Tag: Winter

Winter Wonders

On By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

As I sit here listening to the squall winds roar, swirling the snow around and darkening our already shortened day, I am so happy. I know I’ll have to put several layers of clothes on both me and the dog before we brave the cold and the wet for another trip outside, but somehow, I enjoy that too. I often try to share the beauty I see in winter through my photos and memories, but this month, I want to share my feelings through my words as well. Ultimately, I just want people to give winter a chance! It’s so much more than the sum of its parts, but honestly, I think even those are to be enjoyed. So here it goes, my ode to winter wonders.

The Snow

The first thing I love about winter is the possibility of snow. Fresh snow is so magical! It changes everything: how things look, how they sound, how they feel. It brightens, quiets, and softens even the harshest of winter climates. And even if you live in a place that doesn’t get much snow or doesn’t get any snow at all, there’s still the anticipation. Is it going to snow? Will we get a day off? I’ve have friends from tropical countries who were forever intrigued by snow, wondering when they would see and touch it for the first time. It’s certainly one of the more romantic weather phenomena, right? I mean, there are countless songs and poems written about it; millions of paintings that try to capture its essence; it’s the plotline of at least a dozen Hallmark movies – clearly, it’s something special.   

Winter sports

Some people need more than just weather to excite them though, and that’s where winter sports come in! Winter allows for a plethora of seasonal activities that often make you feel like a kid again, think sledding, ice skating, snow tubing, and building snowmen. Nothing but smiles when you’re flying down a mountain in a gigantic innertube, am I right? Plus, who doesn’t like variety in their choice of exercise: skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, shoveling, etc. Honestly, I’m much more active in winter because when it’s hot outside, I feel sluggish and gross, but when it’s cold, all that generated body heat comes in handy! Winter also offers its own selection of more exotic options like ice climbing, dog-sledding, and snowmobiling – truly so much variety to be had!

The Cold

Okay, so I know the cold is one of the main reasons people don’t like winter, but hear me out. Do you like mosquitos? Of course you don’t. Well, they die in the cold, which is reason enough for me to like it! But more than that, cold weather can be so refreshing! Invigorating, even. Most people sleep better when it’s cold, and cold weather is said to improve heart health, brain function, and metabolic rates, so even if all those winter sports don’t help you out, apparently just being cold every now and then will. I mean, some people pay hundreds of dollars for “cold therapy” or Cryotherapy treatments for better skin, pain relief, and mood enhancement, but winter gives you all those benefits for free! Also, I’d just like to add something pretty much every Canadian has told us: there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. As long as you have the right clothes, you shouldn’t even feel the cold!  

Cozy clothing

And while we’re on the subject of clothes… don’t you just love when you get home and switch your jeans out for sweatpants? Or when you put on your favorite pair of pajamas and hop on the couch? What if you could wear pjs, sweats, and all sorts of soft, comfy items no matter where you’re going? Well, that’s much more feasible in winter given all the outerwear that likely means people will never even see what you have on underneath. I seriously get so excited every year when I get to break out all my cozy clothing: the warm, fuzzy sweaters, the fleecy thermals, my giant sweatpants, and thick, fluffy socks. I’ve definitely never been that excited to put on a pair of shorts or a tank top, and I can’t be the only one either because who feels more comfortable sleeping without a blanket or laying on a hardwood floor without a rug? Only psychopaths, obviously. Comfy is king!

The Holidays

If you’re not on board yet, maybe the holidays will remind you of the magic of winter. Sorry to those of you who grew up in the Southern Hemisphere because holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year are all infinitely better celebrated in winter, and I feel like the vast majority of holiday media backs me up on this. Imagine singing, “Oh, the weather outside is delightful, but the horde of insects is frightful”. And can you imagine if Home Alone took place in summer? It would totally lose its heart-warming, “appreciate your family” vibe! Plus, what about the horror of putting on a few holiday pounds while also having swim practice and/or trips to the beach to think about. No, absolutely not. The holidays are meant to be spent holed up inside with family and friends eating all the things and not feeling bad about it because, hey, we’re hibernating here!

Comfort foods

And speaking of the food… I just don’t think we’d enjoy all our hearty soups, cheesy casseroles, and warm, freshly baked cookies near as much if it wasn’t winter. The cold, the dark, the challenging weather – all of that is part of why the foods we eat in winter are so comforting! They stick to your ribs, which is something you definitely wouldn’t want if it was hot, sunny, and you were already sweating, right? I mean, who wants to turn on the oven in summer? But when it’s below freezing… yes, please! Winter also gives us a chance to eat different things. We might never have discovered the delight of pumpkin spice or peppermint drinks if the seasons hadn’t changed. Maybe we’d have never looked twice at gourds or lentils if our go-to vegetables were as cheap and plentiful as they are in the warmer months. Think of all the different flavors and nutrients we might have missed out on!

