Fire & Water!

An early start, but I can only describe my 20th floor penthouse as more than comfortable.

Twice the size of the ground floor of my house, marble and mirror all round, it has absolutely everything a girl could want, including a huge glass walled bathroom to die for. Everything, from duvets to bath mats is of the very best quality. The view from my massive window looks over a lake, a small fake castle, a glass pyramid comme le Louvre, and surrounding wooded hills.

The lavatories everywhere in the hotel are the same as mine, warm, comfortable and adding a whole new dimension to 'all mod cons'!

 The service is second to none. Corridor 'guards' bow when you walk past. After dinner, where we had a waiter per table, they all lined up to bow as we left.

Breakfast was confusing (OK so it was early, approx 6.30), but it was hard to know what went with what - half Asian, half Western, and too much to choose from. I will do better tomorrow.

 And then we worked. I had five meetings today. The Medical Committee overlapped with the Youth & Children's meeting, but I managed most of the second and a large part of the first! And some quite important liaison between the two. An injury survey update at lunchtime. Another MedCom in the afternoon, and then a seminar on Women's Health. All that plus many smaller informal meetings. Lunch was snatched at the World Championships candidates' stalls - rice and mushrooms from Slovenia and chanterelle soup from Sweden took the biscuit!

 Five minutes to grab a shower, and then a formal dinner, guests of the Korean Ski Association, accompanied by some quite good speeches.

 The hard work of the day was finally more than counterbalanced by the post-prandial show. A full hour of fountains, water displays, laser light shows and finally fireworks, never seen anything like it! Breathtaking, spectacular, awesome, extraordinary, not enough words to describe it. Will bore some of you with a few video snatches when I get back, and will post the best when able to do so at home. London 2012 can hardly hope to come up with anything as spectacular! We may be miles from anywhere, but will not forget this place!