Winter Bucket List: Making the Most of the Season

December 7, 2017 Lana @TravelSavvyGal Comments 0 Comment

Where has the year gone?!? I feel like I say this every December, and this year is no exception.

I started off this year with high hopes and grand plans, and I am happy to say that I have made many of them a reality. Others will have to wait another year, but in the meantime a new season is rapidly approaching.

Let me start off by saying I’m a summer baby, and luxuriate in warm – and even hot – weather. Too stifling? Jump in a pool or go to the beach.

Winter, though. That’s a whole other story.

Many of the things that made my ‘Winter Bucket List’ are all about ways to warm up when the frigid temperatures set in, and there’s nothing wrong with that. And for some of this, yes, you’ll have to bundle up and brave the cold weather for some frolicking in the snow.

And it will be worth it.

Read on for my plans for the season, and I’d love to hear yours!

This is what I hope to be up to in the coming months:

Marvel at the holiday decorations

I bet wherever you are in the world, places around you light up for the holidays. I’ve seen some of the most unexpected places – Israel and Sri Lanka come to mind – decked out with brightly colored “Christmas” lights. I love seeing the designs and creativity that go into the displays, so take advantage of the places around you that light up this time of year and just take it all in.

Surprise layover in London! After unforecast snow in Milan, I missed my connection ✈ The upsides? 1. Catching up with some good friends & 2. London's festive atmosphere and decorations, as seen here in the crowded (even on a Monday night) Picadilly Circus

A post shared by Lana Cohen (@travelsavvygal) on Dec 19, 2016 at 2:33pm PST

Go skiing

Ever since I learned to ski at the wee age of 28 (let’s not talk about how long ago that was), I’ve really embraced the fun. I’m not a double black diamond, speed-down-the-slope kind of gal – although good for you if you are – but even at my medium pace, I love feeling the wind rush by and the thrill of speed as I head downhill. Any winter sport can be fun though, whether it’s snowboarding or ice skating.

Play in the snow

Why not? Frolicking in the soft, powdery white stuff is not just for children. Whether you’re doing an actual activity like sledding or snow tubing, or just having a snowball fight with friends, take some time and appreciate this crazy substance that literally falls from the sky.

Sip a hot beverage

Nothing to help warm you up from the cold like a hot beverage. I love a thick, gooey hot chocolate with marshmallows or whipped cream and especially enjoy some mulled wine for strolling out in the cold. I’ve even been known to heat up egg nog. Whether it’s a cuppa or a hot apple cider or possibly a spiked version of your favorite warm drink, savor it.

Hang out in front of a fireplace

I don’t have a fireplace at home – I know, epic fail! – but I do love sitting in front of a fire. Feeling the warmth and being mesmerized as the flames dance in haphazard directions is one of my beloved ways to pass time in winter. So when I go away for a weekend, it’s something I’ll seek out before choosing where to book my accommodations.

Visit a hot tub or sauna

Another thing I’ll look for when I make winter travel plans? Whether a hotel has a hot tub or sauna. Especially if I’ll be doing some activities outdoors, I love being able to relax my muscles and warm up in the heat. Bonus if you can find a hot tub or hot springs to enjoy outside!

Nibble on roasted chestnuts

I may have grown up singing about chestnuts roasting on an open fire, but it wasn’t until my time living in Europe that I really appreciated the flavor of a freshly roasted chestnut picked up from a street vendor on a stroll through a holiday market. I haven’t seen any stateside this season, but I am keeping an eye out.

Enjoy a holiday party

This doesn’t need to be a formal work event, as most cities and towns have all sorts of celebrations for the holidays, from parades to bar crawls. So far this season I’ve enjoyed a holiday celebration with small bites and lots of vino at my local Wine Market and an Ugly Sweater Party with friends. Probably have a few more celebrations up my sleeve, and can’t wait for the upcoming festivities.

Curl up with some comfort food

Chilled soup in winter? I think not. I’m all about hearty (hot) soups and stews this time of year, for something that will warm you up as it fills you up. Or, taking a page out of the northern Italian playbook, some stick-to-your-ribs polenta or risotto. Or the Swiss favorites I was thinking of just the other day – fondue and raclette – a.k.a. melted cheese yumminess.