The Dark

Alright, the shorter days are another difficult one for some of you, and I get it, but I think the real culprit here is Daylight Savings Time (let’s save that rant for another time though). For my pro-darkness argument, I’ll start off with the coziness factor again, which for me is generally brought about by early evenings, twinkling lights, and flickering candles. Ahh! In wintertime, my apartment generally gives off calming, resort spa vibes, and I absolutely love it. Another great thing about it getting dark early is we tend to spend more time at home, which isn’t a bad thing. Winter is a great time to catch up on your reading list or clean out your closets or simply stay-in and save money – the sanctuary of your hearth and home is your oyster!  

Hygge

A lot of what I love about winter is a little hard to pin down, but the Danes use the word “hygge” to sum up the comfortable coziness that I keep trying to describe. Hygge is all about taking the time to enjoy life’s little pleasures. The time spent chatting after or between meals, a warm fireplace on a cold night, a hot chocolate enjoyed in bed, listening to the crunching snow as you walk the dog – these are some of the many little joys we often take for granted; however, I find that I can usually pinpoint and enjoy these moments a bit more easily in winter. Maybe it’s the shorter days or the holiday celebrations or even the starkness of winter landscapes, but something about winter allows for a different kind of focus, and it’s one that I absolutely love!

Slow down 

Another great feature of winter is its ability to slow us down. Everything quite literally takes longer in winter: putting on extra layers, driving more carefully, heating up the house or car – it all forces us to slow down, and it’s not just us. Trees and plants go dormant, many animals hibernate, even our pets tend to sleep more in winter, which should be our sign to do the same! Winter is the best (and longest) excuse we have to take our time, enjoy the temporary calm, and just rest. I love to use the dark and the cold to my advantage and simply do less and relax more – something my usual go-go-go self definitely appreciates! The best part of having all the holidays at the beginning of winter is that once they’re over, we still have months left to focus on other things or nothing at all before the warm weather calls our attention elsewhere.  

Reset

And my final, favorite thing about winter… it’s the perfect time to reset. Whether you’re a New-Year-new-you kind of person or just an avid spring cleaner, this season has always been associated with change. If there’s something new you want to try, winter is a great time to do it. The year starts over, the seasons start over, you can start over. Winter is the perfect time to plan ahead, but even if you don’t have any changes or plans you want to make, I find that winter is also a great time for reflection. Take a look back and see how far you’ve come since the previous winter or the winter of 2020, for example – hard to believe that was over 5 years ago now! Regardless of how you feel about the idea of winter, it will keep coming around, so maybe this year, your goal could be to reset any biases you have about this beloved season of mine. :)

So, what do you think? Can you give it another chance? Can you learn to enjoy winter just a bit more than before? I hope so because as the proverb says, choosing not to find joy in the snow/cold simply means having less joy without changing the amount of snow/cold. So find your joy and relish the wonders of winter! Bon hiver à tous!❄️

Surviving (and Loving) Yellowknife in Winter

On By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

We did it! We took a 4-day trip to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories in February with only a backpack each and the clothes on our backs. Did people question our decision? Yes. Did our friends and family worry about us when checking the weather? Yes. Would we do it all again? Gladly! Yellowknife exceeded every expectation we had for it, and in this month’s post, I’m going to share some of what surprised us so much about this city in the far north of Canada.

The Remoteness

The first surprise actually came when we took a closer look at our flight times. Of course, we know Canada is huge, but we weren’t flying from end to end, more like from east middle to north middle. Regardless, we were in the air for over 7 hours to get from Ottawa to Yellowknife. It would have been faster to fly to Europe! We also flew in on a prop plane, which was another indication that we weren’t headed to a super populous place. And when we looked out the windows of that prop plane and saw literally nothing from Edmonton to Yellowknife (roughly 1,500 km), the message really sank in: we were in the middle of a vastness I’m not sure we’ve ever experienced before.

While we did end up feeling very isolated at first, the longer we were in Yellowknife, the more it felt like, well, Canada. We stopped by a Shopper’s Drug Mart, we got President’s Choice brand snacks, and we still had français to read on all the signage. We were also surprised that the prices of things weren’t as high as we had thought. We had been sure we’d see a crazy increase on all the groceries and food stuffs that had to be shipped in from beyond far away, but it really wasn’t too bad. There were definitely limited options, but overall, not too different from a similar sized city in Ontario or Quebec. The only thing that really stuck out as being outrageously priced was any beer outside of NWT Brewing Co. At one restaurant, we saw $14 Heinekens! Talk about not worth it…

The Cold

We specifically chose to go to Yellowknife in winter because we like the cold, and we wanted to experience the extreme cold of the Canadian hinterland. For weeks ahead of our trip, we tracked Yellowknife’s weather, so we could be as prepared as possible. We had already been to places like Bergen, Norway and Ushuaia, Argentina in their respective cold seasons, and we took those trips without boots or proper winter coats, so all things considered, we were absolutely better equipped for this trip than any that came before it. But did that really matter when we were standing outside in “feels like” -50°F? Not so much lol. We had actually heard several times, from several different people that after you get below -30 or so, it all just feels cold. However, I very much beg to differ; -40 definitely felt much colder than -30.

