![]() ![]() Tall tales may have sprung up around it, but the church and the lake are very much part of local life, particularly in winter. Locals will tell you that the tolling of its church bell can still be heard on a cold night – even though the bell was removed when the valley was flooded. The 14th-century bell tower, pointing like an arrow to the blustery skies above, is a forlorn monument to an entire village drowned beneath the waters of an artificial lake created as part of a hydroelectricity project in the 1950s. Head to Italy’s South Tyrol this winter and you’re likely to come across one of Europe’s most bizarre sights – an apparently amputated church spire poking out from the frozen waters of Lago di Resia. Lonely Planet: The UK’s favorite winter pubs To fall in with the Sami and their herds is to be part of a heritage that stretches back millennia – one of days dictated by the pace of the reindeers’ steady trot, and of nights sharing stories round the fire under a chill, star-filled sky. While herding methods may have modernized over the centuries (snowmobiles – and even helicopters – have replaced snowshoes), reindeer husbandry is still a cornerstone of their culture. Descending from summer pastures in the mountains to the west, the herds travel east to spend the long winter foraging in the forests.Īccompanying them on a journey that can take ten days or more are their seminomadic Sami owners. As snow thickens on every surface, lakes freeze over and the temperature drops below -25˚C, tens of thousands of reindeer make their way across northern Sweden. One of the world’s greatest migrations takes place each year just over a thousand miles north of Britain. “At least we can do something with all this ice other than slipping and falling on it!” observes one happy patron. When the cold finally seeps in, Petersburgers warm up with a vodka, served in an ice glass, from the ice bar. This is the plunge pool for the Walrus Club, a group of swimmers who exhort the health benefits of a daily dip. The Neva River is frozen solid, except for one large hole in front of the Peter Paul Fortress. Locals bypass the city’s bridges, slithering over the ice-covered rivers and canals to make their way across town. Set against a backdrop of golden domes sparkling in the light of the low sun, the exhibit embodies the magic of St Petersburg in winter. It’s a tradition that dates back to 1740, when an entire ice palace was constructed to celebrate the birthday of the Empress Anna. ![]() Every winter, sculptors transform blocks of ice into elaborate models of people, animals and objects. Nowadays, they wait not for bread, but for art: frozen art. The city’s residents, long used to the cold, don fur hats and heavy coats to stand in line. What is in no doubt during those moments when the lights whirl above your head is that you’re part of the greatest show on earth. In the presence of such a spectacle, it’s easy to believe local Inuit myth that the aurora borealis are signals from the afterlife, particularly if you hear the sky crackle and swoosh as some claim. Displays might last hours, or be gone in a minute.įlashing neon pink, turquoise and green, the lights swirl across the sky in myriad imagined shapes (is that a walrus, a witch, a whale?) before whipping back on themselves and disappearing. The Arctic tundra and boreal forest surrounding the town see over 300 nights of auroral activity each year. With little light pollution, optimum weather conditions (very cold, with plenty of clear nights) and its position directly beneath the prime-viewing zone of the auroral oval, Churchill in Canada is one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights. Lonely Planet: The world’s hottest cool places And yet you’d happily sit there all night, for many nights to come, for the chance to see nature’s most mysterious sight: the northern lights. Your eyelashes are close to frozen and it’s a struggle to separate them when you blink. The silence is so complete that the low thud of snow falling from a nearby tree makes you jump. It’s so dark that you can hold your hand three inches from your face and not see it. It’s the middle of night, in the middle of nowhere. We look at the world’s top seven winterland marvels, as chosen by Lonely Planet authors: As temperatures plummet in the Northern Hemisphere, why not enjoy some of the great travel experiences that only a big chill can bring.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |