Week 3 in London

Week 3: 20 - 26 April 2015

Having now secured a home, things were looking much easier. Unfortunately we had to stick out another week of a house with a hole in the middle, but it was fine because we knew we had a definite end in sight.

Less than a week into work, Roslyn coordinated her first event at Blenheim Palace in Oxford, the venue for Sylvester Stallone’s wedding and around an hour and a half out of London. She also had her first fast train experience, and was also surprised to discover that the English countryside is as close as only 30 minutes outside of London, whereas in Sydney or Melbourne (and even Canberra!) you would still be in the ‘burbs.

On Friday night we went to a Kiwis in London event at a bar at Clapham South, which coincided with the birthday of one of our fellow London-based-Aussie-Contiki-travellers. After a few beers, reminiscing on Contiki misadventures and sighting no Kiwis, we ended the night next door at a Shisha bar.

The weekend was filled with house-related activities, such as shopping for bed linen, small appliances, and pot plants to make our new flat (they don’t call them apartments over here) more homely. We spent out first ANZAC day abroad running around trying to get everything sorted for our move that afternoon and unfortunately missed the BBQ at the nearby Australian pub.

After the bags were unpacked on Sunday, we started the interview process for our new flatmates. We had 7 appointments scheduled, however (luckily) 3 cancelled on the day and we met 4 potential applicants. With the shoe on the other foot now, we decided that we weren’t going to waste our own or anyone else’s time and planned to make a decision by the next day. Stay tuned for the Week 5 blog post, where we can introduce our new flatmates, a Kiwi couple from Auckland.

Highlights for the week:

- Continued living in a construction site

- Roslyn went to Blenheim Palace

- Shisha

- Celebrated ANZAC Day abroad by moving house

- Discovered the click-and-collect store, Argos

- Made our patio less grey with the help of gardening Sunday
- Ran “interviews” for potential housemates

Week 2 - Hostels, houses and hipsters

Week 2: 13 - 19 April 2015

Following on from last week’s miracle where we were offered temporary accommodation, we took up residence on Monday.  Although we were out of the hostel, in hindsight perhaps we would have been better to stay…

When we visited the house on Saturday, one of the current housemates indicated to us that in the next few days there would be minor work occurring in the kitchen. Following our standard evening routine of viewing properties, meeting the potential housemates and hoping that they choose us, we made it to the house to find that the cupboards under the sink had all been removed, plus the oven and cooktop removed. Not ideal. At this stage, we still believed that the builders would be back to put it all back together tomorrow. But, day by day more and more of the kitchen disappeared and on Friday night we came home to an empty hole in the floor. For now, the kitchen facilities are located in the laundry and once you’ve navigated the 3 planks of timber precariously linking the hall to the laundry, you are met with a fridge, microwave, toaster and kettle. We assume it is similar to living onsite at ‘The Block’, but without the celebrity glamour or any chance of prize money.

On Wednesday afternoon, Roslyn went to an interview for a position at the Royal College of Psychiatrists. By Thursday morning, they had offered her the job and on Friday she started as Eastern and South Eastern Divisions Manager (fancy title for Events Manager and Secretary combined), on a 6-week contract with a permanent position available at the end.

After viewing on average 3 properties per night for the last fortnight, we discovered a property on Friday that was near perfect. 2 bedroom flat in Clapham, one of the areas we wanted before we even left Australia, already furnished, nicely renovated and in one of the best streets of the area. The landlord turned out to be an Aussie guy who came across to London 20+ years ago for a 1 year backpacking holiday, but never moved back home, so he understood our circumstances much better than anyone else we’d met so far.

Despite the benefit of Brendan working at a real estate agency, we were not prepared for the difficulties of finding somewhere to live. Trying to secure a rental property or even a room in London is near impossible. You need to pass reference checks, which include having held a UK bank account for 6 months, having had full time employment for 6 months, a previous address and utility bill, or have a UK-based guarantor. If you can’t provide these, you are expected to pay 6 months rent in advance. If you don’t have any of this, you end up in a difficult situation like us.

