Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!!

Wednesday was Scott's Dad's birthday and since he didn't want a big deal made about it I didn't post anything on the actual day. Scott spoke with his Dad Tuesday night and sent him our birthday wishes. We trust that he had a fabulous birthday celebration in Ottawa and we want him to know just how much we love him!!!


We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new niece or nephew, the latest addition to the Gorman-Trick clan!!! Kim is due to deliver anytime now, as she puts it she is tired of being an incubator at this point. So we will be sure to share the wonderful news once the little bambino arrives!!! Good-luck Kim!! We will be keeping you, Mead and Alexa close in our thoughts over the next little while. Also, this is a tad early but Happy 1st Anniversary Kim & Mead!!! Have a terrific Anniversary / New Year's Eve celebration!!! We wish you love, joy and peace this coming year!!!!

Scott and I head to Salzburg tomorrow, yeah!!! So we'll be signing off for the holidays and will be back in January 2007!!! Have a terrific time at Christmas and New Year's with friends and family!!!

Sending lots of love!

4 More Sleeps!!!!

As many of you know I have a twin, I can not imagine my life without Karen in it. Having a twin meant that growing up I not only had a sibling but a constant companion. Over the years our relationship has developed and in addition to having a wonderful sister, I also have a cherished friend. I wanted to share one of my favorite holiday memories and of course it involves my twin sister. Waking up early Christmas morning when we were wee little ones, we would quietly get out of bed to find that our stockings had been magically filled. We would enjoy delving into all the goodies, sharing our discoveries with each other, before anyone else was awake.

Scott and I are looking forward to spending Christmas in Salzburg, we leave on Saturday!!! I am certain there will be many stories and photos to share in the New Year.

Wishing each of you a wonderful Christmas holiday and brilliant New Year's Eve celebration!!!!

Imagine the possibilities; no one can say exactly what the New Year holds for each of us, or what might be just around the corner. Remember to enjoy the journey!!!

The Little Things

Remember that the smallest acts of human kindness are worth far more than gold.

Enjoy the Christmas holiday!!!!

One kind word can warm three winter months.

~Japanese proverb

Languages

I must say that it has been a humbling experience coming here to Bratislava. Scott and I had little time to prepare for our stay here in Bratislava, let alone time to take Slovak language lessons. I have been overwhelmed and as I have already mentioned humbled by the generosity, patience and kindness strangers have shown me during my stay thus far. My first question is often, “Do you speak English?, more often than not the person will answer, “A little”, and we will then commence with an attempt at understanding one another. It is truly amazing how many individuals here speak English, something for which I am eternally grateful.

I was at the dry cleaning shop recently and sorely wished I had brought my dictionary along with me. None of the employees seemed to speak any English and I was trying to explain, including a bit of charades, that I needed a copy of the receipt. It was all very disheartening but finally one woman who was able to speak a bit of English asked if I needed to bill it, I nodded my head and said yes. I walked out with my dry cleaning and a sort of receipt, much relieved to have that experience over with. Unfortunately once I made it back to the hotel room and proceeded to hang up the clothes, I realized they had given me the wrong pair of trousers. This is a reminder to everyone; check to be sure they are your garments before leaving the dry cleaners. Thankfully the cleaners is just around the corner and this time I was armed with my Slovak-English dictionary (it is not all that helpful but I was desperate). My finger held the pages to the Slovak words for trousers and wrong. It was much easier this visit, shaking my head and laying the trousers up on the counter, I tried to correctly pronounce the Slovak words for wrong trousers. The situation was cleared up in a remarkably short time and I was happily on my way back to the hotel, this time with the correct pair of trousers in hand.

Enjoy the journey!!!!

Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory.
~Mahatma Gandhi

Thank Goodness For Toques, Mittens, Scarves & Thermals!!!

The weather forecast for the past couple of days has been completely off the mark, having called for mostly sunny skies. Well it has been grey and foggy four days in a row, the cold and damp air pressing down upon you the instant you ventured outside. As I strolled along the river the other afternoon, everything was shrouded in mist; the tendrils of fog were streaming up and away from the water’s surface, as though conjured by some unseen hand. The fog seemed to envelope you and somehow insulated and amplified at the same instance. The cold seemed somehow colder and the colours – at least those that were able to penetrate the mist – seemed richer, with a greater depth. The UFO-like structure of the Nový Most when seen from a distance seemed to have disappeared in the shroud of fog. As you approached the bridge the upper most structure loomed out of its ephemeral veil, reaffirming its presence. The calls of the gulls seemed to have an eerie tone and in addition to the water lapping against the boats moored by the river’s shore, it all seemed to emit a strange soundtrack for the afternoon’s amble.