Fahrenheit
Celcius

Fortunately, some things did come back to us when dealing with the extreme cold. We remembered the feeling of our eyelashes and nose hairs freezing. We quickly remembered the importance of breathing through your nose only. And once again, we fell back on the age-old lesson: you get what you pay for. Our $30 thermal socks have probably saved a few toes at this point. If I could give any advice to future Canadians or fellow cold weather travelers, you’re absolutely better off buying the expensive gear from the start – it’s expensive because it’s truly the only thing that works.   

We learned some new things during our time in Yellowknife as well though. It seems we do, in fact, fear the cold a lot more than the average NWT visitor (let alone resident/native). We opted to take the car pretty much any time we left after dark, mostly because that scene in “To Build a Fire” constantly replayed in our heads every time we took off our gloves! Also, you absolutely cannot function with glasses outdoors in Yellowknife, and even if you don’t need glasses, the cold weather can still really mess with your eyes. Our eyes struggled big time with the cold, the dryness, the ice crystals, the snow blindness, etc. It really felt like everything was out to hurt our eyes in Yellowknife!

The Lights

We have been super lucky with our northern lights sightings in Canada so far. Last May there was a big solar storm, and we actually saw them just about an hour north of Ottawa, so for this trip, we had our fingers crossed, but there wasn’t much pressure on the situation. And maybe that was key, because three of our four nights were full of gorgeous light shows. The colors were so much more vibrant and watching the lights spread out across such an expansive sky was absolutely incredible. Something we didn’t even know to account for in Ottawa were all the mountains and trees that would occasionally block our view of the lights, but we didn’t have that problem when standing on a massive frozen lake!

And just in case I never get around to writing anything about northern lights viewings in general, there are a few things I would have liked to know beforehand. 1) You must let your eyes adjust to the lights. They seem faint at first, but the more you watch, the clearer they become. 2) They move really quickly across the sky and make all sorts of crazy shapes. 3) There is no “peak time” so to say. They’re somewhat like storm clouds; they appear and disappear based on solar activity, so any forecasts are bound to be unreliable at best. 4) The darker it is, the brighter the lights appear, but neither the darkness nor the intensity matter if it’s cloudy, so if you’re hunting northern lights, pick a place known for having an abundance of clear nights. 5) Pictures simply can’t do the lights justice, not even those that have clearly been altered.

The Dettah Ice Road

One of the most surprising experiences of this trip was our time on the Dettah Ice Road. When doing some research on Yellowknife, I came across the Dettah Ice Road listed as a tourist attraction and thought it sounded cool, but actually experiencing it and realizing that it’s not really a tourist attraction at all put it at the top of my list of reasons to visit Yellowknife in winter. The Dettah ice road is exactly what it sounds like: a road made of ice that leads to Dettah, a village southeast of Yellowknife. Usually, you have to drive about 27 km (17 miles) around Yellowknife Bay to get to Dettah, but in winter, since the Great Slave Lake completely freezes over, you can cut right across the bay and drive straight there (only 6.5 km/4 miles). The road itself is amazing! It looks like it’d be slippery or somehow feel different from a normal road, but no, it was business as usual driving across. Well, except for the blinding sun reflecting off the ice and all the cool photo ops along the way. Another incredible thing to experience!

The Yellowknives Dene

As part of our on-going comparison between Canada’s provinces and territories, we were excited to see the influence of the various indigenous groups of Yellowknife as well. Like a lot of Canadian cities, the name Yellowknife comes from a name given to a specific First Nations group, but unlike other Canadian cities, that First Nations group still makes up a considerable portion of the city’s population. Interestingly, the “city” of Yellowknife didn’t really exist until the gold rush of 1934, but the Yellowknives Dene had been settled there for hundreds of years; therefore, the majority of the region’s history revolves around these indigenous groups and how they helped outsiders acclimate to the extremes of the Northwest Territories. Today, their influence can easily be seen in the government, language, and culture of the region.

The Variety

When I shared our Yellowknife photos on social media, there were so many people who said things like “better you than me” or “too cold for me”, but I think the extremes are part of what makes Yellowknife such an intriguing destination. It was perfect for us, cold-loving freaks, but if you visit in August, you could be swimming in the lake rather than driving across it. The variety of activities Yellowknife has to offer is absolutely amazing, and that’s in each and every season. It’s not too often that Tucker and I make it back to a destination (at least not without many years in between), but Yellowknife might just be one we HAVE to see in another season. It also compelled me to move Whitehorse and Iqaluit (the capitals of the other two Canadian territories) up on our to-visit list, so stay tuned!

