The Blog is not dead....

I can believe that we have now been in Australia for almost 7 months. Its just been crazy busy with work, and life in general has been very busy and fun. We have been through so many new experiences in these 7 months. Working and living in Australia again was always my dream and at the moment I am living my dream and enjoying every minute of it. I have to say that if you ever get an opportunity to go and work abroad you should embrace that chance because it does give your a totally different life experience. In saying that it has not only been easy. One thing is the cultural differences and the language not being your mother tounge. But having just been acquired by one of the largest IT companies in the world (Cisco) the amount of information and changes you have to process over a very short timeperiod is enormous. Saying that I am now working as a Channel Manager dedicated to Telstra (Australia's largest telco). I am working together with a large Cisco team, and I am really enjoying it. As for my better half, Lars has started his essay marathon again (semester 2) and I think he is looking forward to his 3months of summer hollidays from late November.

On that note, spring is in the air in Sydney and the blog is up and running again.

                                       Go-cart with work is a hit also in Australia

Winter blues? snooze...

We are now officially in mid winter in Australia. The sun has turned once again and the days are getting longer. Sydney is however still coldish and the other day we woke up with ice on the inside of our windows. I guess that mainly tells you a bit about how badly our apartment is isolated, however it was also the coldest week in Sydney since 1949. As a norwegian you cant help laughing a bit inside when Sydneysiders are discussing the cold weather on the bus. Yes it is cold but its not that cold. Its still 16 degrees during the day and 10 degrees at night. I believe the issue is rather that people just don't have warm enough clothes. Nevertheless, when your winter only lasts from June to September complaining is not allowed.

In saying that, if you get hit by winter blues why not snooze with a trip to warmer weather up the coast. That is what we decided to do late last week. Last Friday, Hanne, Lars and myself jumped on an afternoon flight up to Queensland (the sunshine state) to snooze away some winter weather and for a Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Nimbin, Brisbane road trip.

  Hanne and Cecilie on the beach in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast


We started our trip with a night in Surfers Paradise, a very tacky Miami Beach look alike place, but also a must see and do on the Gold Coast. The best part of the Gold Coast are the beautiful beaches. There are just miles of perfect beaches and during summer its packed with tourists. Lucky for us it is "winter" and "only" 23 degrees so we had the beach to our selves together with some european tourists. I have to report that we did sun bade on the beach for a few hours and we now go by the name "The Crazy Norwegians".

Lars in Byron Bay, out by the lighthouse

Next stop on our road trip program was to head south to Byron Bay. Byron is 1,5h South from the Gold Coast and you cross back in to the New South Wales border (not the sunshine state???) We drove down to Byron along the coast during the afternoon and we actually stayed in a backpacker hostel. I must say it was a bit weird to write down my age on a paper note at the hostel, but 29 is better then 30..... Although the backpacker was very nice, cost us nothing and we had our own room and bathroom we where happy to stay at a 5 star apartment in Brisbane after one night in a Backpacker Hostel. Its been a long time since we fell asleep to the sound of someone throwing up in the next room.  OMG we are getting old......

                          Nimbin, the town of "peace mate" and "drugs mate?"


Last stop before Brisbane (or Brisvegas as Sydneysiders like to call it) was Nimbin, the number one hippie town of Australia. Its really just a "drive through and have a quick look" town. But it is interesting to see how some people still live and breath the peace and love life. There are a lot of herbs in this town.

After stopping in Nimbin on Sunday we drove up to Brisbane and the Sunshine state again and the temperatures crawled back over 20 degrees. I worked in our Brisbane office on the Monday and Tuesday while the other guys did some sightseeing and shopping (life is not always fair).

Nevertheless it was a great snoozzzze from cold, old Sydney, and a taste of the summer to come.

Have a great summer in Europe.