We ended the week visiting the Cereal Killer Café and Brick Lane markets in the hipster hangout of Shoreditch. London’s own cat café is also based here, although we were unable to go in due to it being booked out until next month.

With no further property inspections to attend, we have been getting into a show called Made in Chelsea, a structured-reality TV series about the lives of affluent twenty-something’s living in London’s exclusive South West areas of Belgravia, Kings Road and Knightsbridge. If you have time, it is worth viewing an episode (not for the storyline…) because Brendan works smack bang in the middle of this area, and walks past many of the places of filming. Roslyn describes the show as a mix between Gossip Girl and Geordie Shore.

Highlights for the week:

- Moved out of the hostel

- Moved into a construction zone

- Roslyn started work

- Found a flat

- Cereal Killer Café – a menu of over 120 different cereals, with flavoured milks and additional toppings that you can add

- Brick Lane markets – some questionable goods on offer here

- Discovered Made in Chelsea

Week 1 in London

Week 1: 5 - 12 April 2015

Our Contiki concluded back in London on Easter Sunday. On the Tuesday, Brendan started work as Lettings Coordinator at Knight Frank in Knightsbridge, an area close to Harrods and home to the rich and famous (no sightings of anyone yet though...). Property in this area is so expensive that the majority of it is owned by wealthy foreigners, with some rents upwards of £20,000 per week! One particular property currently being marketed is equivalent to over $32,000AUD per week, or a measly $140,000AUD per month - www.knightfrank.co.uk/knq164572

Roslyn also started temp work later in the week, as a receptionist at a banking software company, as she continues her search for permanent employment. While not working, she has been madly searching for a house so we can escape the hostel "lifestyle". 

At numerous inspections, we viewed some good ones, some dives and frustratingly, a few total misrepresentations where the photos/description on the web weren't even close to reality. Noteworthy examples included the couple who conveniently forgot to mention sharing with their 3 year old in the ad, and the private landlords who take real estate photography "enhancements" to the extreme, by uploading photos that were of a completely different and significantly nicer property than the one on offer. Perhaps he thought nobody would notice.

On the rare occasion where one seemed to suit, we had the roller coaster of emotions of getting along really well with the current occupants (and thinking it was a sure thing), but a few days later being told they had chosen someone else.

We ended the week with a miracle, where Roslyn was contacted via an "Aussies in London" Facebook page post from an Australian girl who has recently returned home for a few weeks and was offering us her room. 

So for at least another few weeks we refrain from being homeless!

Highlights for the week:

- End of our Contiki journey

- Pleasant, sunny weather!

- Brendan started work at Knight Frank

- Roslyn started temp work at Temenos

- Attended "Aussies in London" drinks

- Viewed a multitude of properties 

- Discovered extreme real estate photography "enhancements"

- Grand National horse race 

- Oxford VS Cambridge rowing race on the River Thames

Paris, France

Friday 3rd April 2015: 

We awoke on Friday to yet another delicious surprise from Hotel Central, before boarding the coach for a 600+ kilometre journey to Paris. Upon finally arriving, we were taken on a brief drive around the city, viewing attractions including the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower. We stopped briefly at an Eiffel Tower viewing platform, where we were again greeted by a multitude of gypsies all selling the same product - this time it was miniature Eiffel Towers.

The following day, we set off in search of all the major tourist attractions. First, we jumped onboard the Paris Metro system (where Brendan discovered he still remembered at least some of his 4 years of high school French) to the Arc de Triomphe. From there, we strolled the Champs Élysées, home to many high end retailers, including the Mercedes Benz and Peugeot flagship showrooms plus Tiffany and Co, where Roslyn tried on a $40,000AUD ring (rough conversion), prior to us calling into the world famous, Ladurée macarons store.

From here, we again boarded the metro in search of The Louvre (Musée du Louvre). Considering the estimated 3 hour wait to view the Mona Lisa inside, we were satisfied just to see the glass pyramids. By this time we were getting quite hungry, so we set off towards Notre-Dame Cathedral and the River Seine on the hunt for frog legs. We both agreed that they were quite tasty, flavour like chicken and the texture of fish but were quite difficult to eat due to the small amount of meat on their delicate bones. We washed these down with a glass of French champagne, then consumed crepes. Next we headed to one of the love lock bridges, Pont de l'Archevêché, and added our own padlock.