This was definitely a trip to remember, and for that, all I can say is a huge thank you to Yellowknife for treating us so well and an additional shoutout to all the winter gear we’ve been collecting over the last two years – it really came in clutch here!

Winter is Coming (Again)

On By Dani Francuz Rose1 Comment

Ah, December. The pinnacle of the holiday season, the last month of the year, and the official start of winter – yay! Last winter was our first in Canada, and we gleaned so much information. For example, we know that the first snow Ottawa had last year was on October 30th, and the last snow of the season was on April 24th. The coldest day was January 19th at -20°C (approximately -5°F), but overall, it was really a very mild winter. I, personally, hope this year we get a lot more snow and a much longer stretch of extremely low temperatures. How else will I put all our new northern climate knowledge to the test? Knowledge like:

Preparation is Key

One of the first surprises we encountered last winter was just how much preparation both the city and its inhabitants have to do before winter. Everyone started putting out salt chests and snow markers well before the first snowstorm. Businesses added tents and flaps to entranceways; boot trays and coat racks were everywhere, and we even saw insulated porta-potties at nearby construction sites. For our part, we were focused on acquiring all the right winter clothing, which I’m happy to say was well worth whatever we paid for it all! We also had to buy quite a few car accessories, such as shovels, scrapers, sand, winter tires, and non-freezing windshield wiper fluid. This time around, it has been less buying and more restocking, but still, the preparation really makes for a smoother transition.

Probably still quite cold…
These things are everywhere!
Time for the seasonal tire switch
Now we have quite the collection
Great for keeping the salt and any Amazon packages dry lol

Everything Takes a Little Longer

So many layers!

Even after all the preparation was taken care of, we were still surprised by how much longer literally everything takes in winter! Getting dressed, lacing up boots multiple times a day, warming up the car, walking carefully on the ice – it all adds up like we couldn’t believe! Maybe this year I’ll time how long it takes to get the three of us dressed and ready to go outside because I’d guess it’s an extra 10-15 minutes every time. The other time-suck that I didn’t even think about prior to having such long winters was how much more laundry we have. When you’re wearing so many more layers every day, it really turns into a mountain of laundry after just a couple of days.

Winter is Kinda Messy

This is why Canada is shoes off.

Having only lived in northern climates as a child (and/or for short periods of time), I was completely unaware of just how messy snowy winters can be. Everyone walks inside constantly dripping on the floor – the floors of restaurants, our building’s lobby, and worst of all, the entryway of our apartment. It didn’t take long for me to put an extra mat and towels by the door (yay, more laundry), but it doesn’t matter because there’s no containing it all. And you might be thinking, “hey, no big deal, water dries”, which is true, except this isn’t just water. It’s salted, which means everything gets a nice crusty white layer of salt even after it’s dry. The salt and sludge obviously got to the car as well, and we ended up having to get a carwash halfway through last winter because we literally couldn’t see out of the windows. I’m pretty sure I could count on one hand the number of times we’ve ever washed our car, and I would have never thought we’d have to wash it in the dead of winter!

There’s Quite a Bit of Extra Work

Okay, so we learned you have to prepare in advance, spend more time than usual, and always expect a mess, which, of course, requires some extra work, but the amount of extra work really kept surprising us! Scrape this, shovel that, clear a path for the dog to get to the “grass” because the snow walls are taller than she is! On and on it goes! Jenn, too, has to put a bit more effort into her daily tasks. She has to endure the multiple layers of clothing, scale snowdrifts when looking for a place to pee, and get wiped down whenever she comes back inside – all to her chagrin. On the bright side, I do feel like we still meet our exercise quotas because walking in the snow and scraping ice are definitely high calorie-burning activities!

So much fun!
Good thing she’s adaptable!

So Many New Tricks to Learn

Another huge positive is that we developed a whole new set of skills. The best way to stomp excess snow off your boots? We know it. The best way to layer for easy transitioning between indoors and out? We’ve got it down. We’re also now very attuned to the sounds of the snow plows, which comes in handy, and I’m very happy to report that I didn’t fall on the ice even once last year (which I cannot say about our first Polish winter). I’d also add that we’re now very good at switching between Fahrenheit and Celsius, and we’re pretty much experts in interpreting the various weather alerts and winter vocabulary, regardless of the source. If you want to know more about the difference between hail, freezing rain, and sleet, I got you fam.

Lots of Surprises

All in all, I think we took everything pretty well in stride last year, but there were still a few things that we just didn’t believe until we experienced them ourselves. For example, our neighbors told us to watch out for the sunny days because they’re often the coldest, and wow, they were absolutely right! Apparently, clouds signal warmer temperatures – who knew?! We were also extremely surprised by how quick and easy it was to do some of the winter challenges, like freezing ramen noodles in mid-air. It took less than ten minutes! Another thing we didn’t think much about was how gas mileage would be affected, nor did we think we’d even notice if it was. Spoiler, we absolutely did. And perhaps most surprisingly, it didn’t take long at all for 0°C (32°F) to not really feel all that cold. After a week at -10°C (15°F), hovering right around freezing felt downright balmy.