Hugs from Cecilie and Lars

Melbourne- the perfect destination for a weekend away with the girls

When you live in Sydney there are plenty of good "weekend away with the girls" destinations. If you want good shopping, hidden cool bars and excellent restaurants combined with only a short plane trip (1h), Melbourne is the place to go. Therefore, in the true Sex And The City 2 spirit, Hanne, Francine, Tanya and I left for Melbourne on Thursday for our long weekend. June is actually a good time to go to Melbourne as it is low season due to autumn, and you can get really good bargains on accommodation and shopping. We rented a luxury apartment for a great price in the middle of St Kilda, a very vibrant and young suburb with lots of bars,cafes and restaurants. On Friday we woke up early feeling fresh and ready for some serious shopping. It has been raining non stop in Sydney the latest two weeks so it was good to wake up on the Friday to some good shopping weather. We spent the day in Chappel Street, one of the hot shopping strips in Melbourne (more Gruneløkka style) and we also found the cutest little dark,small and cozy Italian cafe where we had great lunch and marvelous wine. Friday turned out to be a slow shopping day as we could not really find the best bargains. On Saturday however, we found a huge Alana Hill (famous Australian designer) factory outlet store and we all went bananas. I bought two lovely dresses  I cant wait to wear when summer is back in a couple of months. 

                   The girls in front of Luna Park in St Kilda

Melbourne is full of funky restaurants and we ended up 

having lunch in this pimped up factory on Saturday 

                             Eating fresh Crab at Claypots seafood bar St Kilda on Saturday

Thats all I have time to write for now as I need my beauty sleep before starting on a new hard week at work tomorrow. And yes, I did loose some of my beauty sleep on the girls trip that I have to catch up on.
It is also a fact that what happens on a girl trip stays within the group, so I cant really reveal much other then that it was a great trip and Melbourne is definitely a great destination for a weekend away with the girls.

Have a fantastic week everyone.

Have you ever been to France, China and Italy all in one day?

One thing that I love about Sydney is that you can find so many different cultural happenings just outside your doorsteps. There are also always many happenings on the weekend and there is plenty to do, even when the weather is getting colder. This Sunday, Hanne (my new norwegian buddy) and I decided we wanted to visit both France, China and Italy on the same day. We started out with experiencing a piece of France by going to a cute french cafe for breakfast in Darlinghurst. Crepe with maple sirup and cheese and ham omelette with baguette was on the menu. We even got a sarcastic comment from one of the french waitresses because we asked if crepe was the small pancakes or the large ones. Yes, it felt just like sitting at a street cafe in Paris.

After our yummy breakfast we decided to walk down to Chinatown to look for some UGG boots. Our apartment in Rushcutters Bay is freezing cold in the evenings due to the white cold tiles on the floors. Great for summer, but not so great for winter. Paddys Market is a huge indoor market in the middle of Chinatown with lots of the crap you normally find at markets, but you can also find some nice things if you know where to look. There are 6-7 stands inside the market with UGG´s. I bought a pair of sheep wool slippers for both me and Lars to wear inside on our cold, cold floor. Chinatown is however not only about markets and UGGs on sale. Hanne and I also did some sightseeing and passed plenty of dancing dragons and Japanese teddybear shops on the way.

I have to admit that although China is nice to visit for a short period of time it is not my favorite country. So, luckily this Sunday it was "PRIMO ITALIANO" day in Sydney, and the ads promised us that we would be Italian for a day......

Although the weather was not the best with some rain falling from the sky (guess that can happen in Italy as well) the advertising kept is promise. We ate pizza, saw pasta making from scratch, threw a coin in to the "Trevi Fountain" and even listened to Italian Opera live on stage.

And where was my beloved fiance when I was traveling around the world you might wonder? Well, he was in Australia at the State Library working on his essay due on tuesday. But don't you worry, I did bring back some fresh Tiramisu for him to keep him happy(er)

Have a great week everyone. 

Viva Italia.

The perfect day.....

The Sydney Opera House was soaked in sun and the Botanical Gardens in Sydney was full of happy people enjoying a beautiful and warm autumn day. The date 09.05.2010 would be a date to remember for the couple from Norway who earlier this year moved to Sydney to explore life on the other side of the world. For one, it was a perfect day. The sun was shining and there was not a cloud to be seen over the Sydney skyline. It was the perfect day to take a walk from Rushcutters Bay down towards the gardens. It was the perfect day for a pick-nick in one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. It was the perfect day to relax on a pick-nick blanket with the guy you love, enjoying the beautiful view of the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. It was the perfect day for Lars to go down on his knee on a picknick blanket, in front of the Opera House, and the Harbor Bridge to ask Cecilie if she would want to spend the rest of her life with him. It was the perfect day for Cecilie to say yes. The date 09.05.2010 would always be a date to remember.........

