oslo

A great ballet evening with JIŘÍ KYLIÁN

Yesterday we were offered tickets to a ballet performance at our new opera house. Although it was in the middle of the week and my energy level is on an all time low, we couldn´t say no. We´ve been to the new opera quite a few times, mostly for ballet, but also for opera once and theater a couple of times. The building itself is amazing enough to be worth a visit and so is the scenery! 🙂 On top of that, I get to dress up and sip some sparkling white wine while balancing on my heels. 😉

Last evening´s performance was nothing less than astounding! I must admit there was a time when I thought most upper class tastes must be acquired, but now I know better. Some performances transcend culture, class and upbringing. They simply pierce through all the layers of your human soul and touch you. I remember watching both Sleeping Beauty and The Nut Cracker and think it was lovely, but not feel it. JIŘÍ KYLIÁN´s choreography is of such proportions that every single thread of you resonates with tremor. What an achievement! I wish I was that good at something!

Anyway, if you get the chance to see this performance, do! We decided to be more cultural this fall. If it weren´t for all this traveling!;-)

Continue reading →

This week is finally coming to an end

I can´t remember last time I´ve had such a shitty week. It´s been horrendous. And as it often happens when you´re under mental stress, you mood is precarious and so is your physical well-being. To sum it up, my week mainly consisted of working, sleeping, eating, walking Sam and watching the occasional movie on Netflix.

Yesterday however I was done at 2, which left me time to have a couple of much-needed Proseccos with my husband and a friend of mine and blow some steam. It was a glorious day in terms of weather, sunny as only early September days can be. The air was crisp, but you could still wear ballerinas and short sleeves. I´d bought some fresh local produce at the market and couldn´t wait to get the chance to make some seasonal food. We had lunch at Café Bacchus, they have a lovely garden and serve well assembled salads and summer dishes made from Norwegian ingredients.

 

Continue reading →

Weekend

This week has been busy and exhausting in terms of work, so I couldn´t wait for the weekend to come. The joy of having a couple of days off was only spoiled by my juice detox diet. I don´t think I´d ever realized how much I enjoy the idea of food, its social connotations, the physicality of it all. How else can I explain why I´d feel so robbed of the pleasure of eating, although I´m not really hungry?

Continue reading →

August

Even though the calendar says otherwise, I feel we´re coming towards the end of  summer. Although the air is still warm, most festivals are over (not that I ever attend) and the rain seems to settle in. I started work for real last week and each day is busier than the last one. I don´t mind it, though. A sort of holiday atmosphere is still lingering in the air and people are in a better mood than they were in June, before they left for Italy, Spain, France or Greece. Or stayed at home  and couldn´t believe their luck when summer came to Norway, too.

Continue reading →

Drowsy days

It´s been so hot in Oslo it´s been difficult to do anything at all, really. Whenever I´ve worked I´ve done so early, but the way back has been an ordeal! I kept feeling I´d collapse before I´ll ever get home. And I find it hard to believe it, since it´s never been this hot this long in all the years I´ve been living here. So I keep pushing myself to do all the things I´d normally do at 25 degrees, but to no avail.

Yesterday I had to tend to my accountancy and since I don´t get internet from the garden I boiled inside. Today was a bit better, I had to translate some documents and I could do it in the garden with Sam, but no beach for this cutie!:-/

Hiding from the heat

Continue reading →

Summer at its best

This July is turning out to be the best I´ve had in years! I´m working 2-3 days a week and otherwise enjoying the sunny days. I´ve been going to the beach, with and without the dogs, taken evening strolls and stop for a glass of wine and a bite, made delicious low-carb meals or played urban discoverers in a city empty of its inhabitants. A couple of days ago I was a bit bitter that we don´t have a cabin or a boat, so I remembered I had some hotel points and ordered a complimentary weekend in Tønsberg. It´s a 1,5 h drive from Oslo (read train, since we don´t own a driving license any of us), a small sleepy town that wakes up in the summer, being the rich kids´ playground. Moules frittes, beach and latte in the sun, that´s what I envision. Until then, I´ll be off to the dock from the picture, 10 min away from home, to cool off, it´s insanely hot these days!

 

Continue reading →

Heat wave

These days have been so hot it´s crazy! Luckily, I spent them either at the beach, in the shade of the garden or sipping an ice coffee at the terrace. I can never tell you enough times: There´s no place like Oslo in the summer!<3

If in Oslo, you need to check out Delikatessen, they now have 3 locations, but the best one is still in Grunnerløkka, if you ask me. Generous salads, yummy tapas and cool cats serving them to you.

I´m still on low-carb, 8 days to go, on Monday I´m starting yoga and pilates again, after a couple of years´laziness.

I hope your July is FAB and feel free to leave a message if you care!:-)

Continue reading →

Healthy inspiration

Oh, it´s so inspirational to eat good food and to see the results so fast!;-) Oysters, shrimps, mayo, salmon tartar, mussels, asparagus, salads, you name it! I´ve been eating so healthy and so diverse, made some delicious quinoa yesterday, getting my oatmeal cottage cheese and raspberry dose every morning and I´m starting to get in shape again, in 10 days´time I´ll be weighing as much as I did as a 18 years old! 😉 Can you believe it?! And all this time I´ve been letting myself get depressed over a little weight instead of actually doing something about it.

Anyway. These couple of days have been wonderful. Lots of walks with the doggies, reading Jonathan Franzen´s “The Corrections” in the garden, my orchids have blossomed and lots of white wine. Enjoy a couple of my pictures! xxx, Alina

Continue reading →

Living is easy

Although this is not always true and we stumble and fall more often than we can pick ourselves up, it should be summer´s general rule. Less clothes, less work, more spare time to do whatever we enjoy most, eat lighter, drink more, you name it!;-)

These days have been strange for my part, without needing to go into details. Today however I feel better than in a very long time. My thoughts feel clearer and I can breathe without restraints. I´m listening to the feel-good `Smart is the New Sexy´playlist on Spotify, drinking green tea, the cat purring beside me and life is simply good.

I´ve been dieting on low-carb for 9 days now and I´ve lost 3 kg, my skin hasn´t been this radiant in ages and I feel fit. 3-4 more kg to go and I can start eating what I want again, as long as I work out and stay away from buns and tarts on a regular basis.

We´ve been having amazing weather, although a bit too hot if one works or is too lazy to go to the beach. 😉 We went to the beach twice, though and it was so much fun for the dogs! I realized I´ve become a bit of a chicken, couldn´t bring myself to swim although the water must have been 19-21 degrees. Brr! Otherwise I can’t wait for Santorini, 5 weeks to go! Three more weeks of general staff holiday, better hurry and enjoy it! Prosecco is still on my list of groceries, even though I´m on low-carb!;-) haha! Have a lovely week!

Continue reading →

Summer wear

These are my favorite pieces this summer! I can´t wait to wear them on chilly evenings at the Oslo marina, on hot afternoon strolls to the nearest taverna in Santorini and on pleasant Parisian nights from a French brasserie to a jazzy bar. Come along!

I just bought these beauties from mytheresa.com, they´re from Ancient Greek Sandals and I simply adore them!

Continue reading →