Friday, December 17, 2010

Europe at Christmas

Madrid Spain

Paris France

Switzerland (sorry it's blurry, but it still looks quite lovely to me)
London England
A few years back I watched Rick Steeves Europe when he did a Christmas special in different countires and by far, the Switzerland segment was my favorite.
Staying with a family ( I am not sure if they were relatives) they went out one afternoon to the woods to choose a tree to chop down and trekking halfway down the hills towards home they stopped at the coziest cabin in the planet where a fire was roaring in the fireplace and they made FONDUE!!! FONDUE!!!! In a cozy cabin while it was snowing outside. Then they made the rest of the way home to this music playing that made me want t o cry. I know it sounds sappy and by golly I am not ashamed to say, yes I AM sappy about certain things. I love snow as long as I am warm and cozy and inside looking out at it or outside dressed perfectly warm enough but very close to an inside with hot cocoa or hot tea available on demand. Of course this scenario never happens as I have lived in Florida or now Alabama. At least in Alabama it has snowed but doesn't stick, except for one full day last year where I was giddy at the accumulation which melted the next day. My husband doesn't really care for snow since he works outside on car interiors and exteriors and he can't really work in inclement weather. So, I love it if it is on a weekend and can stick long enough to make sow balls and snowmen, but not make the roads dangerous. I know, I live in a fantasy world. I really like that world and I think you might like it as well.
(please forgive me if you are reading this from the cold hard north and have a bad relationship with the white stuff, I only love snow in my dreams as I lived in NYC till my mid twenties and have experienced a terrible fall into a slush puddle while wearing a skirt on my way home form work, two blocks from my apartment...not fun)
Last week right before leaving with my daughter and grandson for Florida, it snowed! So Christina who hasn't seen snow since she was 12 and my grandson who has never seen it got to dance around outside while flakes gathered on our hats and coats. Kavi loved it and so did Christina, AND we were fully stocked with tea and cocoa!!

3 comments:

  1. How fun that Christina and Kavi got to see the snow! Used to be we hardly every saw it in the South. Now that's changing. I love the photos of Europe and have to say those are some brave people on those bikes in Paris!

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  2. It's always so exciting for the Florida folks to see snow. I lived in Orlando and it flurried enough to cover the cars...for about 25 minutes! The kids where ecstatic! So nice your daughter and grandson were there when it snowed!

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  3. Lovely for them to see the snow. I love all the pictures you've put on this post.

    I like the snow when I'm warm and snug inside the house. However I was used to very hard winters when I was younger as I lived in the North East of England. Here in Worcestershire everything turns to chaos after a few flakes of the white stuff!!!! Our estate roads are just like ours used to be up in the north east just about every winter.

    Love your blog header photo of the snowy trees, fabulous.

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