We went to watch the London marathon today, because N & T's friend was running in it. It was actually really exciting! Lots of people running for charites and a few good costumes. Heaps people had their names written on them somewhere so we were cheering for them. The most common names were Andy, Ian and Simon.
Also wandered down to Trafalgar Square, past Downing Street. There were some pretty serious looking police (with guns even!) posted at the end of Downing St.
Tomorrow I'm going to go to a Pixar exhbition http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/on-line/pixar/. Whose jealous?!?!?!
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Saturday, April 22, 2006
More details on London
New keyboard!
Camden Markets were really cool! Quite a few of the stalls were closed or not there because we went during the week but it was still good. I got a shoulder bag that is brown with red tulips on it. It's really useful! And styley of course. :-) I've used it every day since...
One thing especially that was a little disconcerting was how the food stall holders say hello and how can they help you when you are just walking past and even if you're not even looking in their direction. I didn't like it at all! Although I guess if (since) I'm going to do more travelling and visiting places like this I should probably get used to things like that.
Yesterday Tash and I went to Westminster and saw most of the famous sights of London - the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the London Eye, the Millenium Bridge, the Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral, and the Tate Gallery. I do have photos to prove I was really there! I bought a digital camera on my way over to the UK so will put some on here at some stage. We didn't really look around the Tate, just went to the 5th floor and had a coffee :-) Although we did see the exhibit on the ground floor and it was quite unusual (bizzare, actually). Lots of plastic casts of boxes all piled up in towers and pyramids up to more than a storey high. I have a photo of that too... I have to admit that I didn't really 'get' it.
After I'd taken a few photos of St Paul's, we walked along Fleet Street and The Strand (see, Monopoly!!) towards Covent Garden. Also not so busy because of it being a weekday, but we still saw some buskers and went to a few shops to have a look around. Although after some serious sightseeing, and still being a bit jetlagged, I was getting pretty tired. It would be nice to go back there cos it had a really cool atmosphere and there was heaps going on.
Went to Nick and Tash's local for dinner last night, which was really good.
Today we went to Kew with R & J and walked along the river to Richmond. Had a picnic and then wandered on some more. It was really busy because it was a really lovely day! There's an area where there are a few bars and restaurants on the riverside and there were a lot of people sitting on the banks of the river and drinking beer. We had a few drinks then explored the shops for a bit before heading back and having a barbecue for dinner. It's been a really good evening. Have met some more of N & T's friends, had a few drinks, and been listening to new(er) NZ music :-)
Time for bed now! One of N & T's friends is running the London marathon tomorrow and we're going to go and watch.
And I'm heading to Torquay in Devon for training for my job on Tuesday.
Oh, more Monopoly - after my meeting at First Contact on Wednesday I walked down Oxford St...
Later!
Camden Markets were really cool! Quite a few of the stalls were closed or not there because we went during the week but it was still good. I got a shoulder bag that is brown with red tulips on it. It's really useful! And styley of course. :-) I've used it every day since...
One thing especially that was a little disconcerting was how the food stall holders say hello and how can they help you when you are just walking past and even if you're not even looking in their direction. I didn't like it at all! Although I guess if (since) I'm going to do more travelling and visiting places like this I should probably get used to things like that.
Yesterday Tash and I went to Westminster and saw most of the famous sights of London - the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the London Eye, the Millenium Bridge, the Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral, and the Tate Gallery. I do have photos to prove I was really there! I bought a digital camera on my way over to the UK so will put some on here at some stage. We didn't really look around the Tate, just went to the 5th floor and had a coffee :-) Although we did see the exhibit on the ground floor and it was quite unusual (bizzare, actually). Lots of plastic casts of boxes all piled up in towers and pyramids up to more than a storey high. I have a photo of that too... I have to admit that I didn't really 'get' it.
