Hello everyone!

We had a great time skiing at Steamboat Springs, the views up the mountain were spectacular and it was lovely to have a luxury condo for a week... not to mention the skiing itself. I (Debbie) picked it up quite well and Alex enjoyed honing his skills.

Meeting up with Alex's uni friend Megan and her boyfriend Brian in Chicago was great fun, particularly the open-mic jazz club right opposite our hotel, and the views from the Sears Tower over Lake Michigan were amazing.

We then flew up to Toronto and hired a car. Casa Loma, a Canadian castle in Toronto was really cool, especially the secret passage from the owner's study down to the wine cellar!! The Niagra Falls were as stunning as we had heard, but the Vegas feel to the town there was quite a shock. We tasted our favourite wines on the trip so far at Niagra-on-the-Lake and enjoyed looking at the pretty houses and picking which we would like to make into a B&B!

The last few days we have been in Ottawa which is an interesting mix of Canadian, English and French cultures and it is a lovely capital city, but the highlight here has been catching up with our friend Chrissy who we met on our China tour way back at the begining of the trip.

We are moving on to Montreal in the French province of Quebec tomorrow, so I am hoping that I can remember some of the phrases I learned at school!

We look forward to hearing your news!

Lots of love,

Debbie and Alex xxx