Gone Walkabout

Time to update you

2007-09-20T10:11:00.000+10:00

Hello everyone!! It is time to update you on what we have been up to in Melbourne during winter.

Actually winter has been "MUY CALIENTE" (very hot). I am back into Salsa and I am loving it. I am learning Rueda again, a particular salsa style from Cuba. I met some salsa lovers as passionate about it as I am. We get along very well and we have lots of fun. We now go dancing twice a week! Oh Yeah!

We are doing yoga again and it is amazing how good it feels. I have considerably improved my meditation skills since I first stated 4 years ago. I never thought I was going to “control” my wild mind ;-). I am still waiting for the levitation lesson ;-)

We have recently organized an evil party, where everyone had to come dressed in their favourite evil character. Duncan, Paola and Tim made The Joker the most popular character (Batman would have panicked at our party). I dressed up as Morticia from the Adam’s Family. We also had a sexy pirate, a hairy Viking and a sweet devil. I cannot believe how much effort Paola and Tim put in their character. Monica must have been a pirate in another life because she looked terrific. Henrik had a fake beard that ended up everywhere (literally). Mich, the little devil, had to share her horns and “fork” with everyone. Mat did not think he needed to dress up at all… it is true that he can be scary sometimes, especially after a few beers.

We already have more party ideas, but decided to organize them later so friends do not think we have a personality problem. Not so long ago, we cooked French for Mat, Mich, Lori and Ian. Duncan and I had a lot of fun dressing up in French style ;-)

Cathie and Olivier recently visited us from Sydney. Thank you guys for the game and the chocolates (Godiva! my favourite!). I love playing games with you (people: DECENT games, ok?). I loved our walk in Philip Island and seeing the little penguins at sunset. I did not know Olivier was such a “garlic lover”. Did you like Brunetis (the Italian style café in Melbourne)? I cannot believe it has the type of hot chocolate I love… the thick one… I should mention that they also have the largest variety of patisserie I have ever seen in my life… everything looks, smells and tastes delicious. Monica and Paola, we should go there one day… and then cry together ;-)

We recently celebrated Monica’s birthday… I felt like a child again with all the toys and balloons. Every time we go to her place, she prepares a spectacular feast. She is such good cook. Yes I know Henrik, you are cooking too… so you get part of the credit. By the way, we should have a Danish night soon ;-)

We are enjoying exploring Melbourne’s cafes and restaurants… it is hard to have a favourite, as there are so many interesting places. Thanks God we do not have to miss the wine because you can find very decent ones here. I have even found a gorgeous rum from Jamaica for my cuba-libres… life is GREAT!!

We Moved To Melbourne!!!!

2007-06-27T21:58:00.001+10:00

Yes! We are back! And we have news: we have moved to Melbourne (another city of Australia, to the South). Duncan found a job here and, after thinking a lot about it, we decided to move. I came to Australia to settle down and stop moving around and what do we do? Exactly that! Well, most of the time we do what we want so I do not mind letting “life” decide for once… it makes life believe it is in control ;-)

People used to tell me Melbourne has a more European style than Sydney and it is true… I do not know exactly what it is… perhaps the trams, perhaps the interesting cafes, restaurants and boutiques or the fact that people dress up a lot more than in Sydney. In any case, here we are Melbourne!! Nice to meet youuuu!! Next time I will post some pictures of the city and the house we live in.

Let’s see what we did at the end of summer in Sydney. We, of course, enjoyed the beach a lot. The water was deliciously warm, and quite energetic with so many waves. It was great for any occasion: to relax, to sleep, to read, to picnic, to exercise, to yoga. Anyone missed the gorgeous “qualities” of the woman on my left ;-) ?

We organized quite a few dinners in the terrace. Paul and Maria: we are going to miss cooking for you. It was great to have you!! We shared so much :-P what was that delicious chocolate dessert that made everyone lick the plates?

