Hi, peeps! What have you been up to? I hope you´ve missed me, I know I have! 😉 I´ve been busy worrying, working on my accountancy, painting the spare room for the airbnb (almost there!) and walking Sammy. On Tuesday however we flew to Ålesund for the world´s shortest fall break. I had a small assignment there yesterday and so I thought we should use the opportunity to spend some quality time, especially since Frederic hadn´t been there before, this was as good a chance as any. And what can I say, as you can see for yourselves, it´s such a pretty town!;-) On account on a devastating fire in 1904, most of the buildings had to be reconstructed in brick, therefore the Art Nouveau architecture. And they´re adorable! Although the city centre is quite compact and there´s not much life after 16 o´clock, the landscape is breathtaking, the weather was absolutely amazing and so were the food and drinks. Not to mention the company! 😉 We arrived at the hotel at around 17 and decided to go for a short walk before dinner at Maki at 19:30. Although early and still sunny, the only people we saw on the streets were other tourists with bigger cameras than mine. Where do all the people go after work, we wondered. Slightly disappointed, we decided to go to the Brosundet Bar for a beer and some snacks. It proved to be a very good idea. They had lots of different beers, yummy drinks and the bartender was a chatty Swede who did his best to make people have a good time.Dinner was delicious, turns out Maki doesn´t have anything to do with sushi rolls, it actually means waterfront. And a lovely sea view we had, nothing to complain about there. In spite of the somewhat loud Americans at the neighbouring table, the cod tasted yummy and so did the crab salad. 😉 And then we went back to the bar for more stories and drinks.Yesterday was even more fun. After breakfast I worked a bit and then met Frederic for a coffee in town. We decided to climb the stairs to Fjellstua, so we could delight in the panoramic views of the city. But not before another cup of cortado, at Jugend café and museum, located in an old pharmacy just by the bridge. Lovely interior and lots of artsy stuff to read. On our way to Fjellstua it was getting warmer and warmer (that might have something to do with climbing 400 and smth steps) and we felt slightly intoxicated with the view and each other. 😉There was some overpriced svele and water to go with the sunbathing and silly poses. 😉Nature was slipping its toes from underneath a bath robe of silky reds and yellows and I was so in love I didn´t know what to do with myself. Back in town, we stumbled across Arv, a local design store whose mantra is “luxurious, yet affordable”. Lovely coats and dresses had to be touched and eye-measured and I had to console myself with the idea that they have an online store, too! 😉 They´d also launched a brand new men´s wear line, I know somebody thought the coats were pretty smooth! 😉 In addition to very helpful assistance, the shop had a beautiful vintage vibe with mid-century furniture, fresh lilies and nostalgic pictures of their models. It was time for lunch and we had only three criteria- it had to be outside, in a sunny spot and the food had to look good. We chose Anno and we were not disappointed. Tagliatelle with mushroom and parmesan, nothing short of yummy. And we got a tan! In October! – Do you like boats?

– Well, as much as you can like them if you´re sea sick.

– Haha! I´m sea sick, too!

– Good! No boat!

– Deal!Back home, back to my bills and my translations, feeling rejuvenated and ready to paint my room. 😉

xxx, Alina