Running Around in Riga

Troy had a trip up to riga, Latvia this week, and was able to walk around the Old Town and capture a few of the amazing sights in this Baltic center.

Having a Ball!

We had good intentions of going to the St. Patty’s Day parade today, but couldn’t take the idea of standing outside in the cold and snow, so we went indoors instead. Sophia brought a friend, and you can see the result. Enough running, jumping, sliding, bouncing, and burying to wear out two little six year olds.

Going Dutch

Two days in Amsterdam left a little room for going out and exploring the city.  Here are some of the scenes around the city. As I go back to Amsterdam now, I realize just how amazing this city is – with its endless canals, boutique shops, and international cuisine.

A Day in the Snow

We made the most of the endless winter in Munich, and made our way to the English Garden – where the newfound sun brought everyone out of the woodwork. Sophia practiced her famous snow angel, and of course Alexandra wants to do anything her big sister does. She has the feed down, but we need to work on her wing motion. Overall, the day was beautiful, and the kids had a blast in the fresh air and the white scenery around the English Garden Lake House.

Family fun

The best part about Seattle is just being with family there, and especially when we are all together.  Brehan ended up flying in the last weekend, and we had a few days of big play before we left.

   

And Alexandra got her own new bike - she isn’t quite able to ride it, but by this summer she’s going to be tearing around the streets in her cool radio flyer.

Swimming with the Fishes

Well, almost.  We spent one of our last days in Seattle at the Aquarium, and they have really really improved it in the last couple of years.  Walking in and seeing the Window on the Sound was amazing!  Sophia & Alexandra headed right up to where the kids were sitting & joined right in. We were quite lucky that the diver was in the window when we arrived so we had a great entrance to the fish experience.  Sophia was so comfortable with the other kids, you can tell she is starting to miss school.

  I love how the girls have fun together! Then it was off to lunch – for fish – and a view of the boats at fisherman’s warf.   And Seattle gave us another amazing day!

Olympic Legacy

Here are some additional images from an unforgettable journey to the Olympics. If this trip reminded us of anything, it’s that we really love the Northwest – for the weather, the people, the cities, and the lifestyle. We spent the first weekend in Vancouver, and the second weekend of the Olympics in Whistler. Whistler Village was so small we ended up eating next to one of the women’s US skiers from the US, and walked by the four man bobsled Gold medalists from the US. The previous weekend, we met Dan Jansen, the ‘94 Olympic gold medalist in speed skating. All part of the Olympic Experience.

The amazingly successful Visa campaign that covered every billboard, every storefront, and every TV station. Go World!

Troy at the Yahoo Sports Fan Zone in Yaletown, a once rundown part of Vancouver, renovated into some of the nicest living space in Vancouver. False Creek with the iconic Imax Theatre, and to the right you can see the athletes village, all lined with Canadian Flags.

Looking out toward the Pacific Ocean from the Granville bridge. We rode across it on a very thin waking path between the railing and speeding cars. You will notice – absolutely NO SNOW in the mountains where many of the events are taking place.

And a scene you don’t expect to see at the Winter games – an absolutely stunning sunset over English Bay. The weather was terrible for the athletes, but what a treat for the spectators.

The sculpture park near English Bay received the attention of everyone who passed by.

Who would have thought that the best of our events would be the Biathlon. The Norwegian anchor of the 4-man relay came out of retirement to win the race by 48 seconds. The real race was for Silver, where the Austrian raced against the Russian for the entire last lap and ended up winning by two-hundredths of a second. That’s how an Olympic race should end.

Moya with all the Norwegian colors in the background. It seemed everyone who came to the Olympics was a fanatic – with flags in hand, and we were no exception totting the Red, White & Blue.

Finally, back in the Olympic Village at Whistler where visitors lined up to take silly photos in each of the rings of the Olympic emblem.