We enjoyed quite a few cultural activities… I think we did every single music and food festival in Sydney. We even participated in Melbourne’s festivals while we were looking for a house to rent.

Oh yeah! Shake gorgeous, shake!! Karin, That should have been us!! I miss dancing with you... queen of shaka :-)

Olivier and Cathie have been best adventure partners.

Remember camping near the lakes?… heavy rain tested our patience and endurance… the four of us spending hours in the “hall” of our tent, smelling Duncan’s boots… the chocolate saved us :-) After complete intoxication, we decided to abandon the tents and to look for alternative accommodation. We found a very simple but gorgeous cottage at the feet of a mountain… just perfect. I loved the open-fire in the living-room!

We tried to find places to fish but end up going to the local supermarket :-D We really need to get better at fishing.

I am posting a picture of the super BBQ we had… no, no, it is not the kangooroo Duncan and Olivier hit with the car on the way to the supermarket.

We are going to miss you guys. We had so much fun together. Je suis contente de savoir que nos services de “liquidation de voisins” ont fonctionne. Je n’oublirai jamais la soiree espagnole... qu'est-ce que j'ai rigole avec les questions pour un champion ou une gitane... comme Cathie ;-)

And… CONGRATULATIONS to Mat and Mich who are now engaged!! It is so great to know that you are going to celebrate your love next year… and we are heeeere… Ah!! Soooo romantic… we are very happy for you. And we are really enjoying this sort of breakfast tour of Melbourne!!

A Big Move (again)

2007-06-17T20:14:00.000+10:00

Hi Everyone,
It's been some time sine we've updated the blog. Apologies for not keeping you in the loop. Of course there's been a really good reason... ! Finally I took a job - unfortunately (!?!?) it was in Melbourne... Of course Elena said this was long planned! For those of you who don't know, Melbourne was where I was born many years ago - actually we're living about 3kms from the exact hospital where I was born. This is strange after living away for so long.
We're living in a suburb called South Yarra. It's a picturesque part of Melbourne, about 2.5 km from the city centre - about 40 minutes walk along the river. Elena had full control and choice over where we lived, so she's very happy living in the midst of cafes, nice restaurants, lots of clothes shops...
But, its cold. The weather is normally about 10-15 degrees during the day, and down to 3-5 during the night. We're looking forward to summer and getting a more reasonable 25-30. Melbourne has a couple of beached - but you cannot compare them to Sydney.
Anyway, we'll be back with more - and a couple of pictures soon. Now that we've go internet, we can also start skyping people again.

US Presidential Elections

2007-02-21T13:57:00.000+11:00

You have to see this...

Working Hard...

2007-02-21T11:18:00.000+11:00

As you can see, it's a hard life in Sydney...

It Wasn't Me....

2007-02-17T11:34:00.000+11:00

...and I can't even say he was Australian, he was Dutch...

Man attacks Shark

RE: That bottle of Grange promised by the watch owner... (see comment below)

2007-02-01T17:09:00.000+11:00

A bottle of Grange and the girl... how delightful...

in the meantime let me remind you what lies in stall for your watch if you don't deliver...

Held for Ransom

2007-01-30T15:13:00.000+11:00

This watch was recently found wandering the hallways of our apartment, so we decided to hold it for ransom until the owner pays the ransom (a good bottle of red) and by coming to stay here again (this time with his lovely fiancée).

in the Middle of Summer...

2007-01-30T14:57:00.001+11:00

We are in the middle of summer... enjoying the beach, BBQs and lots of cultural activities.
I love "our beach" early in the morning, when the sun is soft and the breeze is fresh...
when you only share it with some runners, surfers and people doing yoga.
After 10h30 it gets quite hot. I normally return home then, leaving sexy girls and boys to toast at the sun. Now I know "my beach" and I can say that there is top less and alcohol :-) but, for that, you have to come later. I knew it :-)
We also have been exploring other beaches... there are so many that you will find one for every mood... small, big, family, wild, touristic, abandoned...

