Merry Christmas everyone !

Christmas decorations in London: Regent Street forms a neat dividing line between swanky Mayfair to the West and trendy Soho to the East. The main shopping section of the street lies between Oxford Circus to the north, and Piccadilly Circus to the south.

Fun Family Portrait '05

Sorting out the props in the Photo Studio.

Detail of a canvas print @ the Venture Photo Studio

Johannie, waiting at the Photo Studio for our session to start (http://www.thisisventure.co.uk/) See the canvas in the background (http://www.thisisventure.co.uk/products/innovations_bloc.asp).

goodbye to London's Routemsater double-decker bus...

London has retired today it's old doubledecker "Routemaster" busses... I heard they were going to be sent to Sri Lanka ! See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4510410.stm

Newbold Christmas Concert

Soraya at the Harp !

...and other string instruments.

There was even a harp... !

Newbold Choir in it's entirety, after the splendid Christmas concert on Friday the 2nd of December.

Morris Dances @ Workingham Festival

This guy looks like he's from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Several theories have been put forward concerning the roots of morris dancing because of the lack of surviving information on the subject. There are a few references from before Tudor times which mention 'morisco' (Moorish) dances being performed at various locations in Europe, especially at European courts. In Tudor times, they seem to have been a common feature of holiday games and sports, the two terms 'morris' and 'morisco' both being used to refer to such activities. They have since been very much associated with seasonal festivities, particularly Mayday and Christmas. This has led some to suggest the dances to be a remnant of early, preChristian religious rites, but any evidence for this is seemingly absent. In addition, during the late 1880s there was a rise in interest in popular antiquities, mainly among the leisured classes. PreChristian pagan religions seemed to hold a popular fascination at the time and many of these amateur historians claimed links between paganism and nearly every surviving 'quaint' tradition, to the near exclusion of other possibilities. Many eminent and respected people also gave credence to this view with the result that, in some quarters, it has remained unchallenged since the turn of the century.At least one alternative explanation is that they were dances invented by the Moors, or by others in order to depict the Moors, brought through Europe to our courts, and that the common people, in trying to emulate the entertainments of the nobility, continued the practice long after the courts had lost interest.It is further confused by the diverse forms of dance and drama which have come down to us with the name of 'morris' in various parts of our country, and by apparently similar forms found in parts of Europe.The sad and rather dull fact is that no-one really knows.

English Folk Dance: Morris Dancers

While in the center of Workingham, there was quite the celebration ! The Morris stems from ancient pagan rituals which were held in the Spring to ensure prodigious proliferation of crops, livestock and the local populace. The decline of the rural communities in the 19th century caused many of the Morris traditions to be lost. For more info, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Dance

Cheers...

Celebrating Gill & Ben's Engagement @ the Teak House (Thai restaurent in Workingham).

Gill's engagement !

nice ring !

Gill & Ben got engaged !!!

PastaritO Restraurante

We all ate abbundently at PastaritO. It's a very nice chain of Italian restaurents where they have fresh pasta ! (http://www.pastarito.it). Highly recommended !

very nice palacios close to our hotel by Lepanto Metro station.

Rome by night

Impressive, isn't it... ?

it was close to freezing, that night... by the Colloseo

Doesn't it look nicer at night ?

the road leading to the Colloseum (by night, naturally).

some of columns still standing of the Roman Empire's Capitol

my (AWR) coleague Yves in front of one of the Arcs of the Forro Romano.

a section of the "forro Romano" by night.

We were so busy during the day (with meetings & presentations) that we could only tour Rome by night...

Excuisite Italian Food !

There were as many "soya-based" icecream as the regular kind...

and some out-of-this-world Gelatto !

Followed by a crispy pizza with anchovies !!!

Nothing like an authentic "Insalata Caprese" with "Mozarella di Bufala" to start an authentic italian meal !

Back in Rome...

Last time I was in Rome, was just before my Wedding in Spetember 2001... ah, the memories: Evening dining by the Colloseum, "how many Americans can fit in a Roman Hotel Elevator ?", Catching the EuroStar to Napoli, parking @ the Airport, etc... sigh.

Johannie on her 29th week of pregnancy...

Hiking around Cookham, on the Thames path is a great way to see and photograph fall colors...

Fraueninsel (island) on Chiemsee lake in Bavaria (Germany)

Pat & Lewis + their kids with husbands

The crown of the cake...

a few speaches before cutting the cake...

Pat, on her 60th birthday... enjoying herself.

Bratislava, Slovakia

Bratislava, on the world map... for more info see http://www.bratislava-city.sk/

Devin Castle near Bratislava

view of the "isolation tower" of the Devin Castle (where some nun got imprisonned for falling in love).

More info on the castle is available at: http://www.bratislava-city.sk/devin-castle-bratislava

Across from the Danube, is Austria. This strategic place is also where the Morava river joins the Danube.

Sona, my knowledable tour guide... @ Devin Castle

The village of Devin, from the top of the ruins of Devin Castle

Carpathian Wine Route

Some local production... dates from Roman times.

one of the Wine cellars of Modra. (The castle however has the largest cellars in Central Europe).

what's your shoe size ?

Famous Pottery artisan from Modra (where Majolica is produced)

one of the rooms of the castle... (often used for weddings). The floor is great for a foot massage !

Cerveny Kamen Castle (& surroundings)

Wonderful colors in the forest surrounding Modra village. Prominent location for hunting (as was done in the past by the residents of the castle). The castle is first mentioned in 1240. See more details at: http://www.castles.sk/cerveny-kamen.php