Luckily, It’s Incredibly Fun and Beautiful!

I know most people reading this will say things like “that’s why I hate winter” or “I never want to live somewhere like that”, but even with these added challenges, we had an absolute blast last winter and are so eager to do it all again (hopefully just a little more efficiently this time). Winter is definitely still my favorite season even if it does require a bit more effort up here. In fact, I’d say we actually enjoyed it more because of those extra efforts. Ultimately, it was fun to slow down, get a little messy, and learn a plethora of new things. For me, winters like these are so fun and so beautiful that I quickly forget about any negatives. So, who wants to come visit us in January and see for yourselves? Our winter wonderland will be waiting!

Ice Ice Baby

On By Dani Francuz Rose2 Comments

Well, we’re officially waist-deep into winter, and even though we’ve been ice skating, snowboarding, and snowduck making for months now, I still feel like I haven’t got my fill! So, in order to up our winter games even further, we spent last weekend in Québec City, a winter wonderland if ever there was one, and even more spectacularly wintery, we also spent a night at the Hôtel de Glace (aka the Ice Hotel).

This was definitely a once in a lifetime kind of experience, and I don’t want to forget any of the specifics, so this month, I’m sharing a detailed timeline of events as recorded by the many pictures I took throughout our stay. Bundle up and enjoy!

17:00 – Check in

Technically check-in started at 4pm, but we were a little late getting to the resort area for a few reasons. One, it was snowing, so everyone was driving slower than usual, and two, we totally forgot to bring our bathing suits and had to make a pitstop at Value Village. It happens. Luckily, the Hôtel de Glace and all of Village Vacances Valcartier is only 20-30 minutes outside of Québec City.

Once we arrived and found our way to the correct front desk (this place is massive, so it wasn’t as easy as you’d think), we got the usual check-in spiel plus a few irregularities. When you stay at the Ice Hotel you actually get two rooms: one outside made of ice and snow and one inside the Valcartier Hotel where you can put your bags, shower, brush your teeth, and at some point, finally take off your hat and gloves!

But before you can don your all-access pass of sorts, you have to watch a safety video and sign a waiver. The safety video talked a lot about what to wear and what not to wear overnight and expressed many times over that you must completely dry off after showering or hot tubbing before you go into your rooms at night. They also gave us maps of the premises and showed us where we could go if we needed help during the night.   

17:45 – First look around

Needless to say, the excitement levels always increase when there’s a waiver to sign, so we quickly dropped off our stuff in our “dry room” and went to see what the Ice Hotel was all about. It’s divided into roughly three sections: the chapel, the communal rooms, and the individual rooms. The chapel was beautiful, but there wasn’t a wedding that day/night, so it was pretty empty. The communal rooms included several galleries, seating areas, the ice bar, and an ice slide. To say there was a lot to look at would be a gross understatement.

Between the ice sculptures, snow carvings, lights, and music, my senses were on overdrive. I think my favorite room was the “club room” with light-up instruments and DJ-ing composers on every wall. Tucker liked the “fire room”, which, although no warmer than anywhere else in the Ice Hotel, definitely felt cozier with the heatless fireplace, warm colors, and fur-lined benches. Of course, the ice slide was also super fun – it was in the “dinosaur room” and had us laughing hysterically as we scooted our way down the slide. You know what’s not very slippery? Jeans.

The individual rooms are also open for viewing during the day (of course, they did have ropes near the doors, so you couldn’t get on the beds or mess with any of the lights or anything). This year there were 30 guest rooms. The vast majority were single bed rooms, but there were a few doubles and even a triple as well. Every room had a theme and was designed by a different artist. My favorite was probably the exploration room with huge ships, maps, and a compass on the walls. Tucker liked the science-y ones, of which there were many.

It honestly took us quite a while to see all the rooms because this part of the hotel is very maze-like, and we weren’t always sure if we had been in any given hallway before or not. The walls of the hallways were also covered with art, and there was a workshop room off to one side, which housed photos taken and machines used during the building process. During this part of our initial walk around, we also noted the hot tubs and sauna (free for guests to use) and started thinking about how we were going to manage that in the heavy snow with only our thrifted bathing suits and big winter boots.

19:30 – Drinks at the Ice Bar

But before we dealt with being cold and wet, we decided to cash in our complimentary drink tickets. The ice bar was SO COOL! Yes, pun-intended. The bartender was all bundled up as she mixed our drinks, the “Lave-Glace” and the “Accident de Ski-doo” (clever because it had a splash of red Grenadine and a little sprig of juniper in it) and poured them into ice glasses. The drinks were beautiful and tasty, and the glasses, well, the glasses were challenging. They were obviously really cold, but also very heavy and had very thick edges – not the easiest thing to sip on. Despite the odd mouth positioning required, we still felt pretty amazing drinking our fancy cocktails in the très chic Hôtel de Glace.

