Thredbo....the land of snow!

The final blog of our 4 months in Thredbo.

Very cool holiday apartments...this one was one of Dom's favourites (which included a little river running through it - as you can see in the second pic below).

Below is a pic of the restaurant that we worked at for the 4 months that we were here...

'Jean Michel at the Knickerbocker'.

The front of the restaurant (inc. the outdoor balcony - only in use during summer).

Below is a pic of one of the walls in the restaurant... Now, if only everyone listened to their own words!

One of those very cold frosty mornings (early on in the season before we got any snow). We woke up to this sight often...burrrrrhhhhhh!

Dom was very excited about seeing rain that was so cold that it froze overnight.

This was cold cold days before the snow came. Everything ices over, and to tell you the truth, icy mornings were colder than snowie mornings :(

An ice sculpture of an eagle in the middle of the village. It was done on the opening weekend celebrations (lasted a week or so in that hot weather - eventually each letter melting and falling down one at a time).

Happy birthday Dom. After working a gruelling 12hr shift ,we finally got to celebrate with some friends and a few beers. Cheers to that!

We can't begin to tell you how freaking cold we were on some nights!

It's that type of cold that goes beyond the feeling and turns into pure unadulterated pain, right through the layers of clothing (many layers), through our skin and deep into our bones (literally). And there it remained, teasing and tormenting us to either give up or to just keep pushing through the season.

There were 2 major moments (separate nights) where we both broke down and questioned why we were living in a van in the middle of a Thredbo Winter. Like, who does that? US, we did it.

Those moments were raw, honest and very deep moments where we found a deeper level of friendship. Word of warning to other couples who might be thinking of doing something like this, you will either be pushed closer together or you will be leaving in separate cars far away from each other.

We became closer, it was an experience where the small silly stuff that couples normally complain about becomes insignificant and the real friendship becomes the foundation of a stronger partnership.

Nestled in between these cold mountains we allowed the pain from the cold become our very own teacher...and that teacher taught us that we were stronger than we had thought possible.

Where there is cold there will be warmth,

Where there is darkness there will be light...

and when faced with a lesson there will be growth...

Growing as friends, lovers and above all, stronger and wiser people.

We were touched :)

First morning waking with REAL snow. It's quiet when it snows, and a bit surreal.

The after effects of just a small dump (dump = snow drop :)

In between really cold nights and the only one shower we looked forward to in the morning of each day, was our work at 'Jean Michel at the Knickerbocker Restaurant'.

We worked sometimes 10 hours a shift, with only a 30 min break... Yikes!

Below are a couple of photos that show a heavier snow dump that we woke up to. Believe it or not, in the whole 4 months that we were there in Thredbo.....this was only one of 2 or 3 really significant snow dumps. Hence the reason that it was considered a shit snow season.

Us posing for a quick photo in between lunch and dinner shifts at the restaurant.

The view from the restaurant after (and during) a snow fall. The first two were taken from underneath the restaurant (where our ice machine and beer on tap was - Leonie and Dom were down there every shift either turning on the beer, changing and cleaning the beer lines, getting more alcohol stock, and getting the ice for the day).

From the balcony of the restaurant.

Standing out on the balcony at work.

Leaving work (on foot) after the lunch shift to get a lamb pie (that was often our lunch in between lunch and dinner shifts). We weren't fed often at the restaurant, so usually had to go and find something to munch on.

Snow in Leonie's hair, during a light snow dump on our little walk.

Beautiful view of the mountain and a duck standing in the middle of frozen pond. We wondered...did his feet ever feel the cold?

Closer inspection of the duck....and he doesn't look the tiniest bit worried about the cold at all? What the???

Trying to capture the snow dropping out of the sky (for Dom's sister Toni). Film like this never does it justice.

This is how our van looked when it really dumped heavily. This happened only the once that heavy. Imagine us in there sleeping??? Yikes...(luckily that night our boss at the restaurant was nice enough to give us their farm house. We slept well...and warm :)

The farm house (our boss's anyway) where we got to spend a few days r'n'r. Our Country Getaway!

The beautiful drive on the way to the farm...showing amazing steep cliffs and alpine forest.

Us enjoying good times on the chair lift and up in the mountain restaurant on one of our last days. Yeahhh...some fun for a change, not just work work work!

Dom and Leonie kicking snow at each other....just for kicks!

Throwing a snowball....up close and personal :)

Leonie having some barefoot run in the snow...

...And enjoying a bite of pure snow.

                         

Leonie outside the restaurant just before OUR LAST SHIFT on OUR LAST DAY of work (at the end of the 4 months). The sun was shining a beautiful warming glaze...we know it was shining our road OUT :)

The FINAL clean of her bar.

The final viewing...

Driving off into the sunset :)

Our new roof set up... very organised.