Whistler a Happy Tune

Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to ski we go, and so far, yes that’s what we’ve done. We’ve hit the slopes (both figuratively and literally) and hit them hard. We have had 7 days skiing so far and there are 5 more to go; today is our one day off and believe me we need it. After checking in we headed out to collect our gear and went to bed nice and early so that we could better cope with having to get up at some god awful hour of the morning: 7am! We woke up to snow drifting past the window and it really hasn’t stopped since.

Our first day on the slopes was spent back at school, with James in boarding school and me in ski school and, for the first time in 100 days, we did not see each other until school let out at 3pm. Yes, that’s right, for 100 days we have pretty much been together 24/7 and, whilst it has provided for some interesting moments, this was the first time we had “news” to share with each other. The short version goes like this: James – I spent most of the morning on my ass but have discovered that I’m an ambi-turner! Me – told them I was level 3 and ended up on the magic carpet; what the hell?! Was promoted to a new instructor who said I was level 4 and needed to go to a different school up the slopes. Hooray! I get to play with the big kids!

Day 2 of the lessons went like this: James – I can link my turns and safely navigate green slopes. I’ve been promoted up to level 4 and can play on the upper slopes with the big kids too! Me – I have gone from top of the class to bottom of the class. I hate skiing and my legs hurt. Anna, I know exactly how you felt on your last ski trip and am desperately depressed. Poxy skiing.

It was this attitude that led to us spending our third day on the slopes by ourselves; James showing just how clever he was going from level 1 to 4 in 2 days and me trying to regain my confidence. We also had our first ever experience of skiing powder and had much fun falling over in it. The next day - our last day of ski school - was a more positive one for us both, with James boarding at upper level 4 and me being much happier in my new class with my new friends.

Since then we have explored lots of blue runs on Whistler and Blackcomb mountains and absolutely love the skiing. James is even keen to try some bowls, I’m not so sure, but one thing we both agree on is that we can’t get over how much snow there is, both in the village and on the mountains, and how much we are loving it here.

Some people might think that getting up early and throwing yourself down a mountain time and time again knowing that you’re going to come down covered with bruises and every muscle in your body aching is no kind of way to spend the end of your honeymoon. But we think it is perfect. Anyway, yesterday was James’ birthday so we took the afternoon off and went out for drinks and had the most expensive dinner of our lives so it is not all work, work, work. But let’s not mention that word, because it only reminds me that it’s just around the corner and I’ll have to change my tune to hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work we go…but not just yet!

The Big Apple…devoured

New York is such an iconic place and we have both seen it countless times on TV and in the movies, but actually being there is another thing altogether and I don’t think I will ever view it in the same way again. I had every intention of writing 2 entries whilst in the city that never sleeps – one half way through our 7 day stay and one at the end just before we flew out – but never seemed to be able to find the time to do so. Somehow, there always seemed something better to do, and I hope you will forgive me for the lack of information then, and for the overabundance of it now.

As we flew in to JFK I kept craning my neck to get my first glimpse of the skyline and the steel jungle that is Manhattan, but it managed to elude us until we were about 5 minutes away from it in the cab. After checking in to our hotel on West 47th St between 6th and 7th Ave (Times Square) we set off to explore midtown and Hell’s Kitchen, where we ended up in a sports bar watching NFL, eating potato skins and drinking local beer. After 12 weeks in Europe we were both looking forward to sampling well known American cuisine and, believe me, there was no shortage of choice or amount. We have had hotdogs and a big pretzel, baby back ribs, cheesecake, pizza, waffles, pancakes, cheeseburger and fries, ‘slaw, Boston cream pie, home fries and coffee (although it was purely for the caffeine, not the taste!). Since our time in the Big Apple I have had some of my preconceptions (predominantly negative I will admit) about Americans shattered: they are very friendly and not rude at all, on the whole; they are far more generous in giving change to people on the street; they have a sense of humour. However, when it comes to food it was all that I thought: there’s far too much of it given to you; there is far too much of it consumed; there is far too much of it thrown away.

It’s a strange place, New York, but one which I have come to love through the people we have met and the things we have seen and done. Our first day was spent Christmas shopping in Macy’s and checking out the tree and ice skaters at Rockerfeller Center. The next day was Christmas and we spent it in Central Park with every other tourist and local who had come out to take advantage of the perfect weather: blue skies, relatively warm temperature and crisp air. We walked through the Ramble where we saw squirrels in abundance and past the boathouse restaurant up to the Jackie O Reservoir and back through Strawberry Fields. We then had a roast turkey lunch at the Galaxy Diner in Hell’s Kitchen where we met these 2 guys who told us about Junior’s cheesecake which is definitely worth the wait to get a table.

A trip to the American Museum of Natural History followed on Boxing Day and it was by far the most crowded place we have been on the trip. Everyone and their child was there checking out the incredible displays and it was worse than Grand Central Station, literally. We had an early dinner at John’s Pizza, one of the top 10 pizza places in the U.S. before heading out to a Broadway play – Cyrano de Bergerac – starring Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner. Yes, that’s right, we saw famous people in the flesh, on Broadway, and only had to pay ½ price for the tickets because we bought them that afternoon. It was rather surreal to be sitting there listening to Kline deliver perfectly timed lines and it wasn’t until walking home on Broadway that it actually hit me why they were called Broadway shows and that we were staying right in the middle of them. Yes, I know, as James has commented several times to me on this trip, for someone who can be so intelligent, I am so stupid.

Anyway, to continue the list of “things we’ve done, places we’ve seen” we rode the Stanton Island ferry and saw the Statue of Liberty, whose size can only be appreciated when people are standing next to it; we walked down Wall St and across the Brooklyn Bridge and back; we visited Ground Zero, although the visual impact of what is no longer there was far more obvious from the break in the skyline when looking back from the top of the Empire State Building; we visited the U.N. and toured the Security Council Chamber, which looked like the war room in the Peter Seller’s movie Dr Strangelove with its outdated, but still used, décor and technology and we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and added even more names to our already long list of famous artists.

Needless to say we did not have any difficulty in filling the 7 days we had there and when it came time to leave, we could not believe that the week had gone so quickly. It may have been difficult to get in to the Big Apple – security checks before checking in at Paris, as well as after, bag searches, having our fingerprints and photo taken as well as signing a declaration that agreed to giving up our right to appeal if refused entry for any reason they deemed reasonable – but the opportunity to take a bite out of it was one we are glad to have had, and one we devoured with relish! There only remains one more leg of our “ridiculously long honeymoon” to quote my beloved, and much missed, sister, and with any luck we will manage to keep both of our legs in one piece. We leave tomorrow for Whistler, after 2 restful days in Vancouver and a quiet ringing in of the New Year. The snow reports are promising: 200 out of 200 runs open and 1.8 metres of snow, with more to come. We are looking forward to seeing snow again and feeling the rush of icy wind on our faces as we swoosh down the slopes. Sorry, that’s me, as James will more likely be feeling the rush of icy snow IN his face and sliding down the slopes on his bum, as he has decided to try boarding. If you’re still reading, then thank you for your perseverance and patience. We hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and we wish you all the best for the New Year. I will keep you posted over the next 2 weeks re our skiing exploits and James’ progress as a boarding dude.

PS Since James lost his phone somewhere in the marshland of Carmague, we have been relying on mine. However, apparently my phone is not compatible with North American networks, so if you need to contact us then email is the best bet or if there is an emergency you can contact us at Delta Whistler Village Suites, 4308 Main St Whistler, ph 001116049386510.