In hindsight, I should have held on to my ice glass since we opted to bring our own beers into our room later, alas we were too excited to shatter them (prematurely) into the collection bins. We also debated getting another drink at the bar because they had a lot of interesting cocktails and were surprisingly not that overpriced. But after another short walk through, we opted to hit the hot tubs instead, hopefully while they were still empty and we had enough time to enjoy them and fully dry off before heading to our frozen beds.  

20:45 – Hot tub and sauna in the snow

I really want to do a polar plunge before we leave Canada, and perhaps now I understand just how uncomfortable that will be when it happens. Running from our “dry room” to the hot tubs wasn’t so bad (I did wear my socks and boots with my bathing suit lol), but running to the sauna after the hot tub was painful, especially for my feet. From the crazy hot water to the crazy cold snow made my feet feel like they were burning! Stepping into the sauna was very welcome…that is until we had to get out and do it again.

Ultimately, lots of lessons were learned, like: the more towels you can take with you, the better; be sure to remember to take your shoes with you when you go back and forth, and also, just like we’re not really beach people, we’re not really hot tub or sauna people either, which is apparently a lesson we’re still in the process of learning.

22:50 – Final preparations

After we had our fair share of extreme temperature fun, it was time to prepare ourselves for sleeping overnight in a room that was approximately -5°C (23°F). First, as per the instructions, we had to be completely dry. Then, we had to decide what to wear and what to bring with us into the room. I don’t think I’ve ever planned my pajamas quite so carefully. In the end, we went for having as many options as we could – layers that we could take off or leave on depending on how warm we were in the sleeping bags they gave us. As for the snacks (much more important, obviously), we brought some local Québec beers, the rest of our Québec mix popcorn, and some chocolates from La Fudgerie. It was perfect!

23:30 – Bedtime snacks and hunkering down

Between 8-9pm the individual rooms portion of the hotel was closed off for the staff to clean and prepare the rooms for the overnight guests. When we pulled back the velvet curtain of our room, we were surprised to see they had raked the floors in addition to changing the sheets and leaving the sleeping bags. It felt very Zen and very cold. But we were ready! We rolled out our sleeping bags (rated for up to -30°C/-22°F), got into the liners as instructed, and put our outerwear away for the night. After enjoying our little picnic and watching a few videos, we zipped ourselves fully into the sleeping bags (well, mostly), and drifted to sleep.

4:17 – Slight panic

I say “mostly” because I actually struggled with zipping mine up over my head. I felt super claustrophobic and ended up choosing to be slightly colder than necessary just to keep my face from being covered. Unfortunately, in the middle of the night I woke up and the sleeping bag had fallen away from the top/back of my head a little, and I was very cold. That got my thoughts and heart racing as I wondered if I was doing irreparable damage to my system. You know, the normal things that keep a person up at night. Thankfully, I was able to calm myself down, readjust, and fall back asleep.

8:00 – Wake up call

As part of the check-in process, they informed us that someone would come to wake us up the next morning at 8am. This was in part to make sure that everyone would be up and out before they had to clean up and open for business again and also to make sure everyone was alive and well. Fortunately, we were! The sleeping bags, if anything, kept us too warm, and the main struggle we had was just getting comfortable enough to sleep through the night. Even without the claustrophobia issue, the sleeping bag was a bit like a strait jacket – not much movement possible, and if you’re not a back sleeper, good luck falling asleep as you lie there feeling like a mummy in a fluffy sarcophagus.

8:15 – Back to sleep

So, after not the best night’s sleep we’d ever gotten, we were very happy to return to our “dry room” once again and sleep in our nice, warm king size bed for a few more hours. Usually, we say there’s no place like your own bed, but honestly, this one was definitely a close second, especially in that moment!

11:00 – Check out

And just like that, our stay was at its end. We packed up our bags, scraped the snow and ice off the car, and headed back home to enjoy the rest of winter from our very own “dry room”.  

