New Year's Greetings from Melissa!

Beldour in Winter by Melissa Houle 12/31/1999

Here we have a postcard from Melissa who is traveling this New Year!

Update:1/1/2000

Alas, the satellite linkup from Beldour didn't quite work right. <G> But believe me it WAS spectacular! Especially the view from the Gardens of Furstanaly Palace. We had regular fireworks AND Deryni Razzle- dazzle. On a lark, I went to see the Belfilm version of "The Dark- Haired Man" yesterday afternoon. In Torenthi of course, and without an English subtitle to be found. So really, I still have NO idea what that book is about. But the battle scenes of Killingford were extremely well filmed. Almost too well, really. No wonder that battle still lingers on in the collective Torenthi unconsciousness -- it was a brutal brutal business. I'm packing my bags to take the train west to Medras tomorrow. "Enh," the Duke of Jandrich sniffed last night when I told him my travel plans. "The provinces. How quaint." I spent a good bit of time with him last night as he was one of the only people present who spoke English. The Duke is a distinguished old gent in his sixties. Except for his modern dress, he could easily have stepped out of one of the tapestries. I rather think Count Berrhones might have looked a little like him. He strolled around holding a glass of evervescent Fianna white (The local stand-in for Champagne,) looking quite dashing in his white tie and tails. The streets of Beldour are packed today with all the New Years revelers. Even though there is no new King to be crowned today, New Year's Day is set aside for fun and holidaying in Torenth. Christmas in Beldour is fairly quiet, but then the Orthodox Church makes much more of a fuss over Epiphany. I was tempted to stay for the big Mass on Epiphany in St. Constantine's Cathedral, but Beldour is a little pricey for me. And anyway, It's too COLD here! <G>
Melissa

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