimmen heart attack as he stormed out with it on, screaming ‘GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!’

Tomorrow morning we’re off to Basel at the crack of dawn to visit Auntie Michelle. It’s crazy really – Basel airport services France, Germany and Switzerland (right on the border of all three), and despite our accommodation being just out of Basel, it’s actually in Germany! So as of tomorrow morning, technically we can also cross off Switzerland, Germany and France off our list!

Keep safe beloveds – rest assured we are!

xxx

Loving London, and a lovely trip to Leeds

Well we apologise profusely for the long time in between updates. We’ve been busier than blue-arsed flies over here, and have a wee bit to update you on...

Since our last update, we’ve kept ourselves busy applying for jobs, exploring London town (you could explore for a year and still discover new and exciting places), as well as venturing out on a few road trips. Everything is going well and we’ve had a few bites on the job front, and are now wanting to settle down. As much as we love this lifestyle, the bank balance can only get smaller, and we’re getting a wee bit fidgety, so it will be nice to settle down into a routine. We’re not desperate though so thankfully we can wait for the right job to roll around.

We visited the Tower of London last week, which is supposedly the ‘one sight’ you have to see in London. While we certainly enjoyed it, it wasn’t our favourite experience so far, but agree that it does seem to be one of those ‘token tourist’ things that people must do. We saw where Anne Boleyn had her head chopped off, the crown jewels, a real life Beefeater, and of course plenty of those guards with the fluffy hats (which are made out of bear fur FYI – bit cruel, but they claim they only use the fur of bears that were killed on the roads, or died of natural causes – hmmmm?)

We went for a stroll along Portobello Road, which I’ll forever have ingrained in my memory thanks to the Disney classic, Bedknobs and Broomsticks. In fact, I couldn’t help but sing it as I strolled down the street. The market itself was a bit bare – regardless of what Lonely Planet claim, the market really only gets going in the weekend, so we’ll have to head back there one Saturday morning.

The highlight of the week had to be our trip to Leeds Castle in Kent, with my good friend Philly and her mate Gemma. Philly has just moved to London from Melbourne, and it was great to see her! When she rung up on Thursday suggesting we head to Leeds Castle (which we had never heard of), we jumped at the chance. We enjoyed the day so much that when you all come over to visit us we’re taking you straight there!

It was a gloriously hot day, so we spent a lot of time outside, exploring the grounds, the aviaries, the playgrounds, maze, and of course – the castle. Leeds Castle is very different from the Scottish castles and the Tower of London, on account of it actually looking like it belongs straight out of a fairy tale - moat, turrets, peacocks strutting through the grounds – the works! Brad insisted we visit the ‘Knight’s Realm’, which is a massive castle-styled playground for kids. While we walked away with more than a few bumps, bruises and sweat-patches, we had a grand old time reliving our childhood days, on what has to be the coolest playground in the whole of the United Kingdom!

We were thoroughly exhausted after a day’s exploring, so we headed out with Shady and Emily to a local burger and beer bar, run by good old Kiwis! While the rest of the team enjoyed a Steinlager Pure, I opted for the L & P (something which came as quite a surprise, as I haven’t drunk it in YEARS. It’s funny how you gravitate to all things Kiwi, regardless of whether you actually like it or not!).

We also visited Europe’s largest Westfield Mall last week (so good I had to go twice), which was thankfully quiet enough to shop. There’s no way you could navigate your way through on any other day and time than early Monday morning. Even then you usually have to queue for a changing room – madness! The highlight of the day though was heading into Leicester Square, Soho to watch Eclipse (the new Twilight film). Despite the movies costing an arm and a leg, the film was fantastic and worth every penny!

We’re missing you all, but are having loads of fun. It’s certainly easy to keep yourself entertained over this way!

Love to all

xxx

Life in London is bright and the beautiful Isle of Wight...