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

Happy Easter with a twist

This year there will be no KVIKK LUNSJ after a long ski trip, there will be no eating orange in a huge warm down jacket outside in the snow and there will definitely be no moms home made easter dinner. Easter in Australia is very different experience then the one in Norway. It might be a climate thing as there is no snow in sight and we are still enjoying temperatures well above 25 degrees, it is however with no doubt a cultural thing. Australian Easter is very similar to American Easter and I should know since I have lived and enjoyed easter in both countries. Here they buy cupcakes in all kinds of flashy colors, people take there kids to huge Easter Shows where they have plenty of fun games and where kids can meet farm animals and buy Showbags filled with candy and toys. Although Easter does not officially start until Good Friday in Australia I decided to try to get into the Easter spirit by going cupcake hunting in Surry Hills, a suburb  just outside the city center (similar to Gruneløkka). Walking down Crown Street amongst all the organic and hip cafes I stumbled over this cute little cupcakery called SPARKLE. Believe me, this was cupcake heaven with cupcakes inn all the colors and tastes you can imagine. I ended up buying a coconut covered cupcake for Lars, as I know he loves coconut, and for myself I bought a white chocolate coated cupcake with pink mint, a very girly choice. As Lars spent all Saturday at university working on his assignment I decided to surprise him with a little treat. I therefore brought a blanket, the yummy cupcakes and myself to the university and we enjoyed a little picnic on the grass in front of the library. No wonder he loves me....

Nevertheless, we wont really have time to celebrate Easter this year as I start in my new job today and Lars has two essays due just after the Easter break. We will however take time to meet some friends for a BBQ over the long weekend (work is off Friday and Monday) and hopefully go out for some drinks.

                                   Stables Theatre Darlinghurst

As mentioned I start in a new job with TANDBERG Australia today and I am very excited. I will be working as a Channel Sales Development Manager working with developing and training TANDBERG Partners. I will tell you more about the job when I get into it, but I am looking forward to using my knowledge and experience in the Australian market. My days as a "desperate house wife" are over.

                                  Vesbar Cafe, Crown Street, Surry Hills

Lars is still very busy with school and on Thursday he had his first presentation in front of class. Unfortunately he is also busy on the weekends, however yesterday we made time for a picnic in the local park. The best lunch you can eat when the sun is shining, and Lars has to run back to his essay rather quickly, is some cheese and crackers in the park followed by some fresh grapes and strawberries.

  

I also want to quickly mention that on Friday I sailed my last Twilight race for the summer.  The weather was fantastic with lots of wind and the sunset was just beautiful. The summer season starts again in September and I cant wait to get back out there. However, the sailing season never stops in Sydney Harbor.  For those who want to sail all year round the winter series start in May with sailing every Saturday. 

With that note we wish you all a Happy Easter and hope you have a great holiday wherever you are in the world.

Big hug from Lars and Cecilie

Two Ants and a coffee

If there is something Sydney can offer its residents it is hundreds of thousands of small cute cafes where you can drink your morning coffee and read the latest news in The Sydney Morning Herald. After living in our apartment in Rushcutters Bay for over a week we have now found our own favorite cute local coffee place. And believe me there is plenty of competition in the area. So why do we love this one particular place so much? Well for one it is located just a two minute walk from our apartment towards the beautiful and peaceful Elisabeth Bay, but most importantly it serves "the best" Cappuccinos and Mochas we have tasted in a long time. This together with the white antique style building, the friendly staff and the cute name "Two Ants" makes us want to come back for more. Nowadays when I am still unemployed (although not for much longer) and my Harry Hole is at university all day long I bring the Harry Hole book I am reading up too Two Ants for my morning coffee. It is the perfect start to my day.  

