As some of you may know it was my birthday on Saturday, and to celebrate it, (after lunch with family, of course) The Englishman decided to ignore (!) his fear of heights and take me on the cable car which crosses the Thames. Since it opened for the London Olympics last year, The Emirates cable car … [Read more...]
Not skiing in Åre and ‘old’ friends
This pretty mountain train terminus is one of my favourite buildings in Åre village.I've just come back from a skiing holiday to Sweden, where we'd planned to spend most of the time on the beautiful pistes of Åre. In the event I got only a few days on the mountains, because unseasonably warm weather … [Read more...]
My Nordic Adventure – Skiing the Åre way
The sky was brilliant blue against white snow when we arrived in the Swedish ski resort and mounted the Jämtland flag. I was staying in a ski lodge close to the centre - and to the lifts - with my oldest friends, 'girls' I've known since school and who, as the years pile on, I realise know me … [Read more...]
My Nordic Adventure: Part Three – the rest of it (almost)
It's taken me all day to write this blog post about my wonderful, luxuriously long break 'at home' in Finland and Sweden. The words just haven't flown today, on my first day back in London. Even the internet has been intermittent - something to do with the large full moon, perhaps?Or it may be that … [Read more...]
My Nordic Adventure – Part Two: Snow and more snow
I have a strange need for snow. When I try to explain, I usually say how snow can light up the darkest of wintry days, how a blanket of newly fallen snow is like a rebirth of a landscape: everything looks new, clean and fresh. Of course snow also reminds me of my childhood.Growing up in … [Read more...]
Just one more post about skiing in Åre
You may have noticed that I'm fairly partial to skiing. Most people think I've been doing it since I was a toddler, learning to ski between the legs of my father or mother like those cute little things you see on the slopes nowadays. But no, I didn't learn to do downhill until I was in my twenties. … [Read more...]
More from Åre
On our last day in the Swedish ski resort it was bitterly cold (-20C outside) and I decided not to hit the slopes. Instead I took pictures of the views over Åresjön at different times of the day. In the morning as the sun rose mist gathered above the frozen lake.When the sun set around four pm the … [Read more...]