How things change.

After an unfruitful two-week search for work and accommodation in Edinburgh, we've reached the decision that the only way to live comfortably whilst actually saving pounds, is to head back to London to work.

Not an easy decision, by any means. We'd all decided we love Edinburgh on our first day here; the city has such character. But the figures didn't stack up. Work here, which, in our field, is difficult to come by, pays an absolute pittance, and living costs aren't a great deal lower (if any). Meanwhile, in London, pay is considerably higher and there is much more work available.

So tomorrow, we're jetsetting back to the UK capital, where, hopefully, we'll settle down soon and earn some cash. We'd all established we'd rather stay put, but the sums just weren't adding up in our favour. Given the plan is to travel all through summer (right now, it's just too freaking cold!), the less we dip into our savings at this point, the better.

Otherwise, Edinburgh life is good. Today we paid a visit to Edinburgh Castle, which offers an amazing glimpse at the kind of history we couldn't even dream of in Australia. The castle itself has some gorgeous architecture, whilst inside you'll find relics from all kinds of battle-related aspects of Scottish history. On the outside, you can squeeze into a space between the numerous cannons strategically positioned around the castle's exterior for a breathtaking view of Edinburgh and the surrounding city.

No doubt we'll be back at some point - after all, I still have to visit Loch Ness and bag me a monster - but I can't help but feel sad that I'm leaving a little earlier than I'd hoped.

One week on in Edinburgh, and not much has changed.

Still living at the hostel.

Still on a very strict rotation of clothes.

Still eating far too much food.

That said, things could be worse. On the work front, I'm signed up for temp work (my visa isn't valid until later this week, so I'm not surprised it's been slow-going 'til now) with a recruitment agency here in the city. Meanwhile, I'm keeping an eye out for retail stuff as well, which pays similarly and requires much less stress and responsibility; wages here, on the whole, are pretty lousy, which isn't encouraging, but there's not much that can be done about it. Given our limited time here, I think I'd sooner enjoy myself at a low-stress job than worry about an office job where I know I have no future.

Today we began looking at apartments where we can temporarily reside, at least for a few months, whilst we work to earn some pounds; the awful exchange rate is ensuring my savings will have a short lifespan in my bank account. There have been a couple of nice places, which haven't been too expensive. It'd be great if we could find somewhere by the week's end, thus cementing our decision to stay here in Edinburgh.

Took my first photos since arriving in Edinburgh today, which is a sign that sight-seeing has been non-existant over the past eight days. Walked the short distance to Edinburgh Castle this morning (but not inside; something for a later day), from where you get fine views of the city's surrounding areas, including Firth of Forth. It's a gorgeous place.

Ciao for now.

Well, we're here.

The temporary end-of-the-line.

Having cruised through Singapore, Germany, Austria (albeit briefly) and England, we have arrived in Edinburgh, where the hunt for work and a place to temporarily reside (I refuse to call it "home") has begun.

It's slow-going at the moment, with work looking a bit slim and the salaries a little lower than we'd anticipated, but it's only been a couple of days, so we're far from giving up hope yet. We've decided to see what work's available so we can work out a place to live (and rent) accordingly.

The plan is to find work here for a few months (depending on how many pounds we're raking in in what will no doubt be fantastic jobs) before heading off for some more travel. But for now, I think what we're all looking forward to more than anything else is to settle down somewhere, stop living out of a backpack and to be able to leave personal belongings strewn recklessly over the floor without fears of them going walkabout.

As for Scotland itself... I love it. It's more laidback than the occassionally-stuffy London but most people still act more responsibly than they do back home. It's a good balance. We're staying at a hostel right near The Royal Mile, Scotland's main stretch, right in the heart of Old Town (New Town is just a hop, skip and a jump away). There's plenty of old architecture and history nearby (within walking distance is both the church from the climax of The Da Vinci Code and the cafe where JK Rowling wrote the first 'arry Potter novel). The sun is out today and I'd guess it's a comfortable 10+ degrees.

I'll be in touch soon to keep you updated on how the employment search is going!

G'day on this surprisingly sunny London afternoon!

Having a very enjoyable time in London, and have covered at least half the Monopoly board over the past five days. On Tuesday, we wandered along Oxford and Regent Streets (I had a hotel on Regent Street once, before I went bankrupt), which was an all-day affair; endless rows of department stores, selling everything under the fleeting London sun. Backpack restrictions, however, meant I left with nothing (not to mention our Aussie dollar equalling something approximating £0.000000001).

Yesterday we took the tube down to Leicester Square (that's in the yellow section of the Monopoly board, for those of you playing at home) and spent the afternoon at the theatre. Got some great (and fairly cheap) tickets to the stageplay of The Producers, which is even better as a stageplay than the recent movie remake. Well recommended, if you make it to London and fancy a jaunt at the theatre. A very cultured affair, even if it's a play about gay, singing Nazis that leaves no race, religion or gender unoffended ("Springtime for Hitler and Germany, Winter for Poland and France; Watch out Europe, we're going on tour").