We often go to the centre where most of the cultural activities take place... here, the centre is around the Opera and the Harbour bridge... you will get tired of seeing us in pictures there... I just cannot get enough... it is so beautiful!!

Mat came to see us for a couple of days... we had such great time... we missed you Mich, promise to come next time!! We had a lovely BBQ in the terrace and we enjoyed Australian day celebrations in the middle of town. Having breakfast at the beach was an excellent idea... it has set a precedent :-). We will be back to the cafe Campos, the best coffee in town!!

Most of you already know that I have started Flamenco lessons... well I figured out that a Spanish girl like me should know what to do when someone goes "ay ay ay ayayayyyyyy"... I cannot only offer a handkerchief :-) I could not believe how hard it is... perhaps because I am used to shake my hips and shoulders frenetically... in flamenco, I have to keep straight in a proud and arrogant attitude... Duncan get ready for my new manners ;-) It is so difficult that the 1st time we were exercising the hand movements, I felt something tickling my legs... there were drops of sweat running down my legs :-) ... no kidding...

I cannot believe February is around the corner... how the hell can we slow it doooooooown?

...and you thought you'd never see this...

2007-01-23T22:20:00.000+11:00

Just for the record... this happened while I was on crutches and figured no would be seeing me. I had to try didn't I....

Beaches and Cricket - Summer in Australia

2007-01-22T09:42:00.000+11:00

At last Summer has arrived in Sydney in all it's color and glory! The last couple of days the mercury has been in the high 20's / low 30's and yesterday it even challenged the 40 degree mark. When the weather sits at that level for a couple of days, there is only on thing to do... go to the beach.

Actually, we've been looking for beaches which are not so popular. This photo was taken at our local beach (Bondi) yesterday.

We spent most of Saturday lounging around the beach at "Shark Bay", a small very family oriented beach which contrary to it's name has no sharks. We also tried snorkeling, but the water was too cloudy - and we gave up after a few minutes. However, it was nice to see a few fish, albeit not too clearly.

The days before we needed to travel South to a repair shop, so we continued down to another beach - named Cronulla. A much larger beach than Shark Bay, and full of teenagers. A few years ago there was a riot here - no doubt too many hormones in the same place at the same time.

We've also been exploring the beaches South of Bondi, but we haven't been in the water too much, because the water has been quite cold here recently.

I've also had the chance to go to the cricket (click here if you want to learn how cricket works) a couple of times.

Yesterday, Paul had a spare ticket, and was kind enough to offer it to me - very kind of him given they are like hen's teeth (ie. very rare) at the moment. The main ground in Sydney (the Sydney Cricket Ground...) is about 10 minutes drive from here, so quite convenient. Yesterday's game was between Australia and the New Zealanders (kiwis), and although closer than normal - it was comforting to see Australia win. As a mark of how popular cricket is down here, more than a million people have gone to the international cricket games this year. No doubt the lead up to the world cup is influencing this.

My knee is getting better and better. I am back using the bike at the gym and walking normally, although I cannot run yet. It seems to have gone well, and I'll be looking to do the City-to-Surf run from Sydney to Bondi later in the year as something to target for its recovery.

Back Again - Happy New Year to Everyone

2007-01-04T22:55:00.000+11:00

They say it can be a long time between drinks... so I guess you can say we've sobered up and looking forward to a super 2007.

First things first - although this is far from a news column - Matt & Michelle are engaged!!! Congratulations to you both.

We caught up with them recently on our Xmas trip to Melbourne. Elena got plenty of driving experience on the way there and way back. It was only 850km in each direction...

The themes haven't changed much since the last months of 2006, but at least the weather has.
We spent Xmas down in Melbourne with mum (Jan) and Emily (my sister). Em's pregnant and starting to look it. She's also been helping out the firefighters around her property during the fires. She's been lucky so far and escaped anything serious around her house.

While Em was working hard, we were trying to get across to see her. Unfortunately the road was closed, so we sat back on the other side of the mountains and had a glass or two in her honour!

