Sophie is an Arsenal supporter! (by default)

Yes, Sophie's handsome uncle is a die-hard Arsenal fan, so she has to be one. Her mother was coerced into getting her a jersey to declare to the world that she has already been 'booked' by Arsenal...

Here she is, celebrating Arsenal's recent win at the UEFA Champion's League...

More Norway

Whale meat (it's the black lump)
A residential neighbourhood in Bergen
Bryggen in Bergen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
A village in the mountains/fjords
Aurland, a village along the fjords

Oslo & Bergen, Norway

Ancient Viking ship at the Viking Ship Museum
No, Baba, I'm telling you it's THAT way!!



Waiting for the Flamsbana Train at Myrdal
After the Flamsbana train ride from Myrdal to Flam
Enjoying our breakfast of freshly caught & cooked shrimps at the Oslo harbour. I think some people thought we were tramps, eating by the roadside like that....

We took a 6-day holiday in Oslo & Bergen in Norway 2 weeks ago, taking in the famous fjord and mountaineous landscape of Norway in the "Norway in a Nutshell" trip. Essentially a 12-hour journey on a series of trains, buses, and boats, we took 1.5 days to complete it, breaking our journey halfway at a small village (Aurland) located along the fjords. We started our journey from Oslo, having spent 1.5 days there visiting the whole lot of museums in Bygdoy, and ended up in Bergen, visiting the Hanseatic (a 16th century German merchant group) quarters in Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Traveling with Sophie was already tough on itself, and getting cooped up in trains, buses & boats when she is supposed to keep relatively still for a couple of hours is a tall order indeed. The train rides were easier, as they had play areas for young children and we could occupy Sophie somewhat there. However, all things considered, she was not too bad on this trip. We were pooped out by 8pm every night, though.

Norway is an expensive place to visit - Oslo, is after all, the world's most expensive city in the polls this year. We survived on instant noodles, supermarket takeaway, and the occasional restaurant meal. On the top of our agenda is to try whale & reindeer meat, which turned out to be quite disagreeable (plasticky and bland). Well, at least we know now....

Then & Now

THEN

NOW

Happy Birthday!

Sophie is ONE today!!!

We had a nice dim sum brunch yesterday under the pretext of celebrating her first birthday. She enjoyed her half an egg tart and few spoonfuls of porridge – thank you very much – while the rest of us had to polish off the fourteen other dishes. Poor us.

Sophie also enjoyed looking at her birthday cake, while the rest of us actually had to actually EAT it…. (We’re always at your service, madam) Yum yum….they went very well with Francis & Aileen’s Lavaza coffee, too.

And of course, we had to end the evening with a bloody game of Risk. Just don’t ask who won. Grrr….

Cambridge

Nope, that is not us

We managed to cram in another car trip before the summer is over. This time, it was to the worshipping ground for academia, Cambridge. Impressive buildings, history filled with who's who, narrow windy streets, and of course, punts. Weather was erratic - we got caught in a on-again, off-again, downpour.

London Eye, Westminster Abbey & London Tower