Tomorrow, we're trekking over to the opposite side of London to check out the big tourist sites, such as London Bridge, Big Ben and MI6.

Not a great deal else to report; definitely off to Edinburgh on Sunday. Soon after that, we'll be looking for somewhere to rent and settle down for a few months, find some work and fit in some sightseeing during our spare time.

Just passed the three-week mark for this trip (in some ways it feels like I haven't even left yet, and in others, like I've been gone an eternity). In any case, I'm enjoying myself a great deal, even if I'm very much missing you all at home.

I'll report back soon!

Before I fill you in on what's going on in London, I have been informed I have to report that I inadvertently filed my previous entry from a gay Internet café (not that there's anything wrong with that). After signing off and heading outside, the pieces of the puzzle slotted into place: the overly friendly owner, the same-sex couples seated throughout the café, and finally the name of the café, Coffee Fellows. All a learning experience.

On our last day before flying to London, we went to Austria. For lunch. That's it. Just lunch! Very cool! Austria's lovely. Similar to Germany, but possibly even more picturesque. We went to a wonderful little café with a modern, but classic atmosphere. Thoroughly enjoyable!

After a delayed flight into Heathrow, thanks to a very foggy London afternoon, we made our way to the adequate Royal Court Apartments in Paddington. We're here for seven nights, but haven't seen much of the city yet (where the temperature is a scorching 5°C). Today we went for a brief wander through the city to Hyde Park, where we caught the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery 41-gun salute to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne. It was a typically British affair with lots of horses, cannons, overdressed participants and plenty of dignitaries in top hats. Jolly good show!

This evening, we've wandered the streets of London checking out the shops, etc, and snagged a few books (including, at long last, The Da Vinci Code) for those wind-down days. Over the next week, we'll do all those touristy things London things, and hopefully catch a matinée of The Phantom of the Opera.

After that, it's off to Edinburgh!

I can't believe it hasn't even been three weeks yet. In so many ways, it feels like much longer, but at the same time, I still can't believe I've left. Homesickness is fleeting, but it was inevitable. Under the circumstances, it's not too bad.

I'll have some pictures uploaded soon, as it's getting a bit out of hand on my camera.

Hope that all is well with everyone at home and abroad!

Dear family and friends,

It is with deep regret that I inform you I am a changed man. The Matt you all knew is gone. I have arrived at the realisation that, replacing the clean-cut, well-groomed, employed man you're familiar with, is a mere shadow of him.

I am now unemployed, sporting an unfashionable belly and desperately need a shave. I'm living out of a backpack, wearing the same clothes over and over and crashing at various people's houses and find myself, each day and night, eating a truckload of food and drinking copious amounts of beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages. Sounds pretty grim, right?

Wrong.

After an ill few days in Munich (jetlag, no doubt), things have taken a total turn for the better. I attended the opening night screening of Steven Spielberg's new film, Munich, in Munich! The next day we headed down to Passau, a city near the German-Austrian border, where, soon after arrival, I indulged in my first snowball fight. We've been tobbogganing on multiple occassions (including in the backyard!). I have been exceptionally well-wined and dined, trying a range of German foods and many, many German, French, Austrian and Italian beers, wines, champagnes and schnappes. I went for a refreshing barefoot walk in the snow (which is excruciating at the time, but afterwards gives the impression you've just dunked your feet in a trés expensive tub of champagne). We visited the Salzburg Saltmine (a massive saltmine that has been operational since the early 1500s; once entering, you travel down on a series of trains and 40-metre slides (as in slippery-slides) until you end up in the deepest part of the mountain, where you drift across a salt lake on a raft 140 metres below the surface). On the way to the saltmine, we had the opportunity to zip down the famous autobahn at a cruisey 220km/h, with a couple of detours through Austria on the way (current country count: 3). Yesterday we visited the Spiegelau Glass Factory, where glasses are all hand-blown the old-fashioned way. And today we're simply wandering the streets of Passau, before heading off to a beer festival tonight. Did I mention I've been exceptionally well-wined and dined?

In Munich, we stayed at the Euro Youth Hotel, a decent little hostel near the city's shopping centre. We didn't see a great deal of Munich due to illness, but no doubt we'll be back at some point. Since arriving in Passau, we've stayed with two exceedingly welcoming families (understatement of the millennium) who've been kind enough to keep us very, very well-fed and have been showing us the sights of Passau. Incidentally, I love this city. It's got Bavaria plastered all over it, with the architecture, food and customs all indicative of what to expect of South German life. Oh, and today it's a chilly -9°C (during the day).

On Sunday, it's off to London, which I'm really excited about. My cockney accent may need a brush-up, but I've got a few days.

Cheers and German beers.