Cool off ☃️❄️

I'm a big fan of sunbathing and sunny terraces. Given the choice, I'd always choose summer and all that goes with it. But, for once, I thought an exception to the rule couldn't hurt. Well... the idea came mainly from my adventurous sister, who has a knack for suggesting things I'd never consider on my own.
And so, one frosty morning in December, I found myself packing my bags for a three-week journey across Europe, with the aim of discovering what winter travel had to offer that was different...
Here's the itinerary we followed: Lausanne -> Ljubljana -> Zagreb -> Vienna -> Prague -> Berlin -> Amsterdam -> Brussels -> London -> Paris -> Lausanne (passing through small villages such as: Bled, Celje, České Budějovice...).

Winter wandering
Lying on three seats, it was in this position that I spent the first 8 hours of our adventure... (my fault, I had forgotten to reserve the sleeping berths on the night train). Sleeping on a train is already an unusual experience. But to sleep on a train in the middle of winter and without a berth... well, I'm not about to forget this trip.
In the early hours of the morning, after an eventful night, we landed right in the middle of our first stopover: Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
All was still. Sprinkled with snow. Exactly what you imagine when you think of a sleepy town. It was in this same hushed atmosphere that we discovered, one by one, the towns on our itinerary.
Via Couchsurfing, we were lucky enough to be hosted by Matjaz, a physicist-spelunker-rescuer from Ljubljana, who punctuated our stay with fantastic local culinary discoveries, discussions on astrology and rugged cave explorations.
As we descended into the depths, Matjaz suggested we switch off our headlamps to appreciate the calm of the cave. Absolute blackness and a silence that can only be found where no rays or reflections can creep in, and where the tumult of life remains on the surface. Twenty long minutes that I imagined would be frightening, but which turned out to be a moment of unprecedented serenity. For the first time in my life, two of my senses were free of stimuli.
I realized how rare it is to feel his presence alone and to hear only his own breath, nothing else.

In winter, cities are like us. Like us, they struggle to emerge from their slumber and want to stay in bed a little longer. You can literally see the town slowly awakening; the shopkeeper setting up his stall while daylight struggles to emerge, the inhabitants going out one by one to the bakery... There's no hurry. December is not like the rest of the year: it's a month when you slow down, not only because the ground is slippery, but also because it's a time for taking stock of the year that's just gone by. It's a month devoted to our families, our loved ones and ourselves. A return to basics.
I observed this winter mood at every stage of my journey. And everywhere, as night fell, this calm gave way to a new excitement, that of the approaching festivities.
The Christmas markets in Prague, Vienna and Amsterdam are a spectacle in themselves. They're bursting with life and light! They're teeming with visitors from all over the world looking for a bit of magic. Unlike in Ljubljana or Zagreb, where Christmas really seems to be a local affair.

Yes, you have to dress well
I'm an extremely cold person, so I felt the cold at every turn. It numbed my hands, crept into my scarf, and made every escapade a real challenge. Climbing the steps of a cathedral or skirting the ramparts of an old town became an ordeal, and the breaks were real rewards.
The warmth took on a whole new meaning. I appreciated even more the mulled wine in my hands, and the chestnuts I took out of their still-burning cones. The cold made every café, restaurant or store feel like a welcoming inn in the middle of a storm.
The cold brings us together in a very special way. Winter changes people, making us warmer. It's as if, to compensate, we become kind to one another. We enjoy simple pleasures: gathering around a nougat tasting, a school choir or a gingerbread stand. In the face of the cold, our similarities are exacerbated, and our love (assumed or not) for Christmas brings us together.
Every street corner's a party!
During this festive season, music takes to the streets. Each city offers its own spectacle: musicals, classical concerts, jazz, soul, choir, gospel, traditional dances. A feast for the ears and the eyes.
But that's not all! Our taste buds were also amazed by the many Christmas delicacies throughout Europe, which in themselves are reason enough to take a winter tour. Slovenia's Potica, Bled's Kremšnita, Zagreb's Fritule and Krafne, Vienna's famous Sachertorte, Berlin's Stollen...it went on and on! If all these strange sounds make your mouth water, it's time to hop on a train for a winter wander!

White and silence
The world goes to sleep, into hibernation. Through the train window, I contemplate the immaculate white that covers everything. As soon as the train leaves the stations and moves away from the city centers, complete silence sets in. It's a calm you can't find at any other time of year. At other times of the year, there's always a birdsong, the murmur of a stream, a creak, something brewing. But here, there's only rest. The whole world is enjoying a well-deserved rest.

It's the perfect time to discover the world away from the hustle and bustle of tourism. A trail, a forest walk, a bike ride or a cave exploration: the outdoor experience is all the more immersive in winter, when few people dare venture out. Seeing stretches of pristine, untouched snow that no-one has yet trodden on, reinforces the feeling of being the sole explorer of the place.
The white of the snow emphasizes the contours of the roofs and highlights the architecture typical of each region. These icy landscapes gave me a whole new sense of place.
Winter somewhere else at least once

Skating on a Croatian lake, tobogganing down a Czech hillside, sipping Dutch mulled wine, warming up in thermal baths in the middle of a Slovenian forest... and why not go in search of Europe's best log?
I particularly cherish this trip, because I know it's not customary to leave one's cosy nest in the middle of winter. But I'd like to invite everyone to hop on a train in December and experience at least one winter in someone else's home rather than your own. It's a very special time of year, a time for introspection and renewal. These ingredients will undoubtedly make for a special journey for you too.