It seems a lifetime ago that we last touched base with you, all the way from scenic Scotland. We’ve settled back into life rather nicely and are starting to think about all those practical things like getting jobs, and more importantly setting up Sky!

Our last day in Edinburgh was perfect; despite getting off to a rocky start when we were issued with a parking ticket (the parking wardens here are vicious!), but to take our minds off the expensive start we headed out for a traditional Scottish breakfast: black pudding, sausages and haggis for Brad, and macaroni cheese and curly fries for me! Heart attack anyone?

We spent the day wandering the Royal Mile and its countless nooks and crannies. I stopped off at the Scottish parliament and had a good old gander, and we also had a look at the Queens Gallery, which is where Mary Queen of Scots lived. One of the highlights also included a visit to St Giles Cathedral, as well as Edinburgh castle, where we were able to wander freely around the area where Mum and Michelle performed at the military tattoo last year - a lovely treat. We were so exhausted after our day of exploring and stuffing our faces that the only natural progression was to stuff them even more with chocolate gateau and Scottish shortbread at the infamous Elephant Castle cafe, where J.K Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series. Given Brad’s love of the books and my love of cake it was the natural choice, and while Brad looked around taking it all in, I downed my cake and hot chocolate and snuck pieces of his shortbread when he wasn’t paying attention!

Given our parking meter had expired and our earlier experience, we decided to head out of the city centre and towards Leith, one of Europe’s busiest ports. After a quick look around we ended up at the local cinema, before sadly having to head back to the airport, where after a two hour delay we eventually touched back down in London.

The following day I went to an interview with a fantastic recruitment company, who have been very proactive in sending through opportunities. Public relations is very different over here and my role at McDonald’s would have been split in the UK into at least three different roles – it’s so specialised and as a result I’ve had to put together three different versions of my CV.

After the interview, Brad and I headed to the West end to see our first show – Wicked! It certainly lived up to its name and it’s easy to see why it was voted the best show in 2010. I wish you were all over here and I’d take you all – you’d absolutely love it. I strongly urge you to see it if you get the opportunity – 10 out of 10!

Thursday I had another interview with a recruitment agent who deal with mainly office and administration type roles. This involved a number of different tests, which near had me smacking my head against a wall. My brain has only been used to calculate the conversion rate when looking at pretty English clothes, or to calculate the kilojoules in my third bowl of ice-cream, so it came as a huge shock when I was presented with logic puzzles! I was very tempted to type in ‘d. I don’t give a f***!’ as the answer to some of the problems! Nevertheless the meeting went well and they sent me to an interview on Friday, which is a four month office manager contract. It went well, but it’s really just deciding whether I want something more career-oriented, or if I’m just keen to start work ASAP. All these decisions are doing my head in – might have another glass of pear cider in the sun to mull it all over!

We had Shady, Emily and Donna over on Thursday night for dinner, and I was looking forward to cooking up a storm – which is exactly what I did. I served chorizo, prawn and chicken paella, butter turkey roast, steamed vegetables with garlic, all washed down with a summer fruits trifle. Let me tell you, I slaved in that kitchen, and needed a large glass of pear cider afterwards to recuperate! It was absolutely exhausting having to remove the film from the pre-cooked dinner, and don’t even get me started on how difficult it was managing the different reheating times. Thankfully another glass of pear cider helped me deal with the dreaded task of taking the summer fruits trifle out of its packet and dishing it up into bowls. But rather than be deterred from hosting dinner parties in the future, I remain committed to my domestic goddess title. Tonight for example, I plan on cooking a delightful spinach, ricotta and chicken pasta in a pomodoro sauce – as soon as I can muster the energy to take the cling-film off and put the darn thing in the microwave that is. I love cooking in the UK!

After my interview on Friday, I headed to one of London’s many parks with my friend Rochelle, while Brad headed to the pub with Shady to watch the football. We had a lovely day in the sun, wandering around Buckingham Palace and further into the city. Rochelle even introduced me to Selfridges – a HUGE department store five stories high, with its own restaurant and foodcourt. Believe me it’s needed, as after just two minutes of looking at the exorbitant price tags of the Louis Vuitton section I was so weak the knees I needed a seat!

