January in Camden Town

 January 2019

Arriving back in London, we made our way to Camden. Yannick and Necia were heading back to New Zealand and the lease on their flat wasn't up for almost a month, so they kindly offered for us to stay there until the lease was up. 
They showed us the small random things one needs to know about someone else's house such as how to top up the electricity - which involved buying credit at the local dairy -  it was all very foreign to me!

And then they were off. Saying goodbye to my family was sad, and the flat felt very empty without them. 

Luckily Jenessa and the gang were arriving in London the next day, and staying in an airbnb not far from us, so we would soon have company! We started the reunion right by taking them to our favourite gelato shop in the city, Grom.

Before we knew it though, we were saying another round of goodbyes, as our friends headed back to America.

A month in Camden town was awesome, even if we were flat broke (not paying rent certainly helped however!) My brother Christophe also came for a visit from Cambridge at the end of January, to celebrate his birthday! 

Not long later, my friend Joy and her partner Greg popped up from Crewe to visit us, and we ended up going to the Camden Comedy Club which was amazing! It was only 10 pounds each, and was hilarious, I highly recommend for a cheap night out.

Our holiday was now well and truly over, and we were in the midst of job hunting somewhat frantically. The flat unfortunately did not have internet however, as understandably, my family hadn't wanted to pay for it when they weren't there. 

We therefore spent almost every day in coffee shops stealing their Wifi to look for jobs. Or, when we were feeling really poor, popping into the lower level of the nearby Costa Coffee chain, and stealing the Wifi without buying a drink. Coffees in London were expensive!

There were some lovely experiences too though, walking through Regent's Park early in the morning, when a thick layer of frost covered everything.

The water had a thin layer of ice over it, and watching it slowly break apart was fascinating.

One day we popped to Baker Street, to wander past 221b, and also snag some pizza from Pizzaria De Michele, an unassuming and ridiculously delicious pizza place Yannick had recommended to us.

And it snowed! Not a whole lot, but watching it from the bedroom window was a highlight. 

Snow in London! Where was that at Christmas damnit. 

Ben, in typical fashion, managed to win us free tickets to the premier showing of the Lego Movie 2 in London, so not only did we get to see it for free before anyone else, we also got free beer and a surprise appearance from Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks! All in all, our time in London was a wonderful experience, and a small taste of what living there must be like.