I have to say that I am very proud of Lars these days because I know it is hard for him to study again in a foreign language after working six years. He is up all day and all night reading and taking his studies very seriously. I have to be honest and say that I had forgotten how much work it is to take a masters degree at The University of Sydney. This week for example he has a Power Point presentation in class about "globalization and safety" in the subject Business and Security and next week he has two essays due in two other subjects. Although there is a lot of pressure on him at the moment he is learning something new every day and I am convinced that the competence he now is building will be highly sought by in the future.

We also promised you some answer to some questions last week and here they are:

ANSA CRUISE:

Yes, Lars me and Kenneth where probably some of the oldest on the ANSA cruise on Thursday, but we did have a good time with the kids. I have however after some consideration decided that this was probably my last ANSA cruise ever and that makes me feel a bit old.

THE SAILING:

We won the harbor race on Wednesday and I could hardly believe it, great fun to be number one. However in Fridays Twilight race it was back to reality with only a twelfth place. The good news is that there is one more Friday Twilight race to go so we still have time for revenge. (If someone is wondering why they call it Twilight race it is because the race is in the evening (5PM-8PM) just before the sun goes down behind Sydney's tall buildings)

THE JOB:

Good news on this one, it looks like I have a new job. I will however have more on this topic next week as I have not signed a contract yet. I have a meeting with the company on wednesday to seal the deal.

Last but not least have a look at our new film Sydney Action Part 3 for some clips from our local area Rushcutters Bay and some clips from St Patricks Day celebrations in Sydney.
Link Sydney Action Part 3

Have a tremendous week everyone.

We also send an extra hug to Brit this week and wish her a happy snappy birthday on Tuesday.

Hug from

Cecilie and Lars

How many 30 ml tastes of wine can you drink before you get tipsy on a Sunday?

That was the question we asked our selves when we woke up Sunday morning feeling in a good mood knowing there would be wine tasting in Hyde Park with some of Australia's best wineries throughout the day. You see, this week is New South Wales Wine Week, in other words, quoted from The Sydney Morning Herald: Seven days of the state's best drinking and eating all in one place (Sydney). So after a good breakfast on the balcony followed by our morning run in Rushcutters Bay Park we decided it was time for some wine. Strangely it was not only us who woke up with an urge for the squashed grapes this day, so we joined the other 20.000 people in Hyde Park and tasted some of the best wines in the region. And the answer to our initial question: In the sun, with no water its 5 tastes of red, 5 tastes of white and 10 tastes of Peterson's pink sparkling.

The Apartment


We moved in to our new apartment on Friday and we are so, so happy. We love the location, we love the fact that we have the park and the bay with all the sailing boats just outside our doorstep. We love the local tennis club where you can play tennis for 100 NOK an hour and grab a coffee or a sandwich afterwards. We love the balcony where we have breakfast in the sun on the weekends and we love the white, bright and clean apartment with our outdoor furniture, inside. Actually we now call the place our summer house.
For a guided tour in our apartment and the local area see our new film:  Sydney Action Part 2 (just click on the link to watch)

As you probably understand last week was all about moving into the apartment, and while Lars had to go to school I ran around K-Mart and IKEA to try to find stuff that was OK but cheap. The only thing we need now is a carpet in the lounge, a vacuum cleaner, something to hang on the wall and a washing machine for clothes. We do however have a coin operated laundry room in the building where we can wash until we buy our own.
We hope we can find a used one for around 700NOK on gumtree (the same as FINN.no)

The BBQ

On Sunday after the wine tasting we also attended our first Australian BBQ at Tigen and Kenneths place in Pyrmont. It was just what we needed after a long weekend with moving and settling in to our new place.

Next week on livetwiceinsydney.blogspot.com:


Will Lars and Cecilie be the oldest norwegians on the ANSA student cruise coming up this Thursday?
Can Cecilie and the rest of the crew on Carmen (sailboat) win the last twilight race of the season?
Will Cecilie get a job soon?
Does Lars and Cecilie have a washing machine or do they still wear dirty clothes?
Sydney Action Part 3......

Dont miss out on next weeks Blog.

Have a marvelous week everyone.

