First stop on our trip a few weeks ago – Brussels. The Atomium was built for the World’s Fair held in Brussels, 1958. From what we saw inside the Atomium, the future had a potential to be a lot of fun – from a 50′s perspective. This place was amazing – and we arrived just before closing, which we thought we had missed. I was happy just to look from the outside but fortunately we made it in, took the elevator to the top and down again. Once you get to the bottom after your skyline view, you have to take a series of escalators from one pod to the next – each have their own displays of the era and World’s Fair facts – a lot of design exhibits as well. They were trying to close up and get us to leave, hence the lack of any other people in these photos…quite lucky.

So sorry I’ve been behind – not really hibernating, because we didn’t have much cold. Not really out, because the snow is gone, the ice has melted, the weather is mild but everything still has that dead look – you know the one I mean, it stays until April when the rain comes to push it out.

Friday I’ll be going away to Belgium, to London, to Brighton and back to Edinburgh. I haven’t been back since we moved away almost three years ago – everytime we had a plan and journeyed to places closer to home for lack of weeks in a row to travel. Now, we’re finally going back. My favourite city. There’s so much to love about it and I’ll be in town for five days. Not long enough – but still a good amount of time to walk the streets and visit my favourite pubs, see old friends and climb Arthur’s Seat if a clear day comes.

The week before we left last time, I took my Canon Rebel and shot some film of the things I would miss. Here are just a few, I’ll go back and see them again. Now I finally have the luxury of digital, but I’ll be bringing my Rebel back – travelling with just one camera makes me nervous. And there’s something about the film that makes it look so…

About two weeks ago I found a beaver munching by Victoria Island, in the river behind the Library and Archives. I went to pay him a visit over a week ago after work, I had some time to spare and I wanted to see how he was making out. Pretty slowly, still chewing, as it turned out. He sat still too far away for my point-and-shoot and so I kept walking along the river and then up and over the Portage Bridge toward Gatineau. As I was on the bridge, the sun was setting at just the right time and I stood and stared for a long few minutes, then turning and watching the east as it set west. Looking west, another bridge beside a factory churning smoke and mystery. Looking east, you’re not blinded and the sun sets a glow on Parliament, jutting out just so into the Ottawa River. This is why one should always carry a camera… you never know what will happen after work when the beavers aren’t entertaining and you’re standing on a bridge in 15 degrees below zero Celcius, waiting for someone at the other end.

This month we returned again to Lake Placid. Yes, again – but look at this place. Every time it changes, and this time we were fortunate enough to have friends with us to share the stuff we love doing.
We spent our days skating, enjoying at least one meal per day and many pints at the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery, and snowshoeing up the Mt. Van Hovenberg trail – a 4.4 mile round trip. The weather was mild and snowy, with no visibility until we reached the top. Lucky, as we’ve been before in the winter and clear views are hard to come by in the mountains. Or maybe we’ve just had bad timing, hard to say…

Hopefully this is just the first of many winter trips this year – really hope to get out snowshoe camping soon.
Mmm winter.