Holiday Season in Mexico

On By Dani Francuz RoseLeave a comment

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! 🎶 Which is my musical way of stating the obvious: another holiday season is here! And this year, I thought I’d really get myself into the spirit by chronicling all the upcoming días festivos that I have to look forward to. Interestingly, seven years ago, I wrote something quite similar about celebrating Christmas in Poland, and after reading that post again, I was amazed at just how many parallels there happen to be, particularly in the number of holidays celebrated on either side of the big day. So, if you find yourself in need of more holidays/international celebrations, here’s what Christmastime looks like en México:  

Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe

The first true holiday of the festive season falls on December 12th, but like any other Christmas-celebrating country, the decorations and festivities really start well before December. In fact, since Thanksgiving isn’t really a thing south of the border, there aren’t as many quarrels about when to start decorating; anything after Día de Muertos (November 2nd) is fair game. Of course, one of the first and most ubiquitous Christmas decorations you’re likely to see are the nochebuenas (or poinsettias). Nochebuenas are indigenous to Mexico and Guatemala and were used for wintertime celebrations even before Christmas was celebrated in the Americas. Actually, a lot of Mexico’s holidays tend to be a mix of customs from various indigenous groups (such as the Aztecs or Mayans) as well as from the colonists/Christians of Spain. And a great example of this is Día de la Virgin de Guadalupe.

La Virgen de Guadalupe is another name for the Virgin Mary, and she just so happens to be the patron saint of Mexico. On Día de la Virgin de Guadalupe there is a huge pilgrimage in her honor to a site of great importance in Mexican history. However, it’s really only the truly devout who partake in this annual event. For most Mexicans, this day is known first and foremost as the official mark of the holiday season, and it often kicks off the fiestas in the form of food, drinks, and posadas. I, personally, have come to associate the word “posada” with “party”, but it actually means “inn”, a nod to the nativity story. In practice though, posadas are very much like the Christmas parties we have in the US. There are generally posadas for every peer group: family, friends, co-workers, etc. and no matter who you’re celebrating with, you’ll likely see piñatas, eat buñuelos (a fried dough treat), and drink ponche (a warm, fruity beverage). Mmm!  

piñata
ponche

Noche Buena y Navidad

Next up is Christmas Eve or Noche Buena (not to be confused with nochebuenas the plants or Noche Buenas the beers haha). As a Catholic-majority country, church services are really common on Christmas Eve, including a very special midnight mass, also known as the Rooster’s Mass (it got this name because it is said that the crow of a rooster announced the birth of Christ). After mass, a feast is expected, and yes, that could be in the wee hours of the morning, which is why Christmas Day is seen as a rest and recovery sort of day. Of course, some people end up skipping church on Noche Buena, but the big family meal is rarely missed. Similar to our Thanksgiving, turkey or ham are common center pieces although the more traditional option would be bacalao, an olive and codfish dish. I’ll probably skip that one this year…

Another interesting thing about Christmas Eve night has to do with the all the nativity scenes. Nativity scenes (or Nacimientos) in general are extremely popular here. Like extremely. They feature in the décor of restaurants, banks, apartment buildings, malls, city squares, etc. Some are literally larger than life-sized and some are incredibly creative (we saw one this year made entirely out of poinsettias), but despite all the variety out there, they all have one thing in common: the baby Jesus is missing. That is, he is missing until Christmas Eve night. I absolutely love this detail and can’t believe how everyone pulls this off. Do they set an alarm to remember? Where do they keep the waiting babies? Who gets the placement privilege at the local mall? So many questions!

Where’s the baby?!
DIY

Día de los Santos Innocentes

Onto my least favorite of the wintertime holidays…Día de los Santos Innocentes is Mexico’s version of April Fool’s Day. It occurs every year on December 28th and started out as a day in which you could borrow something from someone without having to give it back, a sort of “finders keepers” day. However, over time, it has evolved to include all sorts of pranks pulled by family members, friends, and even news outlets. Basically, don’t trust anything you see or hear on this day, and definitely don’t lend anyone anything you might want back.

Noche Vieja y Año Nuevo

The next set of holidays on the list are, of course, New Years Eve and New Years Day. Celebrated much the same around the world, with food, fireworks, and late-night fun, there are a few Mexican traditions that stood out to me last year. The first being the 12 grapes you eat as the clock strikes midnight. The idea is that you make a wish for each grape (12 representing the 12 months of the New Year), and if you can get ‘em all down be the time the clock is done chiming, your wishes will come true. After trying this last year, I have to say that it is definitely harder than it sounds! Fireworks are another super common tradition, but not just at midnight. In fact, fireworks can be heard pretty much all December and well into January – another vestige of indigenous practices and a popular way of celebrating anything and everything in Mexico.

Día de los Reyes y Candelaria

Finally, we come to the last two holidays of the season Día de los Reyes (January 6th) and Candelaria (February 2nd). Día de los Reyes or Day of the Kings (often known as Three Kings Day or Epiphany in the US) is a holiday that is probably more exciting as a child. It’s another day where kids can expect presents, this time from the Wise Men. And while adults might not get any presents, everyone does get to partake in the sharing of the rosca de reyes. A rosca is a ring-shaped pastry that has a hidden figurine of the baby Jesus somewhere inside. Usually, you eat the rosca with family or friends, and whoever gets the baby, then has to buy the tamales the following month on Candelaria. Roscas come in all different shapes and sizes these days (in fact, we got a rosca of tacos last year in addition to a more traditional pastry), but no matter what kind of rosca you eat, just remember to bite carefully! Also, I advise you to order your tamales for Candelaria days in advance – a mistake I won’t make again!