Hugs from Lars and Cecilie

The best way to celebrate a new apartment is with drinks at Opera Bar

We got the apartment in Rushcutters Bay and we are moving in this week. The happy couple (Lars and Cecilie) therefore celebrated this Saturday with a pub dinner at Harbor Bridge View Hotel in The Rocks, followed by drinks at the Opera Bar down by Sydney Opera House. It was a lovely and warm night and it was our first time down to the Opera House since we arrived. It is at the moment you see the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge lit up at night, surrounded by tourist and party people, you realize that you are in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. After dinner we strolled down to Circular Key and bought our selves a double scoop ice cream to cool down. The evening ended with drinks at the Opera bar where a jazz band played groovy beats and the party factor was high ( www.operabar.com.au ).

Opera Bar

Now, back to the new apartment. It is not furnished so we have to buy some stuff. The good news is that Lars meet this nice Australian guy at university who new another guy who was selling a bed and a fridge for a very good price. So now we have a bed and a fridge. We also bought a new sofa, two chairs and a table for 1500 NOK and a 80 piece kitchen starter set for 500 NOK, both at K-mart. Its a good start. 

See: http://www.domain.com.au/Property/For-Rent/Apartment/NSW/Rushcutters-Bay/?adid=6474679 

                                       Our new living room furniture

The first week of university passed quickly for Lars and he has now just started his second week of lectures. On Mondays he has a subject called International security, on Tuesdays he has Strategy and Security in the Asia Pacific and on Wednesdays its Decease and Security. Thursdays and Fridays are lecture free and he has time for studying and reading articles for the next lecture. The first semester he will also complete a subject called Business and Security in an intensive course over a few weeks. The first essay is due already in the end of march so there is really no time to relax, and we don't really see each other much during the week. We do however try to make time for dinner together after his lectures and we often meet in Newtown for a good and cheap Thai-meal. 

There is also some new job-hunting news. I have a job-meeting with a company in the city on wednesday and I have also applied for five other jobs. I hope something will land in the near future and will keep you posted. Other then that we hooked up with my old room mate Kenneth for dinner and a drink yesterday after a long nice Sunday at Bondi Beach. Summer is still going strong in Sydney. 

                                 

Saturday market@The FRINGE                            milkshake @Bondi cafe 

Last but not least, have a look at some Live L&C Sydney Action: Sydney Action part one


Have a thrilling week everyone.

Hugs from Lars and Cecilie

Let the university classes begin, and the apartment-hunting stop...

We have some good news this Monday. On Saturday we went apartment hunting and found this cute little apartment down by Rushcutters Bay. It is small and it is in an older building, but it has a good sizes bedroom. and it has recently been renovated. The bathroom is new and the kitchen is new, it has internal laundry and a dishwasher. The best part is that it has a cute balcony with morning sun and it is big enough for us to have breakfast. It is also situated at the end of a no through street so it is very quiet and nice. It is only a 3 min to walk to the nearest subway station that takes Lars straight to uni, and in 10-15 minutes you can walk to the city or straight over to Darlinghurst and Paddington. Anyways, the real-estate agency called us today and wanted us to come down and leave a deposit to hold the apartment. We think that means that we might get it, and tat we can move in already next Friday. However, we will not get too excited before we are a 100% sure we get it. We will know more this afternoon and will keep you posted.

 

This is where we live now in "the" studio

Today is also Lars’s first day at university and it is exciting. He has been taking some pre-courses during last week on how to write essays and how to use the library resources, just to get a feel of the action. He has met a lot of Asians but hardly any Europeans or Australians and no Norwegians. It will be interesting to see if there are any Norwegians in his first class today. As for my job hunting, the first step is to go down to Manpower and Kelly Services in the city tomorrow to present myself and see if they have any jobs available. Other than that I will apply for jobs over the Internet and also contact the Norwegian companies that I know in Sydney. I hope I can get something interesting, time will tell. 

 In between apartment-hunting this week we cooled down with a swim in Leo and Mary's pool.

The week that just passed has been great. We spent most of the weekend apartment hunting, but also had time for some dining and wining, the Mardi Gras parade, sailing, some workouts and a trip to the (closed) beach.

The pictures below will give you an idea about our week.

Have a great day everyone!


Big hug from Lars and Cecilie 

Beach closed because of tsunami warning

 






Mardi Gras Parade 2010

                                                                          Lars@ The Fringe Bar