After I'd taken a few photos of St Paul's, we walked along Fleet Street and The Strand (see, Monopoly!!) towards Covent Garden. Also not so busy because of it being a weekday, but we still saw some buskers and went to a few shops to have a look around. Although after some serious sightseeing, and still being a bit jetlagged, I was getting pretty tired. It would be nice to go back there cos it had a really cool atmosphere and there was heaps going on.
Went to Nick and Tash's local for dinner last night, which was really good.
Today we went to Kew with R & J and walked along the river to Richmond. Had a picnic and then wandered on some more. It was really busy because it was a really lovely day! There's an area where there are a few bars and restaurants on the riverside and there were a lot of people sitting on the banks of the river and drinking beer. We had a few drinks then explored the shops for a bit before heading back and having a barbecue for dinner. It's been a really good evening. Have met some more of N & T's friends, had a few drinks, and been listening to new(er) NZ music :-)
Time for bed now! One of N & T's friends is running the London marathon tomorrow and we're going to go and watch.
And I'm heading to Torquay in Devon for training for my job on Tuesday.
Oh, more Monopoly - after my meeting at First Contact on Wednesday I walked down Oxford St...
Later!
Friday, April 21, 2006
More London... and about the job
For those of you who have asked what PGL stands for...
http://www.pgl.co.uk/online/moreinformation/corporate/profile.asp
"The Company takes its name from the initials of the man who started it all in the 1950s - Peter Gordon Lawrence."
Went to Westminster today!
But off to dinner now so will have to post more later.
Please add comments to my blog!
http://www.pgl.co.uk/online/moreinformation/corporate/profile.asp
"The Company takes its name from the initials of the man who started it all in the 1950s - Peter Gordon Lawrence."
Went to Westminster today!
But off to dinner now so will have to post more later.
Please add comments to my blog!
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
I've arrived!
I'm in London now! At Nick and Tash's place. Not really any dramas in getting here, although it turned out I had Tash's cellphone number wrong. So I ended up ringing the flat and luckily she was home so she came down to the tube station and met me.
The flight from Syndey was REALLY long. Nearly 15 hours I think. But once again, lots of good movies to watch. I watched Walk The Line, Good Night and Good Luck, Aeon Flux, Goal! and Rumour Has It. I think that's all! I also managed to find time to sleep. So didn't feel too bad when we landed in Dubai. The flight arrived at 6.15am local time, and the temperature was 26 degrees!
Had about an hour in Dubai airport. Because it was early morning it was quite hazy and you couldn't see the city very well. A few big buildings... and lots of sand! But there were still lovely green verges on the sides of the road and grass in the middle of roundabouts. Bizzare.
The flight from Dubai to London was really cool! We were flying at 32000ft but for much of the trip it was really clear and there was lots to see from the window. (I had a window seat.) So I saw lots of desert and mountains (some with snow on)over the Middle East. Flew over a really spectacular bit of the Turkish coast (I think that's where it was), a wind farm in Germany, and the outskirts of Berlin. And after that it was cloudy until the descent into London.
The other good thing about that flight was that I was sitting next to a couple from the Shetland Islands who had been visiting their daughter in Tauranga. We chatted a bit throughout the flight, and at the end they gave me their contact details, probably because I expressed interest in visiting there sometime during my stay in the UK.
So, arrived in London. Had no trouble with bags or customs and then got the tube into central London then out to Nick & Tash's place. I had a nap that afternoon, which was only supposed to be short, but I ended up sleeping for too long. I got up at about 9.30pm and had some dinner then went back to bed. The second day was better. I stayed up all day and went to bed about 9pm. It was definitely a struggle to stay up even that late though!
Also on the second day here (yesterday) I went to my orientation meeting with First Contact. They give a short presentation on living in London and then you meet with banking people who help you to set up a bank account. It was very useful and I should have a bank account set up within 3 working days. Much easier than trying to organise it yourself (which is apparently virtually impossible). Obviously it costs, but I think it's definitely worth it.
