• Malcolm Albany
  • Flight of the phoenix
  • Malcolm Albany
  • Flight of the phoenix

Ice Ice Disney

The Big Five have left the enclosure again.. Läs mer
  • Hold the Ice

    5 januari 2023, Italien ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    We had ignored all of Lara's pleas to go ice skating in places like Garda because we had a plan to skate near Bolzano... on a real lake in the mountains.
    Unfortunately, today was a balmy 11 degrees! You can't skate in a Slushee. Thankfully there were other fun things to do and a cold front is around the corner for skiing (fingers crossed).Läs mer

  • Aussie Sledging

    6 januari 2023, Italien ⋅ 🌙 -1 °C

    Snow at last! Even better we have entered a "bubble" under the care of Manuela: travel agent, resort owner and wife of a previous Italian national 4 course ski champion. We were provided with coffee, instructions, sleds and a bag of sandwiches and off we went. We imagined that the 15 minute 3km sledging run would be a nice warm up for skiing tomorrow. It was more like Mario Kart! High speed, tight corners, poorly manoeuvrable sleds and inexperienced drivers! Luckily our injuries were all minor so tomorrow the serious stuff beginsLäs mer

  • Ski Safari Day 1

    7 januari 2023, Italien ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C

    This was the whole reason for coming to Italy, but we (the adults) were full of nerves. The concept is to do the Dolomites with a guide who would take us from mountain hut to mountain hut a bit like the Milson Sounds walk in NZ. The unknowns: how far were we expected to ski? What sort of slopes are they? Could we remember how to ski since pre-covid? What happens if we don't make it by sundown????
    The end result after day 1:
    A looong way >50km. I put Strava on after lunch and it was 45km by dinner.
    Mostly red and some black
    I think our guide was a bit worried when he first saw us, but muscle memory kicked in after a couple of runs so he didn't cancel our dinner reservation. (He did suggest we hold off the off piste until later in the week!)
    Läs mer

  • Ski Safari Day 2

    8 januari 2023, Italien ⋅ ☁️ -4 °C

    Our step learning curve continued today. It seems like two steps forward, one step back - especially when the visibility dropped off in the afternoon. At least the afternoon gloominess brought fresh snow so tomorrow morning should be nice. Our lodgings went up a notch too. It doubles as a restaurant. People hire snowmobile taxis to get here for a meal!Läs mer

  • Ski Safari Day 3

    9 januari 2023, Italien ⋅ 🌧 0 °C

    There was plenty of powder today but also pretty bumpy runs. Our accommodation was a step down to a dorm style set up with shared toilet and shower etc. Outside, however was the "set" of For Your Eyes Only which l will now have to watch again.Läs mer

  • Ski Safari Day 4

    10 januari 2023, Italien ⋅ ⛅ -8 °C

    Today we completed the big loop around the Dolomites and returned to Alta Badia. A bit more detail: "The Lagazuoi circuit leads across canyons for 7.8km along the Armentarola slope". It was also our last day with Luca. The wind was high today, but the sun was bright and the runs were all smooth powder. It was just the three boys for the afternoon and a busy afternoon it was. There was a lot of backcountry stuff and amazing long runs as we made our way back to La Villa.Läs mer

  • Freestyling

    11 januari 2023, Italien ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C

    A final day on the slopes... We were back at base today so skiing was optional. It was now survival of the fittest: Elliot, Lara and yours truly.
    At the peak of our powers before we forget half of everything that we've learnt we took on the fun parks, the timed slalom runs and let our hair down. This is the first time that I've skiied for five days straight. After a couple of weeks of touring and eating in Italy it feels good to get the fitness level back up a bit!
    We covered 28-55km/day on the slopes although day 1 was probably more with all the zig zagging at that stage!