Enjoy the journey!!!!

Only Nine More Days Till Christmas Eve!!!!

The month of December has certainly flown by!!! Each of you must be exceedingly busy with holiday parties, planning and the preparations for Christmas and New Year's Eve!!! Scott and I would love to hear what special Christmas memory, new or old tradition you cherish most. Those of you with wee ones are probably in the midst of rediscovering past traditions or creating new ones for your families. What an exciting and special time of year for each and everyone of us to remember why our loved ones mean so much to us. Making the time to express our love and gratitude to all those we hold dear is the greatest gift we can give.

Take care of each other.

Remember to enjoy the journey!!!!

Palffy Palace

Recently I visited one of the many local art galleries, this is one of the City Galleries of Bratislava, housed in Palffy Palace. The various paintings and sculptures, many dating from the mid 1800’s, were quite beautiful. There was one painting that caught my eye; I unfortunately didn't copy down the particulars about artist and title, but it was entitled something along the lines of Clowns Riding. I am not a huge fan of clowns but these were not your typical circus clowns, but rather harlequin dressed and on horseback, as though they were on their way to attend a Venetian fancy dress ball during carnival. It was a bit abstract and there was an air of darkness about the piece, one might call it macabre. For whatever reason, the painting left an impression with me.

A particular highlight for me was an exhibit of André Ketész black and white photography, many dating from 1918. Most of the photographs were taken here in Bratislava or in Romania. There were two photographs that stood out for me. The first was a shot of a side street in the city, cobble stoned and narrow. The photographer had captured an image of an older woman looking over her shoulder at the camera. Off to the left of the shot, a ladder leaned against one of the buildings and a blurred image of a cat was captured running up the ladder. It is a wonderful photograph!!!

The second image of note was of a young girl sitting in a field of wild flowers, she was surrounded by fluffy goslings, and even her lap was full of these little darlings. I suppose it is the aura of history about the photos that I found appealing; also I have a particular affinity for black and white photography.

Remember to enjoy the journey!!!!

Top of the Morning to You!!!!!

This past Friday morning I headed up to the train station (about a 20 minute walk one way) to purchase the tickets for our holiday travel. We will be spending a week in Salzburg, Austria, we leave the 23rd and return on the 30th. Scott and I are very excited about spending Christmas in Salzburg. We will be sure to share photos and stories in the new year. On the walk back from the train station I discovered a public park located on the grounds of the Presidential Palace, a very beautiful area and so relaxing.

Scott and I had a terrific weekend. Although quite low key it was very relaxing and enjoyable. We were able to explore some more of this fair city, Bratislava. Strolling down towards the waterfront we discovered a wonderful walking/cycling trail. The weather was phenomenally balmy for this time of the year and the sun was shining in a beautiful blue sky. Walking along the river we discovered we were not the only ones out enjoying the gorgeous weather. There were fellow walkers, cyclists and roller bladers galore. It is quite remarkable the amount of construction, development and revitalization, that is going on here. Scott mentioned that Bratislava will be a very different city in 10 or 20 years time. In the Old Town, there are a number of older buildings that are being gutted and their exteriors maintained. It can hardly be an easy or inexpensive venture for the investors of these projects. Bratislava is certainly a city of contrasts. The facades of many buildings in Old Town hold the old world charm that locals and travelers alike adore, it is part of the charm that draws so many to Europe. One can not help but recognize the deterioration that is so rampant and inevitable in cities that indeed have such history. It can be quite disconcerting at times, as you walk down a street admiring the fair beauty and architectural skill that went into creating such a fine building, on turning the corner you are confronted by a dilapidated, almost derelict building.

Above is a photo of a beautiful church we walk by each morning.

It is quite refreshing to find a city that is conducive to walking about in. As many of you might recall, in Bill Bryson's book, A Walk in the Woods, he points out the disheartening fact that so many cities in the United States of America are not pedestrian friendly; some are exceedingly dangerous actually for anyone who ventures out on foot. If you haven't had a chance to read this book, by all means add it to your Christmas reading list. I found it quite entertaining and enlightening, there were parts that were laugh out loud hysterical.

Welcome to our new blog!!!

Welcome to our new blog!!! Hopefully this will ensure that Scott and I keep each of you up to date on our adventures. If you haven't already, be sure to peruse our photographs (see link to our Flickr account on the right side bar).