It was the best of times....

Our on going saga...finally had time to write it down.

We were up early on Tuesday, after a good nights sleep. We took the train into London and make our way to Pinner station. For those of you whom have never been to London or England, travel is very easy and painless. The train system is widespread and works well ( for the most part), The Underground ( the subway system) also known as the tube ( a reference to the round tunnels that the trains go through) is a quick and easy way to get around the city.

Colour coded maps are everywhere and it doesn't take long to figure out the routes. On our previous trips, Julie and I would usually walk to most places in the city, it is a good way to see things and get a feel for the city. When visiting I would recommend the same, figure out what you want to see, take a tube that is close by and walk around a bit and discover the city...it is by far my favorite city in the world and there is something for everyone. Okay, enough of the travelogue...Pinner is located in NW London, on the Metropolitan line, after we arrive into Victoria train station its about 40 minutes by tube. We spend the day visiting estate agents and looking for flats (apartments), not a great selection actually, we need a furnished place considering our circumstnces. We have decided that getting an apartment that is furnished and on a year lease, after which we can decide to move on or at least we'll have a better idea of the areas and costs and at that time can make a better informed decision. It will of course, depend on our work situation. So we did see a place through Foxtons (a big and popular estate agents...but expensive), very nice really and in a pretty good area. The procedure for leasing a flat is a little different than in Canada, first off we visit an agent and look through their listings, they acquire these listings by promoting the flats/apartments or house and are paid a fee to do so, we sign the agent on if we find a place we like and pay them a fee, we make an offer for the property and list conditions ( ie, cleaning, fixing issues, 12 month or 6 month lease etc etc) and the landlord accepts or counters the offer (most of the listing prices are negotiable, so try to bargain)This area is South Ruislip, it is on the Central line ( actually a quicker way into the city than the Met line) and is also a train station, it is not far from a motorway ( the A40 ) if that is needed and good schools in the area. We may take this place! We meet up with a mates father, Steve, who is an estate agent in the area. He doesn't have any places to look at but says that the one we did look at is a good area and a good deal. I contact a mate, Lee and arrange to meet up tomorrow and have a look around the manor.

We decide to go to The Fleadh, my mate Mark's local and is owned by another mate Jerry, to have a drink and watch the WC match NL vs Urgy ( good match and NL are through to the final) Good luck we did, found a reasonable place to get our phones “fixed' wink wink, we can now use our Canadian phones with an England Sim...result!! When travelling in Europe, you will definitely need a “jail-broken” phone, meaning a phone that can accept any Sim card. The phones in Canada and most the US, I believe, are tied to a provider (Rogers, Bell, AT&T etc) and can only be used with that provider. If using those phones here, you will have a huge bill when you return. Each call from that phone will be routed to your home country and the back to where you are, can be $3 or $4 a minute, depending on your plan...ouch!!!

Wednesday

Met up with Lee at Ruislip Gardens and toured the whole area, from Uxbridge to Harrow. He showed us everything we needed to see and introduced us to mates that work as estate agents. We looked at 2 other flats but really the original place is the one. Julie called the estate agent to get the ball rolling

Thursday

We talked with our agent and walk into town so we can get the info together for her. We get it done and have a bit to eat, we return to the hotel early for a change and off to Tesco's to get a meal. Tesco's is a store, similar to Walmart I guess, they sell groceries and other household goods Early night, nothing more.

Friday

We take a break while waiting for an answer from the Estate agent about the flat. Its hot out so we decide to visit Brighton. Brighton is a famed beach on the English channel about an hour south of London by train, full of shops and restaurants and of course the beach, pier and promenade. We tour around the city grab a bite to eat and walk on the pier, beach and dip our feet in the water. Its a beautiful day and about 30C, not classic England weather but who's complaining. Back to Horley and have a Tapas.

We have decided that we need to change venues and search another area, Rochester,Kent. We have looked around almost the whole of Hillingdon borough and can't seem to find anything that fits.

I'll update you, early next week

Mahalo,

Glenn