Fat Tire Bike Tour

 

So I was meeting up with Michael and his GF Ellen (which I haven’t met yet) for the tour, which I was also meant to meet for the picnic and had no way of telling them I was not making it I just went to the meeting point for the tour.

Wow!! Action packed!!! 7 groups were going to be on the road tonight….

No sign of Michael or Ellen, so I was like I just stick around, started chatting to Brian and his family who are from Chicago and ended up in their group with Michael and Ellen.

Geoff our tour guide, and gotta say that if you are stretched for time and want to see the highlights of Paris I recommend ‘fat bike tours’ (they have a few places to go in barca, England etc.) we kicked off and say some of the most magical highlights and yummy ice cream

Then we jumped on a cruise around the river drank red wine and saw more highlights. Then Eifel tower was light up… Magical, just so beautiful.

To finish the night off, we saw the Eifel tower light show.  And must say normally at night when the ‘ugly lights’ come on it’s oh geeee wizzzzz run away time, however for the Eifel tower it’s like that during the day. It looks bit dull, but comes alive at night.

Have to say my one hit wonder of Paris was what anyone would hope for….

Paris the 1 Hit Wonder

So I didn’t get my dream job, so traveling through France and Spain is still happening.  Well in actual fact this is one of my other dream jobs (everything happens for a reason)

I had my last follow up regrading my clinical trial and I have to go back due to I am not back to normal. So I had to stick around for that then it was one last pint at Punch and Judy before it was time to catch the bus to Parieeeee. Get more stamps in my passport. It was late, I was well on my way of being drunk and the bus was action packed. Having not “checked in” I was one of the last on the bus and not many seats free. So I found myself sitting next to a Scott, and gotta say never meet such a wingy woman, first she didn’t like my torch, then my phone screen was too bright. I felt like telling her to close her eyes and problem solved!!! So I moved to back seat bandits with another weirdo pom, and cute as cute Frenchy. So we got chatting (as you do).

I asked him if there was a bar on board when we get on the ferry. He clearly didn’t understand ‘ferry’ and said no! No!  No bars on board, I just stay on the bus and sleep. (Me thinking that’s weird as the spirit of Tasmania you had get off)

We boarded the ferry and we had to get off, he was like ‘this is weird, have t had to do this before. Then we found ‘a bar’ surprise surprise. We got a pint, and then sat down to eat. All of a sudden Cute Frenchy, “goes OMG I can see water, we are on a ferry” (Light bulb moment)

Now fellow traveller’s word of advice: if wanting to catch the bus to Paris

1.      Goes with a friend so you can sleep on each other and not feel awkward.

2.      If you go on the ferry make sure you sit up front of buss, get off first and go get that couch, chair, anything to ‘try and sleep for two hours’ or u will be like me sleeping on the lino with no real sleep.

3.      Go on a bus that takes you on the Euro tunnel as u don’t get off the bus and can sleep.

4.      Or bla bla car…… ill fill u in on bla bla car later.

 

Arriving into Paris at 7am with no or little sleep and fearful of my lack of French, needing to make my way to my hostel without getting lost. Can I do it? I thought so.

1.      Brought my ticket – easy no dramas,

2.      Asked which stop, -advised to get off last stop, easy no dramas’

3.      4stops till end, peak hour on the train, get abused in French as this time I did not know how to say ‘je ne parle pas francais’ (I don’t speak French) or ‘ju ne comprends pas’ (I don’t understand), until another women just advised I am taking up too much room I need to stand up. (with the women who abused this in French giving me dirties all the way till her stop) lucky it was Friday

4.       Got off last stop: was like ummmm this is not  where I should be I don’t think, (freakkkkk out, no sleep and my backpack and me)

5.      Finally found a English speaking person who advised I need to get back to this spot and change here to get onto this line and get off at that station (easy right)

6.      So did as she said, got up from the underground and saw Maccas, made a bolt for it “Free Wi-Fi” (no phone or Wi-Fi in a foreign country = hard.) need to learn to travel back in the day with no technology. Made it to my hostel.

7.      Found it 3 hours later…. Check in ummm you can’t check in till 2 why thank you, but may I leave my bags please….. So then question was what to do till check in as I was leaving Paris the next day, no sleep, stinky from bus and need to get most of it…..