We also met with Ian - Mum's bloke. A very good cook, never short of a humorous word and a joy to be around (Elena also said something about sex god, here, but I refuse to put such comments in a family blog).

Also down in Melbourne, I went to see a cricket game at the MCG. It was a great day - full of spectacle and atmosphere. This photo is of those noisy English fans (especially for Toby).

On New Years we went to a park in Bondi with a view down the harbour - and later went back to Paul and Maria's for a view into the city. The fireworks in Sydney were impressive this year - as impressive as the champagne which Paul and Maria cracked open to beckon in the new year. We had a great night, catching up with some friends and Paul & Maria's parents (Maria's had travelled from the States, and Paul's mum from Brisbane).

What's been happening in the last few months... too much!

In September/October we were in Europe for a few weeks for Katia's wedding. What a great night! It was super to catch up with so many friends at once. We then had a romantic weekend in Paris, and then back to Vienna, Singapore and then home.

Trip to Europe

During our time here we had a magnificent time staying with Steve and Louise , and a few days later with Arnout (vying for the title of BBQ king), Emmanuelle and Nelson. Then in Vienna we had a great surprise for Pilar - who didn't know Elena was coming, and then we stayed with our good friends Josch, Karin & Theo.

During October and November we did a course on "Changing Your Thinking" which basically helps you "re-frame" your perspective on difficult issues. The concept is also covered in the book written by the main lecturer Sarah Edelman - the synopsis can be found here.

We also went to a few concerts - U2, Kylie and Chris Isaak. The best of the lot (surprisingly) was Chris Isaak who engaged a lot with the crowd. It was held in a winery North of Sydney.

We've also got into camping - and have a 4 man tent which we've started to use enthusiastically. The first night was almost a disaster, when we arrived at the camping ground just in time for the sun to disappear. This meant spending 2 hours trying to put a new tent up in the darkness with a couple of torches and headlights of a car. At least it was memorable.

We've also been having a great time with friends here in Sydney (and Melbourne). I've been to Melbourne a few times, and some Melbournites have been venturing North. So the BBQ has had a good work out and is all ready to go for the Summer (which is just getting into swing here).

Following is a photo of elena's latest friends on the balcony...

Amongst other things we have been exploring many places in Sydney (both in the day and at night), checking out festivals around town (of which there is at least once a month), buying a new car, helping friends with projects and of course doing lots of work to regain our health and fitness. Elena has been the biggest star here, and is looking great. Unfortunately I injured my knee in October and needed it operated on During December. I still cannot run on it, but hope to be moving properly by mid February!

One of our resolutions is to keep this updated more often after our abysmal effort during the last quarter of last year. So keep checking again - I promise to improve!

An article about Bondi

2006-08-20T15:35:00.000+10:00

I found this article while looking at the morning paper in Sydney.

A Surprise Visit (and an expected one too!)

2006-08-20T14:09:00.000+10:00

We got a surprise and welcome visit today from Evo & Michelle, on their way back from a holiday to Bali. And don't they look so relaxed!

Elena and I were off for breakfast and a morning walk around a very chilly Bondi, when he called. So we had a coffee on the beach before they jumped off on their flight to Melbourne. By the time they had left the beach was thriving.

Earlier, we'd found some more areas to walk around the area. It's amazing how busy it was for 9am on a Sunday morning.

The weather has been really fantastic. Today was the secons day of 25 degrees in the past week. It seems like Summer is certainly on its way!

What a shame it it wasn't so good a week ago when a good Swedish friend visited us. We had a great time. It's always fantastic catching up with old friends (no he's not that old...) and chewing the fat about what was, what is and what could've been. Since he prefers to remain anonymous, we have blanked out his face... ;-)

While he was here we wandered down to Bondi Beach - the place he hadn't seen when he was here last time, and back home for a seafood bonanza on the barbie.