Starbucks rosca
Fancy rosca
I got the baby EVERY time!
The BEST kind of rosca
My responsibility on Candelaria

Wow! So many festivities to look forward to in next two months! Honestly, celebrating the local holidays is one of my favorite parts of living abroad, especially because we get to take these customs with us and celebrate them wherever we end up in the future! And now you can too! ¡Felices fiestas a tod@s!

Winter Wonderlands (of years past)

On By Dani Francuz Rose1 Comment

It’s December! Only a few days from the official start of winter! You might already know this about me, but I absolutely love this time of year. Of course, I know not everyone feels the same way, and I also know that this year is different (in about every way possible). Typically, during the holidays, Tucker and I do some traveling: we disconnect, explore someplace new (often somewhere we can play in the snow), but alas, 2020 has kept us pretty tethered…in Florida of all places. So, for this month’s post, I ask you to humor me as I look back at some of my favorite winter destinations of years past. I’m aiming to turn this pining into planning, and I invite you to do the same. There’s always another winter coming!

Tatra Mountains, Poland

This is the trip I always find myself looking back on around this time of year. Magical is the best word I have to describe our snowy hike in the Tatra Mountains. It felt and looked exactly like a fairy tale (well at least until our inadequate clothing choices had us pondering the effects of frostbite). Zakopane was the little mountain town we based our trip around, and the mulled wine, grilled oscypek (a mountain specialty), and the handmade wooden crafts in the local markets made it all the more beautiful.

Harbin, China

Even if you don’t like the cold, you should still be able to appreciate the incredible Snow and Ice Festival in Harbin, China. I’ve never been to the North Pole (or any city that associates with it), but I definitely got Santa’s Village vibes while we were there. Snow sculptures as far as the eye could see, entire buildings and playgrounds made of ice, and, if I recall correctly, there was even a VR experience with penguins. Definitely worth the icy eyelashes!

New York, USA

A post about winter trips must include New York City. It’s truly lovely any time of year, but bundling up on a ferry crossing the Hudson, drinking hot chocolate while watching the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center, and feeling the fierce winds tunneling through the skyscrapers are some of my favorite memories of this iconic destination. I also feel pretty strongly about the fact that it smells much better in winter – no baking garbage or sweaty subway seatmates. Bonus!

Bergen, Norway

We actually booked our trip to Bergen on a bit of a whim because we found cheap tickets from Warsaw, and we had the time off. In hindsight, I can’t believe we hadn’t already had such an amazing place on our travel list. We loved strolling down the snowy cobblestone streets, and the fjords and scenic train rides were absolutely breathtaking. If you ever find yourself in Norway debating whether or not to do one of the “Norway in a Nutshell” tours – do it!  

Chengdu, China

Perhaps a somewhat surprising winter location, but since Chengdu is known as one of the “Furnaces of China”, I vowed to stay away in summer or anything summer adjacent. Thus, we visited in January and had the most amazing time! Pandas are adorable year-round, and I found the outdoor tea houses and consumption of extremely spicy food much more enjoyable in cooler temperatures. The mountains (and yaks) just outside the city were also extremely beautiful covered in a pristine blanket of fresh snow.

Sydney, Australia

Just for fun, let’s say you’re like me and would love to have TWO winters in a given year. A trip to Australia can grant this wish! The Southern Hemisphere, of course, has their winter from June-August, so one year, we spent July in “wintery” Sydney. It was a mild winter to say the least, but the general vibe was there as we walked by ice rinks and snowflake décor all around the city. Like NY, Sydney is an amazing place to visit any time of year, but the less touristy off-season was perhaps even more enjoyable.

Lisbon, Portugal

Another, slightly warmer location we really enjoyed one winter was Lisbon, Portugal. The city is incredibly gorgeous, but really hilly, so we were very happy for cool weather/less sweaty hikes. The local wine and food we had was also very fitting of the season: thick stews, warm egg tarts, and strong vinho verde, just to name a few of our favorites. I’m also a big fan of quiet oceanside walks in winter, and Lisbon’s coastline did not disappoint.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

And finally, because I realize many people take vacations to hotter climates in order to escape winter, I’ll include Chiang-Mai on this list. We were there in January one year, and let me tell you, it can definitely be considered a “hotter climate”. While Bangkok and Phuket might be the more famous of Thailand’s must-see destinations, Tucker and I fell in love with CM. The temples, the mountains, the food (omg), and the small-town feel with some of the friendliest, calmest locals we’ve ever encountered, Chiang-Mai is a great place to relax during one of the most stressful times of the year.  

So many memories, so many possibilities! My mind is spinning thinking about future winter trips! But for now, I’ll make do with reminiscing and enjoying a quieter, calmer winter. Happy holidays everyone!