Tschüss Austria!

We were so sad to leave Austria!!! The food was so good, but our bodies needed to heal.

Christmas II

More photos from our little jaunt around the lake on Christmas Day. The snow was unusual, but very much appreciated. The trees looked as though they were made of ice.

Christmas

The years when we spend Christmas in Germany, Olaf and I make a Christmas Day trip to the Rubbenbruchsee. Usually we take a little walk around the frozen lake and enjoy a coffee in the restaurant near the shore.

Olaf's favorite gift was a yo-yo, which instantly transported him to when he was 14. On Christmas Day morning he ran around trying to 'walk the dog' and yelling 'yo yo's for your mega.'

With Olaf's family we exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, which makes Christmas that much more magical.

Update

Hi everyone!

We just returned to London, after a week of skiing in Austria. Sorry we didn't post- we had very limited internet access.

I will do my best to get something new up today :)

Love love!
Michelle

Maldives III

Olaf was really keen to go big game fishing, instead, we went sunset fishing. Traditional Maldivinian fishing is almost as thrilling and less cumbersome- just a line, hook and hunk of bait.

I caught one fish, which was great until the the Russians next to us caught three. The chef prepared our catch for us the next day at lunch. We were totally happy with our little fish, until the Russians decided to rub in the extent of their fishing prowess, and sent some of their overabundance to our table. To be honest, our lovely little swimmer tasted much better than their big ass bottom-crawler.

Winter Wonderland

Last night Olaf and I ventured out in the snow to meet some of his old friends from school. The snow was really coming down, making the walk into the old town that much more magical. That's me above, on Olaf's street.
This is the old city hall. If you turn 30 and are still single, your friends will drag you to this still used building, and you must sweep the stairs like an old maid. Of course, everyone sits around and drinks lots of beer afterward.
After Christmas the children are allowed to eat the gingerbread house, which is about 12 feet tall.

Christmas Market IV

We rode the carousel at the market. It's over a hundred years old! Claudia rode it with Gerrit and Olaf when they were boys.