The Two Crabs have returned to London, fond memories of the Alps behind us. Boo hoo. Photos have now been posted on Flickr (click on the Flickr link at the top-right).

Val Gardena was a GORGEOUS little Alpine village tucked away in the Tyrol region in northern Italy. Yet the city is as far from Italian culture as you could get. The locals here have a distinct culture and a speak called Ladin; German is the second most-spoken language, followed distantly by Italian. The food here is mostly German & Ladin, but of course, great pizza could be found everywhere. We rarely heard English spoken here. Very few British tourists and we never met a single American during our entire week at Gardena. Definately a must-do destination for you skiiers out there.

Old Scratch health update: Today I went to see my London doctor, who has referred me to the fracture center at London University Hospital for an appointment later this week. In the meantime, my right arm is now in a sling and I'm on even stronger painkillers. I wake up every morning in excrutiating pain and I can't even dress myself at this point. My right arm is basically useless at the moment. The nurse at the health clinic said my type of fracture (multiple fractures of the middle right clavicle) is an even more painful injury than a broken leg...not that Id like to compare the two.

Next year, I think I'll stick to the bunny slopes and Apres Ski barstools!