The next day we mozied into and around Sydney feeling somewhat flattened by a bottle of whisky the evening before.

On his final day we did the Bondi to Coogee walk thing (almost), followed by a quick workout in the gym (what about that view!) and then out to a few bars in the evening. The next morning he was off the Melbourne to watch real men play real football.

He has a copy of the photos he made whilst in Sydney available for general viewing.

The rest of the weekend was not so exciting - but in the last couple of days we've ben to an Indian mucis concert, which was very relaxing and yesterday I went to a seminar on "Long term investments in the Sharemarket". The speaker was renowned, and it was not too expensive. But very worthwhile.

This week, there's not so much planned in our agenda's - which is good for getting back in the "what do we do for income" thought mode.

Bondi Beach - The Beach

2006-08-14T11:36:00.000+10:00

After some comments from one of our readers, we thought we'd update you with another version of Bondi. By now you know it's well located, has great bars, etc... but what about that beach???

Firstly, Bondi is one of Australia's most famous beaches - and is the home of the worlds first Surf Life Saving Club.

The place name - "Bondi" or "Boondi" - is an aboriginal word meaning "water breaking over rocks".

So of course, it does have a great surf. If you manage to ride a wave like this I will buy you as much beer (or wine) as you can drink in a week.

Anyone who joins us during summer, we'll take some surf lessons if you are interested.

If you want to see what the surf is like at the moment, they have a live webcam set up.

For those so inclined it used to have an annual nude night surfing festival, which attracted a crowd of 10,000 people... Unfortunately the more conservative elements of society hankered down and banned it.

Last weekend was one of the most popular days at Bondi - following the City to Surf run. More than 60,000 people started the run in the centre of Sydney.

Then followed it for 14km around the suburbs, and finishing at the beach. Where another 60,000 people were waiting for them. Of course you get your serious crowd looking to do the run in record time. But some people are just out for a bit of fun...

Congratulations to Paul (not pictured)- our friend from up the road who completed the run in his own personal best!

The other big Bondi even is Christmas.

Of course Christmas is different in Australia - being so warm. Traditionally it is spent down the beach, or at least with a BBQ in front of you. Bondi is one of the busiest destinations on Xmas day in Sydney.

But having said that, I think it will be a rather nice place to spend the day!!

This is Bondi

2006-08-11T14:17:00.000+10:00

Some of you might be wondering where exactly we moved to in Sydney. Well, as you can see in the map below, we are in Bondi, in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney,… I love the location because it is 15 min walk to the beach and 15 min walk to a huge modern shopping center.

For those unfamiliar, Bondi is a famous surf beach. It is quite large (so we can all fit on the top of each other), with a large green area perfect for picnics and BBQs. It is a bit different from other beaches I have known. No palm trees (We are going to burn!), no “chiringuitos” (bars/terraces) along the beach (You have to burn your feet to get to the other side of the road), no 30 degrees water temperature (this is not the Caribbean) and no topless is allowed (sorry but what did you think? we are in a very civilized country). Alcohol is also not allowed (obviously legislators do not enjoy a pinacolada perverting at the girls/boys). It does have some excellent features: lots of muscled surfers (excellent to keep healthy eyes… and to realize how unfit we are), lots of cafeterias, terraces and restaurants, a couple of natural pools (with sea water). It is clean and organized. It has a lovely coastal walk to other beaches with gorgeous views. The best: we live near!!

We are still in winter, so we have not been able to taste it. We cannot complain, as temperatures have been around 15-18 degrees, depending if the sun was in or out. Quite often we enjoy sunny days with an intense blue sky that reminds me of Spain. At the moment, we are discovering the city… enjoying being together. :-)

Getting By

2006-08-06T11:03:00.000+10:00

It's amazing when you're not working. Time goes by amazingly fast. You have all these plans to do "stuff" and then look back over the past month and realise you've achieved very little. I guess living in Bondi doesn't help with all the 'distractions' around.

