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ASPEN, Colo. - This winter I put my relationship to the ultimate test: a romantic ski vacation. Many couples ski together, but my fiancee Sheri Askinazi is just learning while I've been skiing for more than two decades. We'd done group ski trips, but never skied alone. To make this trip work, we needed some advance planning and clear expectations. I wanted to ski with Sheri but also desired time to speed down the harder trails. We chose four days at Aspen/Snowmass in Colorado because it offered a little bit for each of us. "I am a little nervous about the trip. It's a lot of time skiing," Sheri confessed to me a month before we left. When I mentioned that I had found ski buddies for a day, she asked: "A whole day?" The conversation continued at dinner a few nights later. One of our friends flat-out said: "He has to ski with you. That's it." We chatted through our desires and made a plan. Sheri would take two days of lessons. The first was at Snowmass. Elk Camp Meadows, a new beginner's area there, is fenced off from the rest of the resort so experts don't race through on their way to the lift. She quickly advanced to other parts of the mountain. I took a refresher course - it's never too late to learn something new - and we met up for lunch. The next day, she took a lesson at nearby Buttermilk Mountain. It's geared toward beginners but has some great intermediate trails that she mastered by the end of the day. I met up with some friends and got my adrenaline fix on the harder Aspen Mountain. Lessons were key - it was much better for Sheri to get tips from a professional instead of me. "Taking feedback from someone you love can be the hardest thing. You start to personalize it," says Katie Ertl, who oversees the ski and snowboard schools at the four mountains of Aspen/Snowmass. (Warning: Skiing isn't cheap. If purchased a week in advance, a four-day lift ticket costs $396. Adult group lessons start at $139; full-day private lessons start at $660.)

Travellers being urged to avoid rally sites, stock up on cash, food and water. Many countries have advised their nationals to stay away from demonstration sites on Monday and ensure that they have enough cash on them, a fully-charged communication device as well as enough food and water to last a while. They have also been advised not to wear red or yellow. "Participating or showing support in any form to any of the parties is strongly discouraged," the Philippines Embassy in Bangkok said on its website. "For information, the red and yellow colours are closely identified with some of the parties involved," it said referring to the colours associated with political conflict over recent years. People who support the Yingluck Shinawatra government have been wearing red, while anti-government groups, who used to wear yellow, have now chosen to wear the national flag along with a whistle. Meanwhile, the United States Embassy has warned its citizens to be careful, because although mass rallies have been generally peaceful over the past few months, there have still been some deaths and injuries. Risk of violence "Even demonstrations that are meant to be peaceful can turn confrontational, and escalate into violence without warning," the US Embassy warned. The People's Democratic Reform Committee plans to set up rally sites at several major intersections in Bangkok and significant areas, namely Asok, Pathum Wan, Lumpini, Victory Monument, Ratchaprasong, Lat Phrao and the Government Complex at Chaeng Wattana. Protests might erupt in other areas with little prior notice and subsequent events are unpredictable as protest leaders have declared that they plan to continue rallying after Monday, the embassy said. "We advise you to plan ahead. It is prudent to ensure you have a week's supply of cash, keep your mobile communications devices charged and stock a two-week supply of essential items such as food, water and medicin

The US embassy in Berlin has issued a travel warning for Americans visiting Hamburg after a police crackdown on leftist protesters in the German port. Americans are advised in the warning to avoid demonstrations or public gatherings in the areas affected, which include the main nightlife district. They are also urged to carry ID because of police stop and search powers. After some of the worst rioting seen in Germany in years, police declared parts of Hamburg "danger zones" on Saturday. The unrest has centred on the eviction of an anarchist community centre, the Rote Flora, which was set up by squatters in a former theatre nearly 25 years ago. Thousands of demonstrators turned out for a protest on 21 December at which dozens of people, including police officers, were injured in clashes. On 28 December, masked rioters pelted a police station with bottles and stones. Three policemen were injured, at least one of them seriously. 'Not that bad' Police now have special powers to stop and search people in the gefahrengebieten, or "danger zones", which are in force 24 hours a day and cover the red light district of the Reeperbahn, the Old Town, St Pauli and Altona Nord, where Rote Flora is located. "If stopped without proper identification, persons may be detained by police without further justification," the US embassy warns. Since the "danger zones" were declared, leftist bloggers have accused the police of effectively imposing "martial law". The travel warning for Hamburg, Germany's second biggest city and one of the wealthiest and most dynamic towns in Europe, was greeted with some incredulity by Germans. "The US called a travel warning for my city of Hamburg!?" wrote one blogger on Twitter. "Honestly? That sounds like we were living in a civil war area. It's not that bad." "Travel warnings from the US embassy for South Sudan, Libya and the Hamburg Danger Area," another tweeter quipped.