Sunny days and Jaffa Cakes

London so far has been wonderful. The unseasonably fabulous weather has put a spring in everyone's step (despite the sweaty, cramped mess that is the tube system in warm weather), and made seeing London and getting out and about a much more enjoyable experience. Job-hunting has been going fairly well so far, had a few interviews so we'll see where they take me... 

This city is one of my favourites. It strangely reminds me immensely of Sydney; I just get that homely vibe. There's so much to see in London and having visited most of the traditional tourist sites previous times, my spare moments are spent exploring new areas and paths less-travelled by the everyday tourist. Camden markets were amazing; such a large variety of stalls and items, with a wonderful international food section, with stalls selling every meal from Spanish tapas and Brazilian barbecue, to Chinese stir fries and Dutch desserts. It was difficult process deciding what to have for lunch!

Although a well-known tourist area in London, you simply can't pass up shopping on Oxford Street. Every big brand can be found on this one long strip of road, accompanied by many more along Regent Street. I also absolutely love Hamley's toy store on Regent Street, the oldest toy store in England, I believe. It even sells the traditional, wind-up wooden toys as it would have back in it's early days! 

And, of course, no trip to London would be complete without a visit to the brilliant Milkshake City on Woodhouse Road in Finchley. Able to create any combination of milkshake flavours under the sun, it's definitely worth the wait. 

Anyway, here's a few pictures from London so far:

Parisienne

So my original destination on my quest for an overseas adventure was Paris. 

Planning to work and live there somehow, I basically barreled into the country and started looking for work. Having been to Paris a few times before, it wasn't a completely new city to me, although trying to see it from the perspective of a resident rather than a tourist was a bit of a challenge at the beginning.

 Staying in a hostel, I began distributing my French CV's to hotels and anywhere else I thought I would be capable of working. Although my French is good, I didn't think it would quite up to the standard of working in a customer service/retail environment.

 But alas, after roughly three weeks of interviews that led nowhere and constant stress, I began to lose hope. Having had London in the back of my mind as a backup for some time, I decided to apply online for some jobs over there just in case. It was then I received a request for an interview. HALLELUJAH. 

Drinking in my last few days in the French capital, I caught a (horribly early) flight to London. But I felt my time in Paris had been so significant it definitely deserved a blog post, as I met so many wonderful people and had many fun (and questionable) experiences. Here's a few snaps from my time as a Parisian:

Bienvenue!

Hi everyone! 

Tilda here, but you can call me Tilly. Lately, I've been on a bit of a wander... far beyond the city I call home. Having turned 19 a week ago, many called me crazy when I announced I was leaving to test my chances at living on the other side of the earth. Alone, too. 

Throughout the last month of being away from home, I felt as though my experience was slipping from me, with no-one to share the memories with. I decided a blog was in order, and this, my friends is what your obedient little computer mouse has led you to today. I will be posting entries as often as possible (knowing my ability to commit to anything, probably irregularly. Fair warning) and perhaps the odd accompanying photo to guide your imagination. I may also post entries and photos from previous trips, as a sort of memory preservation technique... and an opportunity to reminisce. 

So, if you're reading this, thank you for getting this far, and I hope to see you again in a later post.

Love, peace and Reece's pieces,

Tilly.