    Manuela turned up to farewell us before dinner which was a nice touch. Overall impression: best skiing experience I've had by a long way. For more serious skiers than us, this would also be the best way to get into the movie level off piste stuff with the best teachers in the world... and the best surroundings too!
    Läs mer

  • Park hopper plus PLUS

    14 januari 2023, Förenta staterna ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    We had in our minds a leisurely few days of strolling around the parks, but a few things happened:
    1. FOMO: that ugly beast again
    2. Genie plus: another ugly beast. We don't like the concept of paying for fast passes beforehand, but also didn't want to spend all our time in lines. The problem is that it works and once you pay for it you don't want to waste it
    3. No dining plan available at the moment and "bots" taking over the dining bookings: we had less TS meals
    4. Less available time because we were booked into the Halcyon
    End result: 3 very, very busy days (hence no penguin for a bit) that were a complete whirlwind. They were, however, lots of fun and made even more fun because we got to share all the new rides, snacks, shows etc with the Berlee clan. Thanks Berlees!
    This is our first full day: Hollywood Studios
    Läs mer

  • Epcot and Magic Kingdom

    15 januari 2023, Förenta staterna ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    This was our big day! All the big ticket items across the two parks with the exception of 7DMT. First stop: Test track - "sorry folks it's down"! Quick to Frozen Ever After! Heather's step counter kept prompting her to admit that she was taking part in some sort of event: no, just Disney.Läs mer

  • Perfect Disney Day

    16 januari 2023, Förenta staterna ⋅ ☀️ 3 °C

    Having hit the must dos it was now time to slow the pace... "just after this next genie plus hit, I promise!" Today we went to my favourite park, Animal Kingdom, and after the big three ticket items we did indeed turn it into a lovely, leisurely day. We had lunch at my favourite Disney eatery, Satu'li Canteen, then headed back to the Poly for a long siesta. I stacked a few Epcot Genie items from the hot tub then, at sunset, we jumped back on the monorail for our last park evening with the Berlees. Dinner was a snack "around the International Showcase" affair before we settled in for Harmonious and a bit of shopping. Lastly, we scored one last Cosmic Rewind spot for good measure so we went out with a bang.Läs mer

  • Galactic Starcruiser

    17 januari 2023, Förenta staterna ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Galactic Starcruiser was better than expected... And my expectations were very high. The theming and the food were excellent, but the whole vibe created by the staff was fantastic. It wasn't a show or anything like that. The whole thing was like one long RPG where various cast members would come and find you and give you specific tasks. The choices that you make and the allegiances that you declare determine your future experiences and outcomes. It was super fun.Läs mer

  • Heatwave

    19 januari 2023, Förenta staterna ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Today we checked out of the Starcruiser. It was 28 degrees so there was only one logical option: Blizzard Beach! We were given the VIP treatment coming off the Starcruiser so were allowed to check in at 10am. This gave us time to explore the new cable car system attached to Disney's Riviera before ditching our luggage. A lazy day on the waterslides and mini-golfing was a great end to a short, but super-satisfying WDW trip.Läs mer

  • California Drivin'

    20 januari 2023, Förenta staterna ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We flew from MCO to LAX today. The new Clear Reserve system worked really well to get us through a disorganised airport full of people who know their rights and live to express them. We hired a car from an ultra budget mob called Fox, but so far they've been great to deal with. With 3 nights before our flight home we decided to try something different and head to Palm Desert as a base to explore the Joshua Tree National Park.Läs mer

  • Bump n Grind

    21 januari 2023, Förenta staterna ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    Today we decided to tackle the Bump n Grind hiking trail in Palm Desert. We did more bumping than grinding and soon came to the group conclusion that the view at the top was not going to be worth the steep 4 mile climb. We were expecting cold desert temperatures and dressed accordingly. Unfortunately it was hot so we quit while we were behind. We went to Petco to overspend on the dog and then continued with our main plan for the day... Onwards to Joshua Tree National Park with a stopover at Pioneer Town. The park is better than the Town! The highlight, however, was dinner at a place called Kitchen in the Desert. It is an outdoor restaurant with a great setting, funky music, amazing cocktails good food and good value.Läs mer

  • Bouldering

    22 januari 2023, Förenta staterna ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    Our last full day of the trip and we went out with a bang. We went on a guided bouldering adventure back in Joshua Tree National Park. It was near zero cold initially but warmed up so we went from down jackets to long sleeve T shirts. Bouldering was very physical but lots of fun. We all overcame a few hurdles, copped a few scratches and left feeling strangely proud of ourselves. We finished by "scrambling" through the Chasm of Doom!Läs mer

  • Any cricket left?

    23 januari 2023, Australien ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Well, we're back. It's always mixed emotions to be back home.. lots of cobwebs (both literal and metaphorical) will need to be brushed off, the dog will need to be collected (thanks Hugo!) and timetables synchronised. Lots to be thankful for regarding this trip...It was one of the better ones. Hope to see you all soon.Läs mer

    Resans slut
    22 januari 2023