fredag 11. oktober 2013

Heading slightly north, and back again..


Last week I (Ingrid) had mid-semester break, a lovely concept :) Used it to see a bit more of Queensland, some hours further north than Brisbane: Glasshouse Mountains, Hervey Bay, Noosa and Maroochydore. My company on this spectacular journey was 4 other Norgies, and a British girl. Rented a big car, and took off.

Brekkie in Brisbane before take-off
First stop: Glasshouse mountains





Fun with pictures... :) 


Burrum Heads and Hervey Bay

This definitely became the place for yummy veggies, fruit and meat. Had some awesome bbq dinners on the veranda, and nice, long breakfasts before we took to the beach.


Hervey Bay
Stine, Claire and myself had a splendid ride on a 3 persons bicycle. Had a good laugh while we struggled to manoeuvre this massive bike. Loving the helmets, by the way..


Didn't feel like the smartest people on earth, though..
Guess the picture speaks for itself..



A very long pier, with a view over to Fraser Island

Noosa, surfing and hiking.

Noosa became the place to learn how to surf. Was very much fun, indeed! Had three nice and sunny days here. The last day we took a walk in the national park, hoping to see dolphins and koalas. Ended up just seeing nudists at Alexandria beach.. But it was an amazing trail, and we stopped at some really nice and quiet beaches.







Practicing headstands in the sand

Maroochydore

Another nice, long breakfast with lots of fruit
Fun in the sand..



Thanks, Claire, for volunteering!


I left the gang in Maroochydore to go to Brisbane and join my dear hubby for a concert at the Riverstage. It was an outdoor viewing of Lord of the Rings, Two Towers, with live symphony orchestra. Was amazing, and definitely not something you do everyday :) 

All in all: A magnificent way to forget about university stuff! Now we're back in the library, trying to finish off the remaining assignments and preparing for the upcoming exams. Toby is working like a hero, as always. He's holding a big seminar next week, in addition to finishing research reports and pain assignments etc. He is looking forward to some weeks of holiday in a months time :)

søndag 6. oktober 2013

Visitors from the far north! Og mere til...

Brisbane festival, City of Lights

The last weeks (almost all of September), Brisbane festival has been happening. We have to admit, we haven't explored it as much as we probably should, but we have seen some amazing light shows. There were shows on the river every night, and at the last day of the festival we witnessed the Sunsuper Riverfire. Amazing fireworks, and military helicopters and jet planes entertained us from just above the river. The fireworks are impossible to describe, so I'm not gonna try to do so. But I will say that they sort of SMASH New Years Eve in Grimstad... ;) And they last a bit longer as well (20 mins). 


The light garden


Lots of pink rabbits all around the city


Toby and a random kangaroo made out of car stuff.. 

Excited crowd




The nightly light show on the river 
Banana pancakes= new favourite

They brought treasures :)
Mamma og pappa Selås in Brisbane

Very nice to see some family again! Jon and Ia were here for almost 2 weeks, and I think they had a good time in the sun and heat. We didn't have as much time to spend with them as we wanted (lots happening at uni), but they're grown ups and managed very well to take care of themselves :)  

Still awake at 9 pm after a looooong flight,
half the way around the world



Lovely Brisbane riverside




















We actually went on a day trip, all of us together! Rented a car and drove south to Currumbin (we've been there a few times now :)). Had a good day at the beach, and finished it all with a coffee and ice cream in Surfers Paradise on the way back to the city.

Rubber Ducky is finally travelling again :)

Looks real, but is it?

 Jon and Ia also went north one day, they saw koalas and kangaroos, went on several ferry rides on the river, saw Toby's campus, went to the city beach etc. We did also take advantage of their free washing machine, and had lots of lovely dinners together, both in their apartment and out on the town :) They also got to see the Riverfire, and I think they were just as amazed as us. 

Good times!