Baby It's Cold Outside! An Extra Fast Five in the North Where the Temp Doesn't Matter!

 Every year I contemplate what it is about the north.  Every year we hear how happy the Scandinavians are and I wonder how they are so happy when winter is so cold and dark there.  The answer has always been in the mindset; I don't care what anyone says.  So, that being said; here's some places to visit in the winter and embrace the cold, because no snow and ice is slowing them down.

1.    Winterlude, Ottawa, Canada.  Everything freezes in Ottawa.  That's a fact, but it doesn't bother these folks one little bit.  They have the Rideau Canal, which freezes over well and provides one of the world's largest and longest ice skating rinks.  Over 7 kilometers of the canal are open daily in the winter for skating with all kinds of food and activities along the way.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

There's ice sculpting, sledding and tobogganing, dog sledding, lots of food everywhere (including maple syrup candy), events, activities, and even ice dragon boating.  If you've never heard of that one, you should really check it out.

The bottom line is that these hearty Canadians aren't letting a deep freeze or long nights ruin their good time, and if you'd like to see what it feels like to bundle up and make the most of winter; this is a great festival for you.  It runs through most of January and February, with some events happening around the holidays before and during the melt after.

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/winterlude/about.html

https://ottawatourism.ca/en/see-and-do/winterlude

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g155004-d8820420-r388559344-Winterlude-Ottawa_Ontario.html

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QHPuFoaoqgs

https://theplanetd.com/winterlude-in-ottawa/

2.    Winter is for getting out in Greenville, Maine!   I've done this.  I love Maine at any time of year, but there's something special about the winter.  Most of New England hunkers down and waits for spring, but not these guys.

January has skiing, dog sledding, ice fishing, snow shoeing, and that Memorial Snow Machine Ride to the site of the crashed B-52 Bomber on Elephant Mountain.  Every imaginable outdoor winter activity happens in Greenville.

In February, they normally start racing on the lake.  Not boats.  Cars.  Every Saturday, weather permitting, they race cars--on a lake.  They also have a tendency to drag race snow machines there too.  Also in February, if all that cold and frozen outdoor activity isn't enough; they have the chocolate festival.  Sweets for the sweet and some of the best home made chocolate around.

Greenville has been having some troubles in tourism, but winter is waiting and ready for you with a lot to do no matter how cold it gets, and it's one of my favorite places to enjoy winter.

https://destinationmooseheadlake.com/winter-moosehead-lake/

https://www.alltrails.com/us/maine/greenville/snowshoeing

https://visitmaine.com/places-to-go/the-maine-highlands/greenville/

https://www.mooseriverlookout.com/post/indulge-in-sweet-bliss-21st-annual-chocolate-festival-in-moosehead-lake-february-16-2025

https://www.northernoutdoors.com/b52-crash-site-maine-snowmobiling/

https://www.newsflare.com/video/717011/west-cove-association-car-ice-racing-on-moosehead-lake-in-greenville-maine?origin=wind

https://www.onthesnow.com/maine/big-squaw-mountain-ski-resort/ski-resort

3.    The Winter Festival, Quebec City, Quebec.   This festival has happened every winter for decades.  It gets cold in Quebec City, and they just don't worry about it.  The city has always had a bit of a fairy tale vibe with the walled part of the city and the now hotel that looks like a castle.  However, winter just brings a whole lot more fairy tale to this northern wonder of a city.

There's a full festival with this one.  There are sledding, tubing and tobogganing areas for everyone.  They have ice bars, ice hotels, ice sculptures and so much ice.  There's dog sledding, sleigh rides, ice skating and the list goes on and on.  Night comes and the lights come on, making everything seem like magic.  

The festival runs every year from later in January or early February through mid to late February, and it's one of the best places to beat the winter doldrums.

https://www.quebec-cite.com/en/what-to-do-quebec-city/events/quebec-winter-carnival

https://carnaval.qc.ca/en/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g155033-d8820335-Reviews-The_Quebec_Winter_Carnival-Quebec_City_Quebec.html

https://canadiantrainvacations.com/blog/quebec-city-winter-carnival-guide

https://www.jumpstreet.com/blog/5-cool-facts-about-carnaval-de-quebec

4.    The Fairbanks World Ice Art Championships, Fairbanks, Alaska.   Do you like art?  Fairbanks becomes one of the world's largest art shows and competitions in the winter.  February and March celebrates the art and competition that makes winter a great time in this northern city.

People come from around the world to compete in the ice sculpting competition and that means there are amazing sculptures all around the city.  But that's not all.  They also have an ice hotel, ice bars, and ice carved playgrounds for the children.  There's so much ice and it's amazing all that they do with it.

There's a great food scene, activities and so much more, and a lot of it is carved from ice!

https://icealaska.com/

https://www.explorefairbanks.com/event/world-ice-art-championships/9472/

https://aktickets.com/events/world-ice-art-championships-2025-2-14-2025

https://www.travelalaska.com/fairbanks/events/arts/world-ice-art-championships

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60826-d10090490-Reviews-Ice_Alaska_Ice_Park-Fairbanks_Alaska.html

5.    The many winter festivals of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.   It's as though these guys just plain look forward to winter.  It's amazing, considering how close they are to the arctic up there.  Edmonton not only has an indoor super mall with more to do than is possible in a vacation, and skiing all over the place, but a professional hockey team to watch; the Oilers.