Take a hike

While I won’t rock climb in weather so cold I can’t feel my fingers, there are ample ways to bundle up to get outdoors for a stroll or hike in winter. Certainly dress appropriately for the weather, and then enjoy the different sights, sounds, and smells that nature provides this season. And since most people save hiking for hotter temperatures, you’re more likely to have the trail all to yourself.

Travel somewhere warm!

Okay, this may sound like cheating (shouldn’t winter be about embracing the cold?) but nothing makes you appreciate a warm destination more than arriving from winter somewhere. Don’t worry, you don’t have to go far the edge of the opposite hemisphere, there are plenty destinations not far from the equator that will be relatively easy to get to wherever you are.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BP_bomhAsCH/?hl=en&taken-by=travelsavvygal

Watch sunrise more

I’m more of a sunset than sunrise kind of gal, as I’m not much of a morning person. The rest of the year, my 7am commute to work is firmly in the hours of sunlight, but in wintertime the sun makes its appearance much later in the morning. No 4am wakeup needed, take advantage of later sunrise in the wintertime and set your alarm to wake up just a wee bit earlier and catch it more often!

Winter solstice sunrise in Baltimore. I'm glad jet lag had me up bright and early to catch this spectacular start to the morning.

A post shared by Lana Cohen (@travelsavvygal) on Dec 21, 2016 at 9:04am PST

What do you have planned for the winter? Anything I should add to my ‘Winter Bucket List’? What’s your favorite winter comfort food? Tell me all about in in the ‘Comments’ below!

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Reasons Skiing in Europe is Just Amazing

December 1, 2016 Lana @TravelSavvyGal Comments 0 Comment

Skiing in Europe is on a whole other level from what I had become accustomed to back in the US. It wows on every level, from the views to the cuisine to the exhilarating atmosphere. As with life in Italy in general, you get the maximum enjoyment by behaving as the locals do, and embracing all aspects of the European ski experience.

Here are some of the happy surprises along the way:

It’s pretty standard for a single ski area to have hundreds of kilometers of ski runs.

Most places where I skied in the US (which includes several locations along the east coast and also out west in Idaho/Montana), you’ll have a few lifts going to a relatively small number of ski areas, with a couple of choices about which ski run you’ll descend. In Europe, getting to the “top” may involve a combination of several different chair lifts, and then there is a seemingly infinite number of ways to travel from top to bottom. You can stick to the same few runs if you’re building confidence, or ski all day without repeating a run.

There is never a dull moment on the ski lifts.

When you look on a ski map, you’ll see the trails and the various locations of the ski lifts marked, but in Europe what constitutes a “ski lift” can vary quite widely. From skiing in the US, I was quite accustomed to the chair lift and gondola. I really had no idea there could be so many more choices. Not only are there chair lifts with different seating capacity, but there is also a gondola, a cable lift, a larger car that can fit from 12-50 people, and then the lifts I’m really terrible at: the “drag lifts.”

Basically “drag lifts” are a bunch of methods for dragging a person up the slope, with the dragging apparatus spaced at even intervals. It’s up to each person to hold on long enough to make it to the top, otherwise risk the embarrassment of falling off and having the lift come to an emergency stop. No matter how I position myself, I can never quite manage to relax while simultaneously holding on. There is what I lovingly call the “butt lift” (apparently more formally known as a button lift), and also a single or double t-bar one (like the one pictured above). I usually just find an awkward position I can hold for the whole way up, hopefully you have better luck than I do. But it’s all worth it, because . . .

When you get to the top: the views!

Ski mountains in Europe reach dramatic heights, and are so clustered together you’ll get a stunning view of the other mountains and the valley below pretty much anywhere you ski. I’ll let the picture above – that I took from my table at lunch – speak for itself 😉

There are restaurants (really excellent ones) all across the slopes.

These restaurants are not just at the base, but there are many at the spots in between different lifts or ski runs. And it’s not just glorified fast food either, although there are certainly some basic soup and sandwich options, but you can also find pretty gourmet cuisine in the middle of the ski slope. With some excellent beers and wines to accompany the food and warm you up, and views to grab your attention. And when you’re done, you can ski off to your next run.

As I’m writing this post I’m remembering a Bon Appétit article about incredible restaurants along the ski slopes that a friend sent me back in 2013, which was one of the factors that influenced the decision to move from Australia to Italy. As the article notes about European skiing, “American skiers might need to recalibrate their idea of lunch.”

Après Ski!

