MarkSueandtheboys

We have been following the devastating floods closely in Queensland and now even in Victoria closely and it just seems terrrible. La Nina has really taken its toll against Brazil and in Sri Lanka too. In Europe the weather has been much kinder after the earlier cold snap that bought the widespread snow. We had a great time in Innsbruck, with two more great days skiing returning to Stubaier Glacier and Kuhtai both having the highest elevations and best conditions. On day four, we returned to Kuhtai and visibility was better and we had a great day's skiing. Thomas, our guide bought his own avalanche gear and spent some time with the boys demonstrating techniques of search and rescue off piste. We caught the train from Innsbruck to Zurich, then changed trains and continued to Paris. ... read more

We do seem to chase the cold. It was -4 when we arrived in Munich on the 4th January, and after settling our things into the hotel we headed out for a walk through the old town. The old town is just beautiful with some amazing looking buildings and churches. There were plenty of people in town, tourists and locals shopping. It just seemed to get colder and colder, and eventually the boys dragged us into a huge ski shop to warm up! We had dinner in a traditional bavarian resturant, lots of pork and sauerkraut, made a change from wurst and sauerkraut, I think I have definately had my fill of sauerkraut! Yesterday we went on the U-bahn to the Deutsches Musuem, which is absolutely massive and contains the most amazing exhibits showing the development ... read more

My internet connection is not as convenient as in London but I will try and do my best and keep my blog up to date. Our last sightseeing day took us to the British Museum. With the traindrivers working again we caught the tube to Russell Square, and disembarked in this most attractive area of London. A short walk took us to the museum where we split up to explore the vast spaces and extraordinary collections. On the 28th we travelled to Berlin,and thankfully no problems with flights. Plenty of snow on the ground here, maybe 50cm, and temperatures a fresh -11 on arrival. Our hotel is very comfortable and warm, but we did venture out for dinner and a walk along the Kurfurstendamm, the main shopping strip to orientate ourselves. We are staying not far ... read more

Hope you all had a lovely day! We've had bit of a rest over the last couple of days. Christmas eve we hit the shops starting at Harrods to pick up some yummy treats, strawberry jam with champagne, mince pies, shortbread with brandy and some fudge cookies. The boys found it all over the top so we found ourselves heading back to Covent Garden where we split up for the rest of the day to buy our Kris Kringles. Christmas day was very relaxed, no snow but a crisp -2 and clear. Mark booked a table at a local resturant and we had a great meal in a nice atmosphere. We missed the Queen's live broadcast from Hampton Court but we made sure we were home in time to watch the Dr Who Christmas Special while ... read more

Back to Greenwich today, this time North Greenwich to to the O2 Bubble situated on the Greenwich Pennisula . The 02 Bubble is a huge entertainment complex , which was absolutely freezing in the concourse area. The boys were very keen to check out an exhibition -The British Music Experience being held there, thankfully the exhibition was heated. We all enjoyed our british music experience with a collection of well known stage costumes, famous guitars and the latest of interactive technologies covering british music history over the last 60 years. We then caught the tube to Baker St and spent the rest of the chilly afternoon visiting Regent Park, Abbey Road Studios and Sherlock Holmes's apartment. The pedestrian crossing on Abbey Road was all abit crazy with the crossing just getting a landmark listing! ... read more