Freezing Budapest

I have always thought Norway, positioned in the far north at the fringe of the world, was a really cold place. But travelling through central Europe made me realise that there are places that both match, and beat, my home country when it comes to miserable weather.

But even though Budapest was not the best strategic choice weather wise, it was certainly a splendid city with its mix of the historically grand and the trendy new. And the city's many natural thermal springs gave even this frozen Norseman a chance of heating up. 

Fun fact: Buda is on the left side of the river and Pest is on the right.

Lost in Bratislava

I had a short stopover in the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava, to break up my train ride from Prague to Budapest. It was a cold, windy and rather unpleasant visit where I was lost for most of the time. I wandered around for a few hours, following signs promising me grand places such as "The Historical Centre", but I never found anything quite corresponding to the alluring descriptions.

Fairytale Castle

The dramatic Prague Castle can be seen from almost everywhere in Prague and is one of the city's main tourist attractions. The massive complex (all the buildings in the picture make  up the castle) is protected by  stylish guards in uniforms created by the guy that designed the costumes in the movie Amadeus.

Perhaps an idea for how to jazz things up a bit outside the Norwegian Royal Palace?

Time Travelling in Prague

I am in love with Prague: the magnificent old buildings, the cobbled streets, the fairytale castles and the surprisingly helpful people. Prague is simply a beautiful city to wander and get lost in. In two of the pictures underneath I am at the famous Charles bridge, busy rubbing statues for good luck.

Paniyiri and Birthday Dinner

Yassou! The annual Greek festival was held this weekend and as usual eating, zorba dancing and more eating was on the program. Vas was working in the food stall for the Cypriot Youth Club, so I was lucky enough to score some discounted food. The weather was good and thousands of people showed up.

Vas somehow felt this green tennis sweatband was an essential part of his Cypriot look.

Birthday Dinner

Tim and I celebrated our birthdays with a joint dinner later that night. I think it is one of the only times we have manged to gather our entire household in one photo. From the bottom left: Danni, Tim, Lyndal, Firby, Hege, Vas, Kate.

Big thanks to Danni who selected this monster of a cake.

Australian Lotto Frenzy

Australia is going crazy with lotto fever, with 90 million dollars (NOK 470 million) up for grabs in tonight's lotto draw. The jackpot is shattering all existing records and people have been queuing in long lines all over the country in order to secure a ticket. At my local shopping centre there was even a specially fenced-off area at the newsagent for people who wanted to buy a ticket.

The newsagent at my grocery shop was not as busy as the one at the shopping centre, but still had a steady flow of people buying lottery tickets the few minutes I was there.

My housemate Kate is definitely ready.

I caved in too and bought a ticket. I assume this is the winning one. With a 1 in 45 million chance to win, why not?

A Year Older

I celebrated my 22nd birthday by migrating north towards the warmer temperatures. Vas had a job in Mackay, a mining and harbour town about an hours flight from Brisbane, so we spent two days touring the area. And even though Mackay is usually warmer than Brisbane, it was a pleasant surprise to find that the region was experiencing a bit of a heatwave, with daytime temperatures in the high twenties.

Thanks for all presents, mail and messages!

Det er deilig å være norsk

- i Danmark*.

Most of you have probably heard it through the grapevine, but just to confirm – I will be spending most of the next two years in Aarhus studying a Master of Corporate Communication. And please do not ask me what that involves, my knowledge of it is pretty vague. At the moment I am searching for a place to live, so if you by any chance have a small apartment in Aarhus for rent…

Also, I am coming home on Friday 31 July and Vas is joining me on Monday 3 August for a week or two in Norway. We have a deep wish to visit the hytte in Tranvag. Is that possible?

*It’s wonderful to be Norwegian in Denmark. It is the slogan of a long running advertising campaign trying to lure Norwegians to spend their next holiday in Denmark.

Once Upon a Time

I have not updated here in a while, so I will give you a rundown of what I have done in the last couple of weeks.

Norwegians in town

Marie and Ida, who i went to Sandnes Vgs with, were passing through Brisbane on their around-the-world trip. I usually hijack the people I know, or sort of know, passing through, so we had them over for dinner. The picture is taken at Mount Coot-tha lookout, on an unusually cold night in May.

17 May 2009

I paraded through the streets of Brisbane with hundreds of other Norwegians. The weather was great and Vas, Tim, Danni and I had an awesome 17 May breakfast at Yeronga flat with hot rolls, smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and chocolate.The festivities at QUT were a bit disappointing compared to earlier years (where was the brunost and melkesjokolade?), so we left early and went to IKEA instead.

Danni, Tim and Vas feeling the 17 May spirit, despite the ungodly hour.

