Damn it! I've done it again! It's been too long since the last blog, but at least there is plenty to update you with. We are in London at present, but let me take you back.......
I'll pick up from Hossegor...we moved apartments when our two weeks were up, and we stayed in the most fantastic spot in all of town. We were above the square that overlooks the ocean so it was perfect. We rented it from a new friend we made, Dave, who runs Dicks Sand Bar. DSB is a legendary place on the ocean front, and we spent a fair whack of our time drinking here. Dave really helped us out a lot while in Hossegor..with drinks, information, the apartment, bikes...everything. We are eternally greatful. Anywho, so in the second week in Hossegor we started pounding the pavement and looking for jobs. I found it really hard at the beginning because our french is so basic, it often became embarassing, but after the first 5 times I changed my attitude and thought...stuff it. So we walked for hours on end, asking every outlet we thought might hire us, to no avail. All we got were blisters and sunburn. Word on the street was that if we kept trying we would definitely find something, so we banked on that. Eventually we got a number for a cleaning agency, which turned out to be a good lead. We were told that we would most probably be able to work for them in the start of June, but it wasn't a definite. Also, the money was a bit up in the air because its dependant on the season. But we thought it was a good time to look for accommodation after hearing that news....and thats when the plans began to well and truly unravel. I visited every immoblier (real estate) in hossegor asking about renting for the summer, only to find out they just dont do it. You can't rent by the month in hossegor because its a seasonal town. People make all their money on the apartments during summer, when the prices rise from between 600-1200euro per week. Remember that equates to about 1200-2400 aus dollars a week! For a shoebox! I asked around and the only way we could see to renting was to organise something privately. This was hard for us for two reasons...firstly because we would have needed to organise it with french speaking people, and secondly because most of those arrangements are made well before the season. So in the end, we might have had a job but we didnt have anywhere to live, and after throwing around the pros and cons, we decided we have enough moeny to make the most of a european summer travelling and not working.
It was a hard decision to leave, we thought maybe we hadn't tried hard enough, but the longer we stayed and looked, the more money we were spending. BUT, on the positive side, we only have good things to look forward to. So we started our merry, big adventure in Bordeaux. What a lovely city! It has the best information centre we've come across yet..so we found accommodation quite easily. We took in the sites for a day or two, strolled along the largest pedestrianised shopping strip in Europe and had lunch in the most fantastic cafe ever! Cassolette Cafe it was called, and you got to choose 5 dishes form the menu and have them ALL! We had every dish with cheese in it, and finished it off with a choc brownie in custard. Perfect! The streets around Boreaux are nice just to walk around, they seemed a little wider than usual and there are some lovely parks. The riverfront area is great, everyone goes down there to read their books and practise skating. Good people watching are.

As Bordeaux is one of the most famous wine regions of the world, we thought it was only right to do a tasting tour. We sampled wines from the Blaye and Bourg regions, which arent the most prestigious wines, but beggars cant be choosers. We only sampled reds which was a pity for me, a white wine drinker, but the reds were very nice, and it was a fun experience. Bordeaux is lovely, but hard to write about because we mainly walked, ate and just took in the sites. From Bordeaux, the best flights are to London, so we chose the big smoke for our next destination.
We have been in London for 3 days now. And what a change it has been. No more foreign languages!! Although, ironically we had our first meal in chinatown.. and its so multicultural that you always hear another langauge anyway!
We are staying in Piccaddilly at a massive backpackers. 700 beds over several floors. Its like being on a big school camp. Showers and toilets are divided between the sexes...its a good place to be social though...IF you got social room mates...and we, unfortunately..did not. But have met some nice people in the common room. this is of noteworthy importance you see, because so often we cant socialise because of the language barrier.
So we have been out and about, doing massive walks....have seen Buckingham Palace (very ordinary), Big Ben, the London Eye etc etc. Because of our central location we have been able to avoid the tube which makes me very happy :)
Anyway, Im going to end this quite abruptly sorry, but we have been in this internet cafe for far too long, i am hungry and quite fancy enjoying London while we are here! Will update again very soon I hope, until next time....xoxo