Sven's life in Oz

When I first moved to Australia and decided to write this blog, I envisioned something quite different to the way it has turned out. I naïvely imagined a life-long holiday full of wonderful trips and glorious sights and being able to write about them all from a sun-drenched verandah with a G&T on the go every night.  Of course, life isn’t like that: the full-time job, the break-up, the shopping for groceries and paying the bills all brought the permanent vacation to a creeping end.  The other day as I was trekking back to the supermarket for a cake ingredient I had forgotten I realised that I lived here now, and it was the same life, but in a different place.

This evening, I watched Julie & Julia and took it all back.  Not only am I famished and inspired to cook, but also to get back in control of things, starting here.  I live in Australia!  I am too lucky!  Not everyone gets this kind of chance to see this amazing place – and all the other amazing places nearby – and I should try to share it with you as best I can.  It’s easy to take it for granted – it’s far more difficult to remember how amazing things are when you see them every day.  Case in point: Sydney Tower. Gareth and were keen to go – it’s the highest observation deck in Australia – and I trotted along with them in skeptical Sydneysider fashion, wondering if the cost would be worth experience.

The view from the top of the tower is amazing.  From the ground you forget how massive the harbour is and how it winds its way out to the ocean through the heart of the city.  You imagine the beach is miles away and the sights are too far to travel to when there are other things to be doing.  From the air you can see how wrong you are.  Seeing things from a different angle brought back the magic and made me appreciate how amazing they are, and how unlikely it is that I would ever be living here to enjoy it all.  Sure, the Tower isn’t the cheapest sight around, but it’s more fun than you think and worth a trip on a sunny day.

This week’s weather is atrocious – more like the UK in October than Australia in the spring – but next week will be gorgeous.  I plan to make the most of it and tell you all about it.  Don’t worry – all the ups and downs of a single boy in Sydney will be in here too but, man alive, life’s too short to be glum. Let’s turn that frown upside down and get on with it, shall we?