University life

I have finished my bachelor degree, and I all that remains is for the university to hand me my piece of paper. I have had a pretty easy last semester, since I only had three courses due to taking an internship course.

This semester has been the first semester I have felt I have been given my money's worth in terms of facilities, so in that sense it is a bit sad to be leaving. The journalism building has moved from its old, wooden building to a newly renovated, high tech place. And one of my electives, Religion1000, was based in probably the most expensive lecture theatre on campus, stuffed with touch screens and technology.

The University of Queensland is known for its sandstone buildings and historical campus, but their indoor facilities has been a bit lacking compared to the newer universities. They have definitely taken the hint though, and the campus is being constantly improved.

The Cape Byron Lighthouse

Just went on my first trip to Byron Bay, a charming little surfing village a couple of hours south of Brisbane with a picturesque lighthouse.

Happy Confirmation Day Kine!

I hope you have a wonderful day. I really wish I could be there to share it with you. Can't wait to see pictures of your bunad. Lots of love and all the best from Australia.

P.s. Don't you just love this photo? I think it might be time to take a new one.

International community stepping up to save joey

I was having dinner when the story of a kangaroo joey rejected by its mother appeared on the evening news. The joey, who had been refused back into the mother's pouch after falling out, is currently receiving great aid from the international community. Special milk is being donated and flown in from Australia, the U.S. and Germany. And zoo keepers from the U.S., Australia, Germany, the Czech Republic and Belgium are giving special advice to the people caring for it to make sure the joey stays alive.

That kangaroo steak I was having for dinner just became oh so ironic.
Photo: Srdjan Ilic / Associated Press

Story in LA Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/04/rejected-kangaroo-joey-inspires-international-cooperation.html

Fraser Island Adventure

Fraser Island is the world's largest sand island. It is a popular holiday destination known for its beauty, fresh water lakes and ancient rainforests. It is located just off the coast of Queensland, only a two and half hour's drive north of Brisbane. I have been wanting to go to this place since I arrived in Australia, but it is an incredibly difficult and expensive place to get to. The only way to get around on Fraser is by 4WD, so you either have to join a tour or rent your own.

This Easter weekend Vas, I and two of his friends from work decided to make the trip. We opted for renting our own 4WD, as it proved to be cheaper than joining a tour, even with the ferry fee and the camping permits. It has been raining pretty heavily in south east Queensland in the last couple of weeks, so we were a bit worried about the weather, but it was fine for most of the time.

And the trip was great. We swam in crystal-clear fresh water lakes. Tanned on stunning white sand. Survived a dingo attack. Chilled in a fresh water stream. Drove on the beach and on bumpy forest roads. Crashed the side of the car into rocks exposed by the rain. Had to pay 250 dollars for the repair. Maybe not so fun. But getting to drive over those rocks certainly was.

It is no joke driving on the beach, even though some people seem to think so. The speed limit is 80 km and there are several dangers along the way. This Saturday, two backpackers lost their lives when their car overturned around the place we were camping. Several others were injured, some of them seriously. Some of the reports say one of the people in the car was Norwegian.

The beach is a highway. It is definitely not the place to put down your towel to tan.

There are dingoes on Fraser Island, Australia's native dog-like creature. They can be dangerous, especially for children. Some of you might recognise the phrase "A dingo took my baby."

When we were at a lake swimming we got closer to dingoes than we would have liked to. This one is trying to steal a bag, but was chased away with sticks. Afterwards it came within two meters of us. It just stood there looking at us for several minutes, while we stood faced towards in it the dingo brace position - arms crossed over the chest. Then it backed off and left.

Waiting to cross one of the rockier spots on the beach. There are certain places on the beach where there are rocks you have to drive over. Some places there are bypasses you can take, but not everywhere. Because of the rain, the rocks were really exposed and there would be cars on every side of them lining up to pass. We drove over different rocks and did fine until we managed to hit the side step of the car, which almost fell of. I guess it could have been worse.

It was raining heavily one night, so we did the cooking in the car. The rain was no drama though. Hege is an involuntarily experienced camper when it comes to rain, so our tent was covered in tarp on the outside - and completely dry on the inside.


A fresh water creek with beautiful water to swim in. The stream is quite strong, so it is perfect to float down.

A proper Aussie Easter Sunday chill.

And Easter Sunday came with sun and blue skies. The water was incredibly warm, but it is not really suitable for swimming. Sharks are common and there are dangerous currents.

Easter

My mom and grandma sent me tonnes of sweets and decorations for Easter, so the whole house has been enjoying Kvikklunsj, Fox and Twist, almost to a sickening point, in the last couple of days. The sweets are now mostly gone, but the decorations are still brightening up my room. Even though Easter is over there is still a week left of the holidays.

