Episode #017
F E A T U R I N G * 6 0 * B O N U S * S E C O N D S
COLD STUFF
In Charlie English's spotty, but occasionally interesting, book The Snow Tourist, he builds a (failed) igloo in Nunavut, hikes in avalanche country in the French Alps, visits the snowiest city in the world in upstate New York, and lingers at Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum to see the 1565 painting by Pieter Bruegel The Hunters in the Snow.
The painting depicts the 'pleasure of winter,' showing a fully snow-covered land, with much activity and joy outside -- other than the man who has fallen flat on his face (look closely).English follows the trend of snow in art to when Japan opened up in the 19th century, and Impressionists such as Claude Monet were overwhelmed by Japanese artists' stylized snow scenes -- where the 'snow' comes from the absence of ink -- only the plain white of the paper showing through.
It's a nice spin on the glory of winter, a time when most travel publications focusing on escaping it (note the flurry of Caribbean and Hawaii deals these days).
Nothing wrong with a beach, but there's nothing wrong with the cold either.
And, unlike scorching August days in New York when subways become saunas, and we cling to shadows to minimize the pools of sweat that form on our business outfits, you can do something about the cold: wear more clothes. In summer the only respite is from a beach or an air-conditioned movie theater.
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Here's my recent list of some of the world's best winter festivals for Lonely Planet.
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