 

So I decided to head out until after 2 have a power nap before heading out at night for a bike/boat cruise tour.

I went to Arc de Triomphe as was told it has the most beautiful views of the whole city to as far as the eye can see. Millions of stairs, lucky for my Botox knee…..  It was good exercise on the legs, breathing. I suggest going there if you ever in Pariiiiiieeeeeee. 2 o’clock hit, headed back to hostel, as I also organised to catch up for a picnic at the Eiffel Tower before our tour.

You know that moment your head hits the pillow, alarm seems to go off like 5 min later which is really 1.5 hours, drool on the pillow and u can’t keep your eyes open! Well that is what happened… and do you think I made it to the picnic; I was pushing for time for my bike tour….

Mind you I am now an expert of Paris train line….

London Town the Savvy City

So I bailed on the job, and crashed at Dave’s for the wk. then I moved I to the backpackers called ST James. First wk. of unemployed involved job hunting and house hunting….then Park hoping… with no luck of success, on a plus side I have been getting interviews, just not landing the jobs. For some someone who has only worked for 3 organisations since they were 14, job interviews are like dates,

Sweaty. Clamy and awkward…. (probs why I am not getting jobs).

 

Anywhoo the last 2 weeks involved backpackers, Hilton hotel, job interviews, but most importantly NEW FRIENDS and good times…..

Backpackers with Frenchies, Aussies, Yanks, Swedish, Italian and the rest…. But Origin on Wednesday was Epic, best fun in a long while, 11am kick off, double pints, NSW WINS, house viewing in the bronks, (lucky I was drunk) 11 pm home, after pashes n dashes (baby steps), meeting lots off ppl, it was time to get food and home, which involved meeting a new Patrick on the tube, and eating maccas with Elise and Patrick to end up back at the hostel to book another week. (Clearly I was having so much fun at the hostel).

London is savvy and competitive when it comes to jobs and house hunting. And doing both at the same time is one tuff cookie. Yes I could have gone to a pub and got another job, but I spent 18months in a job that I didn’t like so I didn’t want to do the same in London when I have 2 years, so I didn’t, I played and partied and attend house viewings drunk (thank god), attended job interviews hungover.

I started to freak out a lil that I am spending all my money in London focusing on jobs and house, and will run out before I see Europe. To the extent I was looking at flights home. Yes everyone goes through this stage but I guess some are more extreme cases than others, but Karen an artist who is English born but lives in France gave me some words of advice. (Mother words, and she told her own daughter this)

‘I need to not focus on one thing, like house n job, but other opportunities and options’. So that day I was a teary mess I went to the park to ponder on her words. I came up with a solutions and Plan B C D E F…… actually not sure what plan this was...

Mind you my days did involve job/hunting to cider o’clock at a pub each day to, museums, Hyde Park, cycling, jack the ripper tour to cider o’clock…

So plans, I am still waiting on an outcome of my Dream job, but at the same time I can’t sit and wait for dreams jobs to come, so I decided I want to travel and work for food and bed, around Europe then maybe come back and give London a 2^nd time, (don’t think it’s our time to be professional equated). I land a working holiday off the west coast of France, and then Pamplona I landed a gig of a life time ‘Ground Crew’ so working on camp site for a travel company for  running with the bulls just so you know.

I also have been reminded, not only grateful having family in the UK who are willing to hold all your stuff, and reminisce their travels 18 years as they did what I am about to do. So lets see where the wind takes me.

Pot of luck in the lead up to London Town.

So I have been injected with my Botox, landed myself a live in Pub job in London and things seemed on the up. Whooooo…….. wait wait that just seemed all too easy. Because that was…

I was coming down with something after my hospital holiday and new improved knee. I learned my bank account had been skimmed money on 2 occasions, nearly 620pounds, which is nearly double that in aussie dollars was taken so I had to cancel my card, ring the bank, and then come Sunday after my last shift and instead of being a good girl, I did what I did best at 18 went out on a massive pub crawl bender, 2 days before I was to move into London. Getting home t something o’clock I went to the loo and dropped my phone in the toilet, whooo it was working like a charm, until I did a backup. So Tuesday left me with moving day, still hungover from Sunday night’s efforts, and had to get my phone sorted,

2 train trips to Barnes back, trip to Covent Garden apple store (200pounds later) and crook as dawg… (Google the journeys) then to find the staff accommodation disgusting like the grosses thing I have ever stayed in. the kitchen, I didn’t start work till Thursday so I had time to sort my shit out..

