Oslo Summer - Part 1

Picnics, bbqs and a dip in the ocean

Yay it's Summer! Here we are having a picnic in the royal palace grounds.How about some pizza? Italian foreplay style!Me and the PalaceWalking around Oslo cityThe main street/mall in Oslo...Karl Johans Gate.During the Summer our balcony is drenched in evening sunlight.Who wants to catch a ferry to an island today?Tibi practices bouncing an AFL balland we practice catching it!Yay we reached the island!We passed some ruins along the way...i totally forget what they are ruins of.Looking for a good picnic spot...maybe near the water?nope...the small patch of beach looks full!are we there yet? no? well let's stop for a photo then :)First lunch...then a swimWe settled on this place...not next to the water but it was next to our AFL ground!Getting into the bbq moodGrilled hotdogs anyone?Olve is too way cool for this photo. I really should photoshop him out.Yum! Pølse (hotdogs) in lumpe (potato bread). A Norwegian favourite :)Warming up for the big gameTibi and Markus got the hang of tackling straight awayGoing for the markHeheh...good to see a bunch of Europeans trying our version of football...with a 'wonky' ball!Relaxing after the matchRelaxing 'Olve style'After our bbq and footy match we had a refreshing dip in the oceanSwimming in Norway?We've all got that 'been through a Norwegian winter' glowThis majestic creature emerged from the waters...and we sent it straight back!The line for the ferry back to Oslo cityAnd here we are...back in Oslo. Behind me is the old fort that was built around 1299 or something.We needed our own transport and decided to get ourselves bikes. And sexy helmets.Riding through the forest on Bygdøy to get to the beach...and here it is!We found a good spot for a bbq. This was after work so it's actually about 7pm here.After a bbq we went back to the beach for a swim.Since it was after 8pm, the beach had become less crowded and we had lots of brown sand to ourselves! (some might call it dirt)

Friday afternoon work drinks

One Friday afternoon we had a work drinks/dinner outing...woohoo, free alcohol!Tibi loves the Aussie Rules footyOoo free dinner too! I had a delicious tuna steak :)After lunch we spent the evening at a nearby pubSee how easily I can make friends?Like a tiger...Joakim and his wife enjoying a beerSpare toilets?Many drinks were drunkBut not by these guys...they always look like thatYo!Sweet mateOne of these sunglasses cost and the other cost 0 AUDRound and round we go......where we stop......nobody knows! Here's Terje and Markus.There was plenty of rapp'n to be done

Soaking up the sun

Arghhh!One Friday night...well I think it was Friday...we went out for dinner with Grant and Astrid.The food was a 3 course set menu and it was absolutely delicious home style food.After dinner we took Astrid to her street (vei).Another Oslo sky brought to you from our balcony!Walking home to our apartment after work...it's the greenest Summer I'd ever seen!The view from our bed. You can just make out the ski jump on the hill.A bbq at Will and Ingvild's place!Will cooked up a feastAnd Dan scoffed down his strawberry dessertHmm...what's this? Another bbq?This time I'm cooking!Mmm pølse (perlsa). I have no idea why it's so big over here. I guess it's like our sausages back home? When in Norway...Sunbaking on the smooth sand...oh wait...on the lumpy rocks!Sunbaking in Norway! See? anything is possible!The Price is Right! Dan Cormick...Come on down!For about 4 months of the year this gorgeous evening sunlight floods into our apartmentIt even reaches our lounge! Ah those were the days...A bbq dinner after work in the park. This time we splurged on steaks!Mmm berries! For 2 months straight we ate fresh Norwegian strawberries every day. There were stands selling them all over the place!One weekend we caught up with Uncle Nick and Aunty Maria before they began their Scandinavian cruise.Mmm burgers! When we have a craving for takeaway food we usually cook it ourselves! Only because of a lack of nearby takeaway places :)Dan and the PSPTa da! Another outing at Bygdøy!I love how the trees reach out to the oceanThis is a bit like Where's Wally...can you spot Dan?Yep, I've been for a swim! The water gets surprisingly warm here in Summer. And saltier than back home too.Dan taking his new flatscreen monitor home...don't you just love advancements in technology! Imagine getting a CRT monitor home like this...Mmm sushi...homemade style! (we had sushi cravings)One Friday night we went out for dinner with Rich and Maren to a Vietnamese restaurantThen on to a student art gallery showing...which meant cheap alcohol while they pumped out loud music...any excuse to party!It was a great night actually. Hopefully we'll go to more of these art exhibitions :)Here's how I got my new beanbag homeYay I made the Norwegian news...must've had a good hair day ;)Relaxing at the cafe in the parkAnother beautiful sunset. Don't forget to click on 'Oslo Summer - Part 2' to see more photos.