Cardboard eggs are not common in Australia. The most common Easter treat here are hollow chocolate eggs.

Also an uncommon way of decorating. The branches are from the garden - I did not get any snake bites in the process, just a small scare from a massive grasshopper sitting on one of the branches.

Happy Birthday Vasos!

A Night in the Tally Room

Labor has won the Queensland election and Anna Bligh is Australia's first elected female premier. For the first time the tally room, where they electronically count the votes and announce the winner of the election, was open to the public. Vas and I went there on a whim, hoping to kill some time before watching a movie, but ended up staying for hours.

Opposition Leader Springborg being attacked by the media mob.

A camera man trying to get an overview of the room before the event is about to kick off.

Opposition Leader Springborg announcing defeat.

Anna Bligh arrives at the tally room as the election winner.

Skippy the Bush Kangaroo

Skippy, Skippy
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
Skippy, Skippy
Skippy, our friend ever true.

They are cute and adorable, but kangaroos are also seen as a pest in Australia. It is therefore possible to hunt a small number of the large-sized species, which exist in high numbers. The meat has traditionally been eaten by Aboriginals, but it is only in later years the average Australian supermarket has started to stock it. With only 2 per cent fat it is considered a healthy choice and it is also cheaper than other meats.

Vas and I have eaten Skippy meat twice, first mince and then later a herb and garlic steak.

The mince had a bit of a fishy taste, which was a bit weird, but it was definitely edible. I prefer beef mince though.

The herb and garlic steak was more of a success with no fishy taste and surprisingly tender meat.

The Great Debate

I was lucky to score a ticket to the 2009 Queensland election debate between the Premier of Queensland Anna Bligh and the Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg. The journalism school is sponsoring the Queensland Media Club, the host of the debate, and therefore had some free tickets to the event.

It was quite interesting observing such a large function with its different players: journalist, camera crews, scruffy photographers, sleek public relation people, politicians and different lobbying groups who had bought tickets in hope of scoring some media attention for their cause.

Queenslanders are hitting the polls this Saturday after a month of enduring the two main parties, Labour and the Liberal National Party, hectic campaigning. Voting is not an option in Australia and people who fail to do so will be fined. It will be interesting to see if Labour manages to be re-elected after 11 years in power. Some people seem to think it is time for a change.
A ticket to the debate was about 130 dollars (600 kr).

The people in yellow t-shirts are a group lobbying for the creation of more jobs. Unfortunately I do not think they got the amount of media attention they had hoped for.
Lady in red - Queensland Premier Anna Bligh was dressed from head to toe in red, including her awesome high heels.

Hege the Fearless Kayaker

I went kayaking. In a murky river. Got stuck in branches. Got wet. Hurt my wrists. But it was actually kind of fun.

I have wanted to try kayaking since I was in New Zealand and was exposed to their numerous kayaking ads, but it turned out to be an expensive activity with prices as high as 60 dollars (300 kr) an hour. But then I had the bright idea to check if the university had a kayaking club, which it turned out they had.

Their yearly fee is a 100 dollars, which gives unlimited use of their kayaks and participation in club activities. As long as you can prove you can use a kayak you can take one at any time to go paddling in the Brisbane River or even take it to the coast for the weekend.

Vas and I have not actually joined yet, we just went for a free tryout, but I guess we will.

Hege's adventures in the kitchen continues

I love hotpot and since I have had it at Chang's place in Brisbane I knew, in theory, that it was possible to make it at home. It just looked like a lot of effort and a little too complicated for my liking. But I finally tried it and it turned out to be surprisingly easy:

1. Wait for water to boil
2. Add hot pot sauce/base
3. Add food
4. Wait two-three minutes for food to cook
5. Eat

Of course this dish does require access to a well equipped Asian supermarket where you can buy the hot pot base, Asian vegetables, dumplings, sliced meat and sea food balls. If you have to make the food from scratch it would probably take a bit longer. Or maybe a lot.

Market Day

Market Day is the highlight of orientation week with its stalls, barbeques, entertainment and giveaways. A great way for new students to familiarise themselves with the university and for returning students to grab freebies such as noodles, Red Bull and pens. This year was crazy though. I have never seen it this busy. I had to wait in line over 45 minutes just to get UQ's free diary and a can of ice tea.

One of the numerous people walking around campus in funny costumes on stilts. Personally I could have managed without them.

The religious student organisations always thrive during O-Week.

Red Bull forced you to go through a maze before they handed you your free drink. Sneaky.

Wildlife on campus. Pus, pus, puuuus.