matt's 101 in 1001

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!