In preparation for the sun, I have been thinking about why people live in the cold. Many people prefer the colder weather, but countries that get anything below 5 degrees for weeks on end, I have little understanding why the place was colonised in the first place, let alone kept functioning for years.
So far, I've figured out your skin turns into snakes skin, your eyes dry out, you lack vitamin D, you get dark circles under your eyes from having to wake up in pitch black the morning (which feels like midnight), you aren't allowed any fashion - and if you try, you either freeze or its covered by layers of coats, hair styling goes out the window with constant use of beenies/toques/hats and we all get fat due to lack of activity outside the household.
On the plus side when its cold, you can ski, spend copious amounts of time reading and watching TV, its the only time you get to enjoy HOT red wine (called Glüewein), you usually have it as a good excuse to stay in bed, and lastly, if you do get fat, you can cover it up with puffy winter clothes pretending its just fabric padding.
I still don't think these things can make up for feeling like your going to freeze to death 60% of the time so I'm going to invest more time trying to figure out why the Germans (and really anyone from the north of the northern hemisphere) likes coping with this.
But! Before all these investigations and going to Australia - there is an Austria ski trip & xmas Germany style - here I come!
Below is a crappy picture of a very fancy xmas tree I found at a christmas market - if you look closely, you can see it is self snowing!!!
I can't wait to be Christmasy! Only a few more days!
ReplyDeleteThere's plenty more to be thankful for in winter!
ReplyDeleteThe cool crisp air is amazing in the lungs...
The sky is incredible - a good northern blue sky is simply the most beautiful sky there is - especially that dark blue you get just after sunset.
There aren't nearly as many cloudy days as in the rainy climates *cough*. And even when it is cloudy, the snow brightens everything up, making the daytime seem MUCH brighter. A sunny winter day is much brighter than a sunny summer one...
Bathrooms don't smell if you go camping in snow (though I admit that camping is a hard sell for most people). :P
Tobogganing! Skiing is all well and good, but go tobogganing on a local hill some time. It's ridiculously fun. Especially for the person in the back who's sitting backwards!
And of course other than downhill, there's x-country skiing and snowshoeing. Go spend a few hours out doing one of those where you're warm but the extremities are chilled and then come in and warm up by the fire with a hot drink...
This list could go on for a while! I love winter though... I can't wait to be home in the snow! Only a couple more days. Am jealous that you've been experiencing real winter.