White Christmas in Mayrhofen

Christmas in Austria was perfect.

Truly we couldn't have asked for a better way 

to spend Christmas - if it couldn't be with family.

After an 1hr 15min flight, we were in Innsbruck heading to Mayrhofen.

It is a teeny tiny little village 

filled with friendly people and a few great restaurants.

But, the main reason we went to Mayrhofen 

was to hit to slopes!

Ian had a 7-day lift pass, and mine was a 6-day

and we surely used it.

I took three days of ski lessons.

Went from never standing on skis to skiing the blue runs.

Big accomplishment for me. Big.

I will say I was a bit nervous, and realised it was a ton of fun...

at least on the blue runs! 

Ian snowboarded his little heart out every single day we were there.

Each morning, he pulled his sore body out of bed, 

grabbed breakfast and off he went... for 5-6 hours a day.

He was patient with me, and kept me company on a few runs

before hitting the the reds and blacks

and exploring the entire area.

Our lift passes recorded elevation and distance covered.

Ian's vertical meters in one day = 7615 (25k ft)

Ian's distance covered in 7 days = 238 km (148 miles)

Mine = no where even close! 

We watched the clouds roll in while on the mountain on Christmas Day...

and it started snowing, and snowing and snowing.

On Boxing Day, the village and mountain were seriously covered.

And the snow kept coming with wind, freezing cold wind.

And Ian was in heaven.

And it just made me more nervous, but I skied until I couldn't anymore...

or until my face felt frozen! 

We also ate at a few different restaurants.

Gastof Perauer, Wirsthaus zum Griena and Hotel Kramerwirt 

topped the list of faves, and Austrian wine was pretty darn good. 

I feel so super lucky to have learned to ski in the Alps... 

what a fun memory to have - always.

 

chunkiest little bunnies at our b&b... after our snowball fight.

my ski school group - they were awesome!

The Alps were truly impressive...

and our pictures don't even begin to do it justice.

And having a white Christmas was beautiful. 

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas

and wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2015.

xx

the mcgees

ps. we didn't take many pictures the day it was snowing like crazy...
just too hard to bring our camera up, and keep it dry! 

Annual Ice Skating Adventure

Not much needs to be said about this, 

but we've decided to make ice skating

an annual tradition with friends!

It's such a fun way to get in the Christmas spirit...

and always good laugh!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

And we look forward to sharing pictures from our

Austrian Alps Christmas!

xx

the mcgees

St Nick's Day Celebration

Last year we couldn't join the Rees-Roberts family 

for their St Nicholas Day celebration

but this year, we made it!

We headed to Cambridge on Saturday morning

just in time for their Winter Fair on Mill Road.

It felt like everyone in Cambridge was there,

but it was full of crafts, music, dancing

food and mulled wine.

(And I'd have to say, I had the best mulled wine ever from Cambridge Wines!)

When we got cold enough, we headed back to 

Tristan & Ingelin's house for our introduction to St Nicks Day...

Dutch style!

St Nicks Day is a pretty big one for the kiddos.

It's the day when "Father Christmas" brings the kids their gifts...

drops them down the chimney, and into their shoes!

But, before this can happen we sang Christmas carols, 

ate lots of great food, and drank lots of great wine! 

It was a fun-filled family night!

The next morning, we opened our gifts

and had lunch at a lovely little French bistro.

We had a great time watching the kids get so excited about Christmas,

and it surely got us in the Christmas spirit which can be a bit

difficult because we're so far from our family.

It was a great escape from London,

and can't wait to go back again!

To the Rees-Roberts family, 

thanks for including us in your family tradition!

We look forward to celebrating again next year in Norfolk.

xx

the mcgees

Thanksgiving with friends...

One of the things I miss most now that we live in the UK is

THANKSGIVING!!

I have a small obsession with Thanksgiving,

food and decor... seeing family & friends.

And I even love doing the cooking 
(even if sort of stressful).

It's my favourite.

Really.

So, this year I got extra lucky...

we had yummy dinner at Hix Mayfair on Thanksgiving night

where they carved our turkey at the table,

and it was met with all of the true Thankgiving-ish sides.

And the following Saturday, I cooked

for our American friends and some of our English ones too!

Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, green beans, etc. were all there.

We ate tons of food, drank lots of great wine, 
had good conversation

and laughed.

It was a perfect Thanksgiving away from family.

So much to be thankful for this year, and every year...

especially for our family,

and new friends who have helped make this our home away from home.

xx
the mcgees