As our Contiki was quickly drawing to an end, the final night we went to a group dinner where we ate escargot (and really enjoyed it!) along with other typical French dishes, accompanied by more champagne and too much wine. Far too much wine...

Once the dinner was completed, we boarded the metro once more and ended the evening under the twilight glow of the Eiffel Tower, which is illuminated by twinkling lights every night for the first five minutes of each hour. 

Highlights:

- La tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower) viewed from afar

- Palais Garnier opera house

- Arc de Triomphe

- Champs Élysées

- Peugeot, Mercedes Benz, Renault, Citroën flagship showrooms

- Tiffany and Co

- Ate Ladurée macarons

- Musée du Louvre

- Notre-Dame

- River Seine

- Ate frog legs

- Ate crepes

- Pont de l'Archevêché, one of the love lock bridges

- Ate escargot

- Drank champagne

- Twinkling Eiffel Tower, viewed from afar and up close

Lucerne, Switzerland

Wednesday 1st April 2015: 

As we travelled from Italy to Switzerland, we took in some amazing alpine scenery, surely the best of the entire journey. Perhaps best known for the Swiss Army Knife and Swiss watches, the overall presentation and organisation of the country was a welcome change to Italy's chaos. 

We arrived at our accommodation, Hotel Central at Kriens where Roslyn had stayed nearly 3 years ago and were served an identical meal. A meal that wasn't very good in 2012 nor was it now, and definitely wasn't authentic Swiss. Despite voul au vents having gone out of fashion during the 1990s, we were served the soggy concoctions, filled with chicken and pineapple and drowning in an ocean of gluggy, powdered curry liquid. Upon the curry ocean forming a hard skin with the remaining ingredients encrusted underneath, we knew it was time to escape to the nearest takeaway.

Morning arrived, and we journeyed 45 minutes to Mt Rigi. There, we rode one of Europe's oldest mountain railways to a summit of 1798 metres. The howling wind made for freezing conditions, yet our tour manager and one other Contiki traveller decided to make snow angels while stripped down to their underwear. 

Back in the city centre, snow capped mountains provide a picturesque backdrop against Lake Lucerne, which laps at the edges of the commercial areas. The historic Chapel Bridge crosses the lake, the bridge itself dates back to 1332 and despite a fire in 1993 that destroyed part of the bridge, much of the timber is still original.

Highlights:

- Mountain railway ride to Mt Rigi

- Lake Lucerne

- Chapel Bridge

- Ate cheese fondue

Food provided by Hotel Central:

DAY 1

- Salad with a horrendously salty creamy dressing

- Broth, with a few lettuce leaves floating around

- Chicken and pineapple curry voul au vents

- Stale cake and Swiss flag ice cream for dessert

DAY 2

- Repeat of the salt salad

- Chicken flavoured broth, no sign of any actual chicken

- Sticky, overcooked spaghetti with accompanying pasta sauce

- Pre-packaged, oven bake chicken schnitzel

- Plate of apples and wrinkly old mandarins for desserts 

Florence, Italy

Monday 29th March 2015:

While we managed to escape a lot of Rome's busy hustle and bustle, even in Florence we couldn't escape the abhorrent drivers. With driving skills that would surely come close to many Asian countries, it seems that pedestrian crossings, parking within designated bays and remaining within ones own lane of the road, are all of little importance.

We arrived in Florence late afternoon, and after dropping our bags and a basic hostel interpretation of Italian dinner, before heading into the town centre. We spent the night at a karaoke bar - we are unlikely to be scoring recording contracts anytime soon.

The following day, we had a walking tour (with a local guide). Afterwards, having not consumed a decent piece of beef for several weeks, we indulged in a massive Florentine steak.

Later in the afternoon, we ventured up to the Michelangelo Piazza, where we were able to admire an exceptional panorama high above the city.

