castle

The castle, where we spent New Year's Eve.

It’s the start of the New Year and I couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come this year. I am currently working on my competition plan to debut in grand prix and hopefully qualify for London.

the girls

The girls and I.

I had a great time in Poland for New Years. It was certainly different from what I have seen of the rest of Europe. I found it very interesting to see how a country has not really recovered from communism and the wars. It felt like you stepped back 10-15 years.  The countryside is out of this world, with rolling hills and deep forests. It felt a bit like home. Oslo also accompanied me on the trip. Oslo was in Poland before me, so he knew the lay of the land of the castle area. I couldn’t help but laugh at my little guy. He thought he was the king, running around the place, and he knew exactly what room the fire was in so he could go warm up.

group

Our New Year's Eve group.

On New Year’s Eve, we had a catered dinner inside the castle with a group – there were about 12 of us. Everyone got a long really well over the four days. Some days it was a bit of struggle trying to schedule showers, as there was only one bathroom, but for the most part we managed well. The drive back took us about 11 hours because of traffic. There are always traffic jams in Germany, but we made our own entertainment and had many naps.

I wish everyone all the best for 2012.