 

Then work time, woweee not all pubs are as good to work at as the Engineer.

My work conditions – in my contract in big red capitals letters (key points)

Minimum wage 6.20 pound

No staff meals for front of house, only kitchen staff, no knock off drinks

Not allowed to eat or drink in the pub on the day off or after shift

Kitchen for live in staff is shared with live out staff (Grosssssssss) I took pics it worse than I can’t even put it into words,

Tips only get given if they feel the staff deserve them and the till is down no tips. And I felt like I was back working at McDonalds with all the check lists and rules. So I quit.

 

I took a risk and Quit in hope I was to land a job in London……

Clinical Trial

mate of mine had done one in the past, and I heard the money was pretty good. So I thought I’d check it out and see what’s on the market in the pharmaceutical world!!

Well I found one that suits me to the tee. New form of drug for those who suffer from osteoarthritis, for me I was like Jackpot. I get paid and get a form of Botox injection into the knee area. However downfall was it’s a double placebo.

Initially I passed the question test, then I was full medical, ECG, bloods, drugs, wee, temp etc… you name it was being tested. Lucky the results came back clear; I made it to the 2^nd round.

My eyes were opened up to the medical world of what goes on behind the scenes. Round 2 involved more testing and long ride in a taxi to ‘Harley Street’ now those who are not aware but this street is the high end of medical examinations form radiology, physio etc…. I feel very very fancy getting my X-ray on my knees. Now to past this test I had to have arthritis show up on the results, I made to admission day.

 

This was quite a process, but I passed and I was going in for admission. Mind you all of this time I had to not drink for 72hours or 48hours before each visit. Some visits fell on a Monday which meant not drinking on the wkend. (Clearly I survived).

 

Wednesday was D day, by this time was still a lil nervous however start to build rapport with the staff, so kinda put me at ease. Now bare in mind clinical trials means your body is on the line.

Routine check-up, ECG, bloods etccc… now I am getting used to all of this and for someone who gives plasma every 2wks is not really scared of taken blood, however one of the assistant who took my blood sprayed my blood everywhere, I was lying down but when you feel warm blood on your arm and faces staring of ‘oh god’, you kinda panic.

 

After all the testing was done and food came it was chillax time. The ward reminded me of the movies during the war, all the beds lined up in one big line. It was time to meet my fellow guinea pigs, there was some doing Botox on their crow’s feet and brow line, as same as me.

There was Buddhist nun, prison warden, film director, and many others, however I was next to these people, and we got moved around a lot that night was 11:30pm in position for who was going first, and guess who got pot luck!! The youngest duck of the bunch by 20years plus.

 

After the injection I was heavily monitored with over 8 ECGs and lots of sleep

This is where the nerves kicked in, however I got through it. Over the last 6wks I have had follows ups and have my last one this wk. but I have to say my time and experience through this trial has been amazing and I think I got the drug as my knee hasn’t felt this good in over 8years. Mind you all is just a drug to supress the pain, so if I went and ran a marathon I’d still do damage to the arthritis, so sorry to disappoint but that won’t be ticked off my bucket list just yet. But I do feel superwomanish.

Harpenden

Life in Harpenden is nice calm and relaxed village, where any family would want to live and raise a family.  For me I was lucky enough to get to experience the country side of the UK, as for the first 2.5 months of my time, I got to spend time with my aunty and uncle and my lil cousins. During this time I also worked in the Engineer Pub down the road. Going back and working in a pub after not having pulled a beer for over 6years was a lil daunting, however I did survive and then soon enjoyed working.  But there was still this urge to go give London Town a crack. I was going all the time and the cost for travel into London was a mint so I took a plunge and went in.

As for harpenden it was time to leave the nest (kinda again), lush green common areas, quite suburban st, the pub (and always the way when u leave you become friends).

 

However before I was to leave Harpenden the luck of Hannah and her Misfortunes arose……