That's all for the moment really. Tash & I are going to the Camden markets today. :-)
The flight from Syndey was REALLY long. Nearly 15 hours I think. But once again, lots of good movies to watch. I watched Walk The Line, Good Night and Good Luck, Aeon Flux, Goal! and Rumour Has It. I think that's all! I also managed to find time to sleep. So didn't feel too bad when we landed in Dubai. The flight arrived at 6.15am local time, and the temperature was 26 degrees!
Had about an hour in Dubai airport. Because it was early morning it was quite hazy and you couldn't see the city very well. A few big buildings... and lots of sand! But there were still lovely green verges on the sides of the road and grass in the middle of roundabouts. Bizzare.
The flight from Dubai to London was really cool! We were flying at 32000ft but for much of the trip it was really clear and there was lots to see from the window. (I had a window seat.) So I saw lots of desert and mountains (some with snow on)over the Middle East. Flew over a really spectacular bit of the Turkish coast (I think that's where it was), a wind farm in Germany, and the outskirts of Berlin. And after that it was cloudy until the descent into London.
The other good thing about that flight was that I was sitting next to a couple from the Shetland Islands who had been visiting their daughter in Tauranga. We chatted a bit throughout the flight, and at the end they gave me their contact details, probably because I expressed interest in visiting there sometime during my stay in the UK.
So, arrived in London. Had no trouble with bags or customs and then got the tube into central London then out to Nick & Tash's place. I had a nap that afternoon, which was only supposed to be short, but I ended up sleeping for too long. I got up at about 9.30pm and had some dinner then went back to bed. The second day was better. I stayed up all day and went to bed about 9pm. It was definitely a struggle to stay up even that late though!
Also on the second day here (yesterday) I went to my orientation meeting with First Contact. They give a short presentation on living in London and then you meet with banking people who help you to set up a bank account. It was very useful and I should have a bank account set up within 3 working days. Much easier than trying to organise it yourself (which is apparently virtually impossible). Obviously it costs, but I think it's definitely worth it.
That's all for the moment really. Tash & I are going to the Camden markets today. :-)
Monday, April 17, 2006
Sydney Airport!!
It's hot here! But there's free internet :-) Although there's a queue so I guess I should be quick.
Just a quick rundown for those of you who don't know what I'm doing. I'm headed to London with a one way ticket and a four year ancestry visa. I have a job for six months with PGL (www.pgl.co.uk) on the Isle of Wight (southern England). If you're looking at the website then I'm working at Little Canada as a Field Instructor. Not entirely sure what exactly this will entail but I guess I'll keep you posted!!
Emirates is great. Still not much space (I want to travel business class!!) but there are HEAPS of good movies, tv programs and music to choose from. I had trouble deciding! But on the way to Sydney I watched In Her Shoes with Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz.
The food was pretty good too. Now onwards to Dubai!
Just a quick rundown for those of you who don't know what I'm doing. I'm headed to London with a one way ticket and a four year ancestry visa. I have a job for six months with PGL (www.pgl.co.uk) on the Isle of Wight (southern England). If you're looking at the website then I'm working at Little Canada as a Field Instructor. Not entirely sure what exactly this will entail but I guess I'll keep you posted!!
Emirates is great. Still not much space (I want to travel business class!!) but there are HEAPS of good movies, tv programs and music to choose from. I had trouble deciding! But on the way to Sydney I watched In Her Shoes with Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz.
The food was pretty good too. Now onwards to Dubai!
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Leaving tomorrow
I've spent the last few days catching up with family in Blenheim, and finalising my 20kg. Let's hope they let me on the plane! Head to Christchurch tomorrow to fly out.
Apologies, this blog is really boring so far...
Apologies, this blog is really boring so far...
Thursday, April 06, 2006
The beginning
Well I guess the adventure starts here! Before I leave Invercargill! Thanks to everyone for great leaving presents and cards. I definitely had a great time living in Invers and I will miss you all.
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