If only that was it.  There's something about the spirit of the natives of Edmonton.  They have all kinds of winter festivals, beginning with the holiday festivals in late fall and early winter and going all the way through until the beginning of spring.  They sculpt, play, race, compete and thoroughly seem to enjoy winter, even though it's really cold up there.

They even have a music festival, and if you think it's inside; wrong.  Bundle up buttercup!  That music festival is outside too.

I've been to Edmonton in the winter, and I couldn't believe how much I heard they have to do.  I couldn't even finish all the activities at the mall.  I can say that they're some of the most amazing folks I've ever met, and they really love where they live and winter doesn't bother them at all.

https://www.travelalberta.com/articles/a-guide-to-winter-festivals-in-edmonton

https://www.wintercityedmonton.ca/events/

https://exploreedmonton.com/articles/winter-festivals

https://www.edmontondowntown.com/winterval/

https://www.festivalseekers.com/festival/winterruption-yeg

There you have it.  I only looked into some of the great spots in North America on this one.  There are great places to visit in winter all over the north of the globe, and I've visited several.  I loved Edmonton, was surprised by Greenville, mesmerized by Iceland and the northern lights, and loved every minute of St. Petersburg, Russia.   I'm not new to northern travel in winter.  I can say that I want to visit more of these magical places and I hope you check some of them out too.

All I can say is pack up your warmest clothes, adjust your mindset, look forward to instead of dreading the cold and the dark and enjoy!

Let's Get Around and See Some Cool Stuff in This Week's Fast Five!

 You never know what I might come up with as I strive to find those little things to add to your vacation.  This week we found some natural things and some unnatural things for your enjoyment!

1.    The amazing rock formations in the Flinders Mountain Range, South Australia.  For Australia, I can say that this park and mountain range isn't far from Adelaide.  It's 500 kilometers, but that's not far in Australia.

Mother Nature did some different art in this place.  There are one of a kind bizarre looking rock formations in this park, and you shouldn't miss out if you're in the area.  This is some folded, faulted beauty in the park and its a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Most prices are for tours, and it might be a good idea to take one for this.

There are several formations and areas to visit in this one park.  There are mountains and gorges as well as ancient drawings and the formations.  Given its remote location and vast size, I might just consult a tour, but it's some of the most unique formations you'll see anywhere.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g499708-Activities-Flinders_Ranges_National_Park_Flinders_Ranges_South_Australia.html

https://www.parks.sa.gov.au/parks/ikara-flinders-ranges-national-park

https://flinders-ranges.com/category/geology/geological-formations/

https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6524/

https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/goodliving/posts/2024/04/15-fascinating-facts-about-the-flinders-ranges

2.    The Kuchlbauer Brewery, Abensburg, Bavaria, Germany.   You're not seeing things, and you haven't had too much beer.  This crazy looking place is a brewery in Germany, and it's as much fun to visit as it looks.  

This brewery has been around since the 1300's.  It's still a family business and makes some truly popular brews.  Over the centuries the brewery has been through several alterations.  There was once a hotel on the property as well as the brewery.  Nowadays, there's the tower which is something that draws everyone's attention, and a museum designed by architect Peter Pelikan demonstrating the history of the brewery and their bier.  

The brewery has a lot to enjoy and look at that is original and can't be seen anywhere else, much less at another brewery.  The brewery employs around 70 people, has a solar field to make their own electricity and grows some of their own ingredients.  It's an entertaining place to visit if you're touring Bavaria, and it tastes good too.

https://kuchlbauer.de/en/home-5/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1676123-d1881152-Reviews-Weissbierbrauer_Kuchlbauer-Abensberg_Lower_Bavaria_Bavaria.html

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/kuchlbauer-tower

https://www.bayerntrips.com/blog/oktoberfest-king.html?tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=66&cHash=83f08af8041ecc347879479c345c2abd

https://www.yelp.com/biz/kuchlbauers-bierwelt-abensberg

3.    Parc Omega Wolf Lodge, Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours, Quebec, Canada.  This is a private park where you can take a wildlife safari year round.  That probably doesn't sound that interesting, seeing as most safaris of note are in Africa.

However, this one is different.  If you've ever wondered what it's like to be around Wolves in their natural habitat, this place is for you.  You can see deer and moose and all other northern animals in their habitat, but Parc Omega has a lodge where you can stay over and watch the wolves.

That's right, your cabin has a giant window where you can watch the wolves right outside your door.  Most visitors find it amazing that the wolves seem to be curious about them, because you and the wolves can both see and hear each other.  It's natural.  It's a little unnatural, but it's the closest you'll ever come to hanging with wolves.  There's also pathways for hiking and a blind where you can watch the wildlife too.

https://www.parcomega.ca/en/nature-getaway/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g499355-d10638137-Reviews-Parc_Omega-Montebello_Outaouais_