Highlights:

- Basilica of Santa Croce

- Karaoke at Red Garter

- Leonardo's Italian leather demonstration

- Walking tour of the City

- Piazza della Signoria with numerous statues, including replica of 'David'

- Palazzo Vecchio, town hall 

- Ponte Vecchio bridge

- Arno River

- Duomo

- Ate Florentine steak

- Food and flea markets - gypsies trying to sell fake leather apparel

- Michelangelo Piazza

Rome, Italy

Saturday 27th March 2015: 

After a long drive day, we arrived in Rome around 5pm and Brendan quickly discovered how unorganised and unsystematic the Italians are. We got stuck into a walking tour, passing Piazza Venezia and the Pantheon. 

We also saw the Trevi Fountain, which was disappointingly having maintenance carried out, therefore drained of all water and completely fenced off. We were told the works were due to finish at the end of 2014, and yet there appears to still be a long way to go. 

On Sunday, we made the "international" trip to the Vatican City (it is actually independent of Italy, and the world's smallest country) for the Pope's blessing, it was a special ceremony for a Palm Sunday. 

Next, we were taken on a tour of the Colosseum and ancient relics of the Roman Forums, Later, we sat and ate gelato in the sunshine on Europe's widest staircase, the Spanish Steps.

Having previously visited Rome, Roslyn had more of an opportunity to observe the overall lack of cleanliness. While amazed by the history and appreciative of the major landmarks, Brendan was also disappointed by how unorganised and commercialised Rome seemed - he expected better from the capital city of Europe's most visited country.

The accommodation was also strange - the hotel we were booked into only had a few rooms available and so the rest of our group was sent around the corner to another building they owned. This building clearly didn't originate as a hotel, and at some point has just had walls and doors added in to create rooms - there was no consistency in furnishings, deco or room size.

Highlights:

- Piazza Venezia

- Trevi Fountain

- Pantheon

- Pope's blessing on Palm Sunday

- Tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forums (again, with a local guide who was absolutely terrible)

- Spanish Steps

- Gypsies again selling selfie sticks, but also some with handbags and sunglasses 

- Shit Pants ended his reign of inappropriateness on the group, returning home

Venice, Italy

Friday 26th March 2015: 

Probably best known for its iconic canals and gondolas, Venice could also potentially be home to the largest number of selfie stick selling gypsies. From mainland Italy, we boarded a ferry for the approximately 20 minute ride, given that there are no cars or bridges linking Venice to the rest of Italy.

We started the day with a walking tour of the city, taking us from St Marco Square to the Rialto Bridge, through many winding and narrow alleys. We achieved all the standard Venice tourist activities, including a gondola ride, posing on the Rialto Bridge and visiting both the Murano Glass and lace demonstrations. It is apparent that this city runs on tourism alone - aside from these things, there is not a lot else to do or see. The majority of retail stores were occupied by restaurants or souvenir shops; most selling identical "genuine" Murano glass products.

The most interesting part of our time in Venice came from one particular gypsy on the Rialto Bridge. Poised to take a selfie, a gypsy with a bunch of roses approached us despite our reluctance to speak to him. He then forced the roses onto Roslyn and offered to take a photo of us, which has resulted in a really awkward photo where we both think the guy is about to steal the camera, and Roslyn is holding roses she doesn't want. Once he has taken the photo he gives us back the camera. He would not, however, take the roses back. "Just gift, just gift. Bring you good luck" he said, right up until we tried to walk away and suddenly he wanted money. He ended up getting the equivalent of around AUD$15 from us for 3 red roses, that by the end of the day had all keeled over.  

 

Highlights:

- Walking tour with a local guide, because Italian law bans anyone who doesn't live in Italy from running tours...

- San Marco Square

- Gondola ride

- Murano Glass demonstration

- Lace demonstration

- Rialto Bridge

- Getting scammed by a gypsy on Rialto Bridge

- Our first tastes of pizza, pasta (including Venice's specialty squid ink pasta), gelato and limoncello

- Gypsies everywhere, the significant majority all trying to sell selfie sticks