This wonderful after ski tradition is more of a party scene in some locations, and more low-key in others (or there’s a mix of places). In any case, take a load off after a day on the slopes and celebrate another successful ski day with a drink, whether it’s something cold and refreshing or something hot and spiked with alcohol. Read more about the European tradition of Après Ski here, and why it is not to be missed!

There’s a sauna at pretty much every hotel or lodge.

The Europeans really know what they’re doing when it comes to relaxing tired muscles at the end of a ski-filled day. While you can seek out accommodations with a jacuzzi or hot tub, most hotels will at a minimum have a sauna available for use. When I am in the sauna, it never feels like it’s doing much, but you’ll notice the difference the next morning when you barely register any muscle soreness after the previous day’s exertion.

TIP! Europeans are not shy, and many will be nude in the sauna. You can keep your bathing suit on like I do, although you will likely be the odd person out.

Pretty incredible cuisine at restaurants in town, too

Usually ski towns have a bunch of mediocre places and maybe one nice one, but I’ve found the restaurants in European ski towns to be surprisingly delicious across the board. You don’t have to put in much effort or research to eat exceptionally well. There will be more homey places with local cuisine, feeding the appetite you worked up all day on the slopes. And equally satisfying are the more formal dining establishments – some even Michelin recommended – with delicious food that is beautifully presented.

If you’re a skier of any level, and haven’t had a ski adventure in Europe yet, add it to your list. Not just for the skiing itself, which is quite wonderful, but also to enjoy the full European skiing experience, start to finish.

What do you love most about skiing in Europe?

My Favorite European Skiing Tradition: Après Ski

November 29, 2016 Lana @TravelSavvyGal Comments 0 Comment

Before you take off your skiing attire, before the trek back to your lodge, before a soak in the jacuzzi, there is après ski.

Literally meaning “after ski” in French, après ski is originally a European tradition, although there are some popular aprè s ski scenes at some of the more serious North American slopes these days. While only certain ski areas in the US or Canada may boast opportunities for après ski enjoyment, I’ve found that there is an après ski scene – to some degree at least – at all of the European slopes I’ve frequented. Certainly my first exposure to the concept and enjoyment of après ski was in Europe.

What to expect from the après ski scene:

You’ve been on the slopes all day. You’re a little bit chilly now that the sun is low in the sky, and your muscles are feeling the day’s exertion. Maybe you’re dreaming of relaxing in the hot tub or a trip to the sauna before a hot shower and hearty dinner. But before all that, the party that is après ski awaits!

Festive Atmosphere

Even if you weren’t originally planning on going out somewhere still sporting all of your ski gear, walking past large groups of people enjoying some drinks and the buzz of a lively happy hour will change your mind. It’ll be a mix of people who are back in regular shoes after returning their daily equipment rental and the really serious ski bunnies still in their ski boots, all sharing in the celebration of a successful day out on the slopes.

Music

And what kind of party would it be without music? At après ski, there is often a DJ spinning dance beats to keep the energy up and the crowd moving. For most European skiers, après ski *is* the main event for the night. Even at the more low-key spots, you’ll be enjoying some music to keep up your post-skiing energy.

Drinks

Drinking alcohol after a day of exercise is totally normal in Europe (and that’s if you haven’t already had a beer or something stronger with lunch). At après ski, some people opt for beer, wine, or cocktails, just like any happy hour or dance party. There will also be plenty of places offering hot beverages for those who want something to help them warm up after the chill of being out on the slopes all day. The most popular hot beverages I’ve seen at après ski are some kind of spiked hot cider or mulled wine (which you’ll see listed as vin chaud, vin brulee, glühwein, etc. depending on what country you’re skiing in).

Peak Time in the Late Afternoon

In most cities 4pm would be too early for the club scene, but late afternoon is prime time for après ski. For the most part, it will be at its most lively in the late afternoon before dinner, and located either at the base of the ski slope or somewhere close by, on everyone’s path back to their hotel or car. It’s pretty much intended as the activity immediately following skiing, still giving people time to unwind and relax after, so everyone can head to bed early to be able to hit the slopes first thing the following morning.

The most memorable places where I’ve enjoyed après ski were in Saas Fee, Switzerland & Courmayeur, Italy – both places with lively après ski scenes that are packed with people at the end of the ski day. Where are your favorite spots for après ski?

Travel Savvy Gal

Making the Most of Your Time Away

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