Sydney autumn and ANZAC day

This week passed by so quickly. I guess that is what happens when you get into a routine life. You work, train, look at some TV and sleep and this is all there is time for during the weekdays. It doesn't matter where in the world you live. But weekends are different, and although Lars is busy with his essays we did have time for some fun. This was a long weekend in Australia because of ANZAC day. ANZAC day is a public holiday in Australia and it marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian forces during the First World War. The big day was on Sunday this year and you also get Monday off to relax. There is a big parade in the morning and the rest of the day is spent playing two ups (a game where you flip a coin in the air and you bet on heads or tail) and drinking beer in basically all the bars in Australia. This is the only day of the year people are allowed to play two ups in the bars. It is pretty crazy and lots of money is spent. Lars and I joined a Norwegian gang at a bar in Balmane (Sydney suburb) but don't worry we did not gamble away all our money. We bet 5$ on tails once during the evening and lost, but at least we have contributed to some ANZAC spirit.

Sunday was such a beautifully autumn day that we decided to take a walk in the Botanical Gardens and go past the Opera House before hitting the pubs. So far autumn has been very nice and this week we enjoyed temperatures over 26 degrees almost every day. I can however now feel the fresh sharp air in the mornings on my way to work, which is a sign that summer, as Australians know it, is over.  

Lars in the Botanical Gardens on Sunday

                                                       Cecilie@the Opera House

By the way, our apartment in Oslo is finished soon. If you know anyone who would like to rent a brand new three room apartment with excellent views over the city have a look at Finn.no and spread the word.

Hope everyone is well and please leave comments if you like. We love comments.......

Have a fulfilling week everyone.

Hug from,

Lars and Cecilie

Surfing in Gerroa, sightseeing in Berry and looking for kangaroos in Kangaroo Valley

We are lucky to have some very good friends in Sydney who invite us to beautiful places. This weekend Barry invited us to his mothers beach house in Gerroa. And when I say beach house it is a house ON THE BEACH, thus you cant get any closer to the water. It was very good timing for a trip down south. Lars really needed a break from his studies, and it was good for me to get out of the city after some long days at work.

As mentioned earlier Gerroa is a small wonderful place on the South Coast. It is only a 2 hour drive from Sydney (without traffic) and it is a perfect place for a weekend getaway. In addition to this it is a very good place to learn how to surf as there are not too many people, and fewer dangerous currents then outside the Sydney beaches. Berry has surfed for many years and he had plenty of boards for us to borrow at the house. So as tough sporty norwegians we were up for the challenge. 
On Saturday we woke up at 9am. The sun was shining and with 26 degrees in the air and 22 degrees in the water neither life or the surf could be any better.

        The gang getting ready for a morning surf

Surfer dude

                      Views of Gerroa Beach

The surfing on Saturday went really well and Lars had some good runs standing on the board. As beginners we did stay close to the beach, and the smaller waves, but it was great fun. After two hours in the water we were totally exhausted. We spent the rest of the day laying on the beach and in the beautiful beach house garden, relaxing. We even spotted a dolphin family jumping out in the sea, and that is not something you see every day.

Since the weather was so nice we also ended up having a big BBQ and lots of good Australian wine under the stars later that night.

On Sunday we did actually get up early to make time for a morning surf, but our bodies aced so much from the surfing (and the wine) the day before so we only had energy for an hour in the water. Later in the afternoon we drove to a little town, only 20min from Gerroa, called (ironically)Berry. When you arrive in Berry its like traveling back in time. There are only old style authentic buildings in the town, cute craft shops, and a very relaxed atmosphere. If you are in the Gerroa area you will not regret taking a trip through Berry.

Sighseeing in Berry

On our way back from Berry to Sydney on Sunday we drove past Kangaroo Valley hoping to spot some wild kangaroos in the countryside. Unfortunately we did not spot any, but Kangaroo Valley was a valley worth visiting. Not only did they have a self serve fudge and coffee machine but the nature there was astonishing. It shows that Australia has more to offer then beaches and wine. 

We enjoyed a great weekend discovering new parts of Australia, and we are very grateful that we have the opportunity to experience it together. 

We hope all of you are well, that spring is near, and that you are not stuck somewhere because of the ash cloud.

Have a super-duper week.

Big hug,

Lars and Cecilie

The Woodchopping World Championships, a Polo Game, and The Three Sisters

On Good Friday we took the train to Sydney Olympic Park where the Sydney Royal Easter Show was on. But folks, don't be fooled by the name Easter Show because the event is not only one big show. The Royal Easter Show runs for two weeks and you can walk around in a huge area all day long and watch everything from Rodeo contests, Polo games, dog shows, and lets not forget the Bananas in Pajamas dancing show. One show we found very interesting on Friday was the Woodchopping World Championships. Who even knew that this is a very serious sport? And talking about sports, we also watched our very first Polo match and it was really good. Nevertheless, although the Sydney Royal Easter show is a mecca for children there are heaps of wine tastings. In other words there are plenty of things to do  also for oldies like us.

                         Barry and me enjoying a Waffel at the Easter Show

The next trip we had planned this Easter was the Blue Mountain trip with Kenneth and Tegen. We really looked forward to this trip as neither Lars or I had been there before, and it would be our very first trip out of the city since we arrived. 

If the traffic is ok it takes approximately 1,5 hours to drive from Sydney to the Blue Mountains and the destination is perfect for a day trip. 

If you are wondering why they call it the Blue Mountains it is because the mountains is densely populated by oil bearing Eucalyptus trees. Thus, the atmosphere surrounding the mountains is filled with finely dispersed droplets of oil, which, in combination with dust particles and water vapour, scatter short-wave length rays of light which are predominantly blue in color. 

Although the weather was a bit too warm and clear to see the full blue effect, the blue color did appear more and more as we got closer to the afternoon. One of the major tourist attractions in the Blue Mountains are the Three Sisters. The sisters are respectively 922,918 and 906 meters tall and they are over 3000 feet above sea level. It is also possible to walk all the way out to them and thus see them up close.

         Lars and Cecilie with the Three Sisters in the background

Steps,steps, and more steps

It was just such a beautiful day for us and we loved hiking in the mountains. I think we hiked for at least 2 hours. Im actually curious about how many steps we walked up that day, it had to be thousands. On the way we passed beautiful waterfalls, mysterious caves and plenty of spiders.

We hope you all had a great Easter and that you did not over feed yourselves on Easter Eggs and Kvikk Lunsj. Next week we will update you on how my job is developing and on how things are going with Lars, working on his 3000 word essay.

Have a fantastic week everyone.

Big hug from Lars and Cecilie