Not that the weather is consistently good... It seems to change everyday at the moment.

Thanks for all you mails. It's good to hear that everyone is having a great time in Europe this summer. It's super to see that we have a new Dahlin, a new Van Leersum - and we were delighted to see Theo walking!

... and Oliver, you're looking just too smooth in that old timer!

This week we had Gottfried and Libby visit us from Vienna. They lived in the same house as us, and are in the process of moving to Brisbane. We had a great day walking around the coastal path from Bronte, where we had lunch at a great cafe, before settling into Speedo's with a view down to Bondi Beach.

We also fired up the BBQ for the first time. Not exactly for a menu extraordinaire, but a good start! So at least we know it's working for when our Swedish friend arrives later this week.

Needless to say we've also been going to the gym frequently (what about that view!) and yes, we're still looking for the perfect job...

We're Back!

2006-07-25T10:57:00.000+10:00

At last, we are sitting down to update "the blog". It's been a long time between drinks, but it doesn't mean we are giving up!

Thanks very much for the great feedback. It's nice to know that we've been missed - believe us ** we miss you too!!!! **

Last time we updated, we'd were about to move in - two months ago!
How things change... and how quickly.

We are now well and truly set into Bondi, with just a few things to do around the place. We're even going to have our first official visitor in the coming weeks - and we can't wait.

Besides moving in over the past 2 months - what have we done ....

.. been to the Italian Festival...

the French festival (see below), the coffee festival (wait until the next blog...), the opera house to see a show, an aboriginal musical concert by the beach, celebrated Kurt's birthday (up to the Blue Mountains)....

, been to a few (well more than a few) bars around Sydney, been bushwalking a few times, done a day of volunteers work - and Duncan even had time somewhere in the middle of all that to visit his mum, sister and some friends down in Melbourne! We've also been enjoying the variety of food available here (lots of fish), and going the thr gym (almost) every second day (we'll tell you about the view sometime).

No wonder we sleep well at the moment.

But surely, one of the highlights was the Coffee festival which we went to last Sunday. With more than 20 coffee stalls, many food stalls, music and dancing from around the world, and of course lots things about coffee. It was a beautiful Summer day in the Rocks region of Sydney (the part which used to be next to the docks) - which is between the harbour bridge and the opera house.

We arrived to free "Heaven" ice creams being handed out, and progressed through to a cuban and then flamenco dance show. Of course we also tried out some different foods and coffee. We eventually got moving to walk around, visited the Turkish Coffee house (which had belly dancing) then wandered around the nooks & crannies through the Rocks - before arriving back for the grand finale dance ecvent which involved African, Cuban, Spanish, Polynesian and Middle Eastern dancers. The belly dancer was especially fantastic.

Click on play button below to have a glance of other things we have been doing...

Our things will arrive next week - confirmed!

2006-06-02T16:03:00.000+10:00

You cannot imagine how happy Elena is, now that we have things coming!!!! She is jumping around the apartment (almost hitting her head on the roof).

Attached our view... (but not today, there is a storm coming)

Winter is here

2006-06-02T15:39:00.000+10:00

Winter is here... temperatures are now below 20, and it gets quite chilly during the night. So yes, we do need a good jacket if we do not want to be pointing out at everyone. As our efforts to maintain our bodies at 37,5 degrees were hard, we decided to provide our camping site with a portable heater (in Sydney only new apartments have central heating, and our big windows do not insulate well). We started to use the heater only in the bedroom, but it will now follow us in the house like a poor dog on its lead.

The funny thing is that we might get the BBQ delivered soon. When we arrived, Duncan started to look at BBQs. I could not believe the size of the BBQ he was looking at... for me it was industrial.

We will (impatiently) wait for summer. Still we can go for a walk on sunny days. We have found a nice terrace where to pervert at all the boys (and girls) in summer. I will take for a tour my dear friends… exciting exploration guaranteed. So Pilar and Miyake, no need to bring binoculars.

I was referring to our camping site before because we are still living without our stuff. It is amazing how little you need to live: a wok, a couple of plates, a laptop, a guitar (Duncan will be soon known as Don Dunjuan) and an air mattress (that I am always scare to bust). Fortunately the gum smell of the air mattress disappeared after 2 days, because our apartment smelled like a youth hostel.

We are going to a good gym to prepare us to our new life (beach boy and girl). Duncan lost his stomach, so I am wondering where I am going to lie down :-)

Duncan has started to go for interviews… why hurrying? Are we not cozy like this?

We have just received confirmation that our stuff arrives next Thursday. At Last!! I was fed up of wearing the same clothes for 2 months!!

Still Settling in to Sydney

2006-05-17T17:28:00.000+10:00

One more week has passed. We are still without a job, without a home, but isn't it great to have free time. Especially when the weather is so great!

... and if the Winter stays like this we'll be happy little peanuts!

In fact, the weather is so great - Elena was getting too hot with all of her hair... so she's been to the chop shop!

Doesn't she look great! I'd ask her to marry me all over again if I met her in the street. She's also looking great because we're keeping up the gym thing - but she won't let me publish the photos of her in her gym stuff... :-)

But, we still can't wait to go snorkelling again - we've now uploaded one of the photos of our memories of Queensland... this one is a very rare Spanish shark which has been known to bite - especially late in the evening.

But, on the other hand, we will slowly start to get a sense of normality soon. Real life is starting to beckon... Duncan is going for his 2nd interview on Friday. The first was succesful, but he is still thinking about whether to take it further. Elena spent the whole day working on her CV, to start applying for jobs too. Oh no... real jobs :-(

On the other hand we have signed the contract for our apartment in Bondi. It has a great view all the way to the ocean, and plenty of room for a barbie. We can't wait to see you here!

Settling into Sydney

2006-05-09T22:46:00.000+10:00

We've now been in Sydney for almost a week (how time flies!).
Winter is coming - you can tell because the weather is falling beneath 25 degrees :-)
We haven't yet started looking for jobs - instead we're trying to enjoy a sense of "freedom" while we still can. But we have almost found an apartment in Bondi. We negotiate the contract over lunch on Thursday. We'll post photos etc... when we're done.
It's sort of nice to spend time settling into a city instead of rushing straight into a job!
We are staying in Waterloo. It is not such a nice suburb, but the complex where we are staying is great (pool, gym etc...). While we have time we are going to cafes, going to the gym. Duncan is promising to restart his Spanish (and guitar...), while Elena is re writing her CV and scratching her tummy (and reading at the same time).

We don't have any Sydney photos yet, but we have a couple more from Queensland...

This is one of the waterfalls we went to...

This is another...

This cassowary wandered around the B&B we stayed at.

Mission Beach

2006-04-30T09:42:00.000+10:00

We've moved up North now to Mission Beach (about 2 hours South of Cairns). Mission Beach was in the path of Cyclone Larry about 6 weeks ago, and is still in recovery mode. Nonetheless we've found ourselves a great place to stay -www.licualalodge.com.au .

Since we've been here, we've visited a crocodile farm, walked through rainforest, seen some spectacular waterfalls, gone snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, been to the beach and we even had some time to relax by the pool.
Our highlight has been diving in the Reef. while we were down there we saw turtles, sharks, Clown Fish (think Finding Nemo), sea snakes, plenty of fish and of course enormous amounts of coral.

This photo is typical of what we saw but stolen from /www.reefteach.com.au since we didn't have an underwater camera.

It was Elena's first time snorkelling - and both our first time out on the Reef, so we've still got smiles from ear to ear. Seeing photos and videos is one thing, but there is nothing like being there - so close you can touch everything happening in front of you.

We got a shock the first time we saw the sharks down there, but they are of a type mostly harmless to humans.

The day before we also saw some spectacular waterfalls both at Milaa Milaa as well as Little Millstream. Our favorite was Little Millstream, being in the middle of a crater and a very typical Australian bush setting with lots of wildflowers.

Bushwalking

2006-04-24T15:22:00.000+10:00

Today we went walking in the bush just near Airlie Beach. It was about 6km of tracks leading up to a lookout over the Whitsunday Islands (see view above).

But the most "exciting" part was the spider which I almost walked into blocking our path on the way down. Thankfully Elena saw it.

We've also attached some other photos of the region here. One of the view from our Hotel room - one of the local market, and one of Elena walking at "Dingo Beach" which is about 40 minutes from here. We cruised down there yesterday afternoon.

Arrival in Sydney

2006-04-23T13:09:00.000+10:00

We have now arrived. After all these months of planning, waiting, nervousness and too many goodbyes - we have a new beginning!

We were picked up at the airport by Kurt and Sarah. Such wonderful human beings they are!

We stayed in Sydney for 2 nights (one day). In Sydney we looked at an apartment with a fabulous view over the city, but it was not really "the" Duncan and Elena apartment.

Additionally we had a great lunch with Kurt at the Town Hall Hotel (see photo for the picture of it). We sat on the porch in 30 degrees, and only moved in the end because we had to go to the bank before it closed. If this is the pressure we will be facing from now on - then I'm a happy man.

We have then flown 3 hours North to Townsville. Where we caught the raining edges of another cyclone which came through recently. So we've gone South to Airlie Beach to relax for a few days, before we go North again.

Come back in a few days and you may find some photos... If you are really luck (!?!?) we may even have a video.

We are staying at a really nice hotel with a great view and super pool. This morning we sat down and needed to make a decision. What a horrible experience it was! I haven't done this for weeks. So in the meantime we are practising the age old art of procrastinating (for those still studying English, goto en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procrastinating.

Our big decision is whether we go snorkeling tomorrow or whether we go to Whitehaven Beach (see photo attached from www.ericlindsay.com - not from me [yet]). Alternatively we could take a two day cruise and do both...

So we will keep you updated as we progress through this horrible process.

In the meantime, we hope you are all well - and thanks for the great mails.

The Star of The Show

2006-04-16T19:42:00.000+10:00

Theo told me I could only stay longer if I published a photo specifically of him.

Theo's House

2006-04-16T19:03:00.000+10:00

The last few days we've been staying with Theo. Josch and Karin have been here too! This photo was taken at a wine cellar near the parents of Josch in Spitz - just off the Danube River. Today we are visiting some museums and sitting around doing not much.

Apartment is gone

2006-04-13T05:06:00.000+10:00

We've both been working hard...

After 3 and a half years, today we gave the keys to our apartment back. Sad in a sense, since we really had some goodtimes and enjoyed ourselves there. Now we are homeless forthe next 3 months. Fortunately we are enjoying a relxing time with Josch and Karin (and Theo) right now.
... are we emotional... too right we are. But we're also looking forward to just going to Sydney to get started on a new life.

One Week On

2006-04-10T00:29:00.000+10:00

I`ve now been jobless for a week. Jobless, but not without work... Cleaning the apartment and moving has been the sort of experience one would rather forget in a hurry!
Everything is on rote to Sydney via Hamburg now. It´s difficult to work out what you will need for 3 months. No doubt we´ve forgotten something.
I am still not sure whether I look for a job with someone else, or start my own company. I guess it will become more apparent when I get to Sydney.
Our first week will be spent up in Townsville - so you can expect to see lots of nice beaches. Stay tuned...
We are staying with Markus and Pilar who are very hospitable. We strongly recommend stopping by for a glass of whisky with them if you are in the neighbourhood. Thanks guys!
(This photo is of Markus & Pilar with us in their living room while they were hosting us)

Getting ready

2006-03-31T06:13:00.000+11:00

Hi Guys. Keep up to date here with everything we're doing! Take a look at our video - which by no means up there with George Lucas, shoult at least give you a flavour for what we're up to.