This weekend we had our hearts set on another road trip in the UK with Shady and Emily, and this time Brad had been set with the task of organising it all. He more than came through, and on Saturday we had one of our best days yet in the picturesque town of Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. We set off bright and early on Saturday morning and arrived in Portsmouth by train, where we caught the ferry to the Isle of Wight. It was a beautiful day weather wise which certainly helped, but nothing could have prepared me for how quaint and beautiful the I.O.W is – stunning! We spent the day wandering around, hopping from opshop to opshop where I purchased a grand total of 12 books for my collection (I’ve been in dire straits and had even resorted to reading junk mail!) and Brad invested in some rather suave clothing for a session of ‘pub-golf’ planned later in the month. We even got a chance to feast on the local delicacies of mussels and chocolate cake, while the boys watched the quarter final football match. We also played an inordinate amount of 500, where Shady and I positively swept the floor with Brad and Emily!

After a good healthy dose of fun in the sun, we caught a hovercraft (yes that’s right, hovercraft) back to Portsmouth where we wandered around, working our way towards another seaside pub for dinner, football and more 500. Portsmouth is another gorgeous town, but with a beach and a seaside fair/ amusement park it’s hard to go wrong really! It was a bit of a late one, but the very best of days, and I can definitely imagine heading back there sometime soon. Gorgeous!

After a nice long sleep in and a run in the sun, we spent Sunday like any true Londoner and headed to the local park to soak up some rays! It was another great day, but again it’s hard to go wrong when the sun is shining, you’re with friends and have plenty of delicious snacks on hand!

It’s Sunday night as I type this, and even though we don’t have a week’s work looming over us, it’s still easy to feel a wee bit down. I’ve been feeling a wee bit homesick this past week, particularly on Thursday night, but plenty of lovely messages from home make it easier. I’m also reminding myself that this time is going to go ridiculously quick and if I don’t enjoy each second and waste time feeling sad, I’ll kick myself in a few years. It’s funny – on Thursday night after a wee sob, I decided to torture myself and look through my photo album/ memory book that Gems put together with everyone’s contributions. But rather than cry myself to sleep, the book had the opposite effect and I was soon smiling away, laughing at all your letters. It’s such a treasure to have, so thank you all very much, especially you Gemma-Kay!

Tomorrow Brad has an interview with an alcohol company (I know, I know, Brad selling alcohol isn’t the most natural of fits, but sometimes you just have to make these sacrifices!). I’m keen to hit the huge mall in what is commonly referred to as ‘SheBu’ (stands for Shepherds Bush and is pronounced like Che Fu, and is stuffed to the brim with Aussies and Kiwis). I’m off to Ibiza this coming weekend with a few of the girl’s for Nat’s birthday and am keen to pick up a beach dress. Nat came to the park with us today and mentioned that we were going to an all-day beach party next Sunday, so look out for me on Channel E’s ‘Girl’s gone Wild’! I’ll try not to mortify you all by being the one vomiting in the pool without a top on! No doubt, I’ll be the one looking after the birthday girl as she does the very same thing! Hence the need for a dress – there’s no way I’ll be spending the day running about in my bikini! 

Love to all and we’re thinking of you 24/7. Yesterday I actually went on Facebook on my phone and started passing it around so everyone could gaze adoringly at pictures of Manaia. I’ve become one of ‘those’ people who constantly compare everything to things back in NZ. Today it was the houmous – it’s just not as good here!

Having a blast and loving you all,

Us

Xxx

P.S Thinking of you tonight especially Les as we’ve just watched a good dose of River Cottage followed by Secret Millionaire – the tummies are rumbling and the tears are flowing. Wish we were curled up on your couch watching it with you!