The Big Apple

Our decision to come to Canada came at a cost - missing a family holiday around the states. We were fortunate enough to get some time off work over last few days and were able to join them in New York! Despite a flight cancellation and a bag that didn't arrive, our trip was incredible! We really enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the city-that-never-sleeps, shopping, great food, fabulous Christmas lights, quality family time and lots of good laughs. It was surprisingly warm during our stay, so there will be no white Christmas for the yanks this year.

Spending my birthday in the big apple, watching Peter Pan on Broadway, the festive open air bus tour, and revisiting the understated Thai restaurant, Pearls, were just a few highlights! We were in the heart of the NY chaos with our hotel situated on Times Square, super convenient for accessing all the major city attractions. This was Meg's first visit to the United States and proved to be a great appetizer for the American road trip we are planning post ski season.

It is surprisingly difficult to travel from Canada with even local flights being really expensive. We were not able to get a direct flight to New York and the trip was somewhat reminiscent of 'the great trek'. While the perceived glamour of international travel has proved to be an illusion, we are soaking up the experiences that come with it and ultimately satisfying our objectives of living life differently for a while. Back in Whistler, we are looking forward to our turkey feast and fresh snow that is long overdue!

Happy holidays everyone! Have a blessed Christmas.

Andy

Pretty Christmas lights

Michelle, Nicky and Meg

The New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden

Ferry to Staten Island

Bus tour around the city

At the top of the Rockefeller Centre

Hungry perhaps?

Absolute madness at the Apple store

The Hamann family enjoying a quick coffee

Life in the mountains - part 4

The Luge World Cup (spot the athlete!)

Off to watch a local Ice Hockey game..

Life in the mountains - part 3

Bren and Sam arrived last Tuesday, and we're eager to hit the slopes...

Team ski - waiting for the first bus of the day

Sam and Meg after they collided and took a tumble!

Life in the mountains - part 2

December is here and a white Christmas (the thought of which is just glorious!) speedily approaches. Yeh, its strange not to be able to enjoy the sunny December holidays with our families in SA, but we trust Whistler will put on a good show!

Andy's family are coming to the US in a week or two, and we are hoping to meet up with them in New York for a few days. Its tricky to get time off so close to Christmas, so there are negotiations currently taking place with our respective bosses! If we get the thumbs up, then we will be there over Andy's birthday, yes!

The Luge World Cup is taking place at the Whistler Sliding Centre on 9&10 December, and this past week all the Nations have been training at the track. They chose a bad week for us to be assisting out on the track, as it's forecasted to be bitterly cold! At 10am today, it was a chilly -10C'! The crystal blue skies are misleading.

Brendon and Sam arrive tomorrow evening, which is very exciting! It will be great to have some good friends here with us. Andy is off for 3 days this week, so he will showing them the ropes, while his wife brings home the bacon! ;)

We have really been enjoying the mountain - every trip up the mountain leaves us on a bit of high! I am still pretty wary, and am sticking to the green and blue runs for now. Poor Andy has to wait for me at the bottom on each run, where he reminds me to relax my body and stop sticking my bum out! We took the Peak to Peak Gondola for the first time the other day (see pic below) - it is the longest and highest mountain-to-mountain journey in the world. It links the two mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb, which makes the skiing experience just that much better.

The Peak to Peak Gondola views...

Life in the mountains - part 1

The base of the Whistler mountain

This is the best transport by far!

Another pretty village scene

OC2, the retail store where Meg works