Winter in bloom - magical moments

Taken on the Gold Coast

Brisbane is such a beautiful city! It's nature can be oh so stunning, and I would like to share some photos from a few of the places I have visited this winter, and some magical moments I've had with mother nature! It feels strange to call it winter when it has been warmer than an average summer in Norway, but I can't say that I mind, really.

There are so many things here in Brisbane that still seem pretty exotic to me. Especially all the birds flying around, and all the amazing beaches just an hour's drive from the city. We do have some pretty amazing beaches where I'm from in Norway as well, just not in the same scale! You can click on the images to enlarge! <3

View from Mount Coot-tha and exploring the Botanical Gardens at the bottom of the Mountain

The Botanical Gardens at Mount Coot-tha

On our way to, and in, Ballina

Stunning and amazing Ballina! One of my favourite spots!

Byron Bay, Mount Nebo and chillaxing at home :)

It's the beginning of spring now, and the Jacarandas have just started to bloom. They're probably my favourite tree here in Brisbane - so beautiful. Here's a photo I took at New Farm Park last spring :)

Do you have any favourite nature moments from Australia? Or whatever country you currently reside in? What are they?

The Scandinavian Festival

Viking stand!

This weekend I had an absolutely amazing Sunday, surrounded by fellow Vikings! :) It was the yearly Scandinavian Festival in Brisbane, with over 50 stalls of Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish and Icelandic food and products. It's the first time I've been there - as I only became aware of it this year, and it's something I had been looking forward to for quite some time. It was wonderful! And oh so extremely crowded!

It was one of those perfect sunny days with no clouds in sight - and boy does it get hot when you're bumping into and trying to find your way through hundreds of fellow Scandinavians, all searching for those longed for Scandinavian delicacies (I had a hot dog and waffles!) and lots of other stuff we normally can't get hold of as easily on this side of the planet. It's an excellent way of discovering little businesses dealing with Scandinavian products that you otherwise would never know about!

Delish hot-dog!

Obviously a lot of people were eager to stock up on some Scandinavian food, because the line for Swedish Goodies was one of the longest I've seen in a while - and when I say line I'm not talking about some polite British-style shit where everyone respectfully form an ACTUAL line and await patiently in turn... oh no. I'm talking about a typical Scandinavian line i.e. a big pile of people pushing and trying to get in front of each other, utter chaos and absolutely no regard for anything but themselves. Of course, I was in front. But who could blame anyone for pushing a bit when brown cheese, Norvegia, crisp-bread, kantarell-stock and salty licorice is at stake! Just look at all my loots! <3 My super man even got me a very fitting apron! ;)

Chocolate, cheese and traditional hand-painted plates! :)

There was also some solid Scandinavian entertainment, of course, with singing and dancing and traditional instruments.

Some traditional music and dance

The Scandinavian Festival is a joint effort held by the local clubs of all the Scandinavian countries, including the Norwegian Club of Queensland. I have been considering getting in touch with some other Norwegian expats here in Brisbane, but haven't really gotten that far yet. It was good to se them all gathered in a sea of blond hair and blue eyes at the festival though! ;) hehe.