Day 3 Happy New Year! Dolphins, dinner and rain

We have celebrated the New Year in a for us very different way. We started the day with a fantastic dolphin watch tour. We saw plenty of dolphins, an rather close to the boat. It was also wonderful to be  on the bay in the heat, it was breezy and really nice. When we got back to the marina we had lunch, and after lunch it was time for a bath in the Pacific Ocean. It was at least my first time to swim in this ocean. Even if quite a lot of people is out on the beaches here it did not feel crowded, and the atmosphere is very laid back and easygoing. We are still a bit jet-lagged so we took a nap in the afternoon before getting ready for the dinner in the evening,

On the boat, towards the dolphins

Dolphin

Christina watchin

Dolphin with calf

¨         

Lennart waiting

I was lucky enough to find out that the big firework in the bay was to take place at 21:00 which meant we would be having dinner at the same time. We had booked a table at Little Beach Boathouse, and it turned out to be a really good place. The food was delicious and drinks very good. Three of us tried todays market fish which was mahi-mahi, or dolphin fish. It was served with a ravioli, cauliflower purée, broccolini, and burnt butter with macadamia nuts. Very delicious! One tried lemon and thyme chicken with mushroom, and that was also very tasty. We also had desserts, and shared a platter with lemon merengue pie, chocolate pavé and the one I liked the best; dates and walnut pudding with butterscotch sauce and pistachio crumble. When we came out it was raining, and we saw lightnings at the horizon. Almost like a firework in itself. Alice also pointed out that this only made the night more like the Swedish midsummer, you do expect rain at some point! In fact at lunch Lennart and Christina already had a "close-to-herring-experience" as they were served pickles anchovies in a salad.

Christina and Alice at the restaurant

The mahi-mahi dish

We got back to Nelson Bay, rather wet and decided to go and change clothes and try the bar at the hotel for bubbles for the New Year. When we got into the bar it was rather crowded, a band playing, no seats and according to Alice "people of her mum's age enjoying themselves a bit too much". So we agreed to toast in the new year with the rosé wine we had in the fridge, and watch the New Year's show on TV, incl the fireworks from Sydney. So we did, and as a bonus we saw a small real firework from the balcony. All in all, a fantastic New Years Eve, even if it did not turn out precisely as we thought.


Happy New Year to you all! And especially to everyone we usually spend this evening together with, we are thinking of you and know most of you have some hours left before it is time for 2019.

Fireworks on TV, but from Sydney!

Cheers mates!

Me and dad celebrating New Years Eve

Day 2 Arrived in Nelson Bay

Around noon local time we arrived safely in Nelson Bay. The flights operated smoothly, but it is really a very long journey. The airport in Sydney turned out to be really convenient when it came to rental cars, the desk was right next to where we got out from immigration and customs check. And the customs check was much quicker and easier than we have heard it could be, I was kind of worried they would ask about the stains on my shoes, and we had to fill in that we had been in contact with a farm the last 30 days since we spent Christmas on one. The biggest problem was actually finding the lever for the hand-break in the car, took us some 10 min before we asked the staff who kindly showed us the unfamiliar lever next to the break pedal... We got the gps working and was off northbound. I drove and Alice was a perfect navigator. It was of course a bit unusual, driving on the lefthand side and I had been a bit worried about it, however it worked better than I expected. The roundabouts and crossings are the hardest part, but I even survived a group of cyclist we overtook when still in central Sydney.

Cyclists in Sydney

View from our balcony in Nelson Bay

Yummy lunch-plate

Nelson Bay is really a place for vacation and holidays it seems. Lots of people in swim-attire in the streets, lots of bars and restaurants and one beach and the marina is at the very same spot. If you walk a couple of minutes along the promenade there is another beach. Also lots of seafood, or hotel Seabreeze served oysters for a dollar each today. We did not have any, we were rather hungry at lunchtime and Alice and I shared a plate of different starters. It was delicious, the best dish was a crispy pancake with likewise crispy shrimps, with a sauce and vegetables in asian style. After lunch we got our apartment, a huge penthouse with seaview and a very big balcony/sundeck. Then I think jetlag hit us. My parents managed to go out to buy breakfast, but both Alice and I slept. After the nap I also got out, and took a walk with mum and dad.

Marina view with seagull

Nelson Bay

When we eventually had Alice with us we decided to have ice cream from an ice cream bar in the marina for dinner. So I had a very sweet, but tasty, Belgian waffle with macadamia ice cream and Lindt chocolate sauce. We took a short evening walk in the marina, saw a lot of people fishing and a beautiful sunset in the bay. Hopefully we will be better adjusted to the time difference for tomorrows celebration of the new year!

Sunset

Pelicans in the marina 

Fishes. Legal and forbidden.

No fishing with spear (or harpoon)

Fishers, with rods

Family walk. Lennart, Christina and Alice

Day 1. Still in Uppsala. Contemplating on Christmas and todays travel.
My brother turned 50 earlier this year. For a long time he has said that anyone who wants to celebrate me will have to come to the pub in Kimba.
https://www.kimba.sa.gov.au/page.aspx

Kimba is located on Eyre peninsula, South Australia, and the reason he wants to celebrate there is that he spent a year on a farm close to Kimba, some 30 years ago. So around midsummer this year me, our parents and my daughter started to plan the trip to Australia and decided to buy tickets and realise it. And here we are, a couple of days after Christmas making the last preparations and packing the last things. Tonight we leave from Arlanda, and about 30/35 hours later we will hopefully arrive at our first stop; Port Stephens, north of Sydney. I must say that we have had a wonderful Christmas, with our oldest son home from Chicago (where he studies), and with his girlfriend visiting Sweden for the first time. We had lots of good food, drinks, laughs, board games and we even went out riding kicksleds. A rather typical swedish winter-activity (and the kicksleds are even known from the swedish film Sällskapsresan Snowroller, accompanied by the famous word "In Sweden we call it a kick") Here are some pictures from the Christmas celebrations in Uppsala and at my parents´ place.

Christmas tree in Uppsala

Ornament

Ready for the smorgasbord on Christmas Eve

Allie and Axel

"Tomten" (swedish Santa Claus) came, spoke
strange dialect and delivered presents

  Alice in the dress from Musikhjälpen
Previously worn by Tina Mehrafzoon at P3 Guld gala

I expect most of the other photos from the travel itself with represent a warmer weather. It has been uncommonly warm for the season in Australia, I don't particularly like very high temperatures, but we at least trained a bit this summer when Sweden was uncommonly hot for a long period of time also. And I do look forward to this trip so much! I have never been to Australia, and all about it feels very exciting for the moment. We will first stay in a hotel in Port Stephens, and celebrate New Years Eve there, then we will go to Sydney for a couple of days before leaving for Melbourne. From there we move on to Adelaide where we will meet my brother and his partner, and the rest of the time we will spend with them in Barossa valley and the Kimba area. I also must say that I have had so much help from two friends while planning this trip: Anita, who lived in Port Stephens some years ago, and Christina who has travelled a lot to Australia and also lived there as an exchange student. All your advice, and cheering along the way really helped and encouraged me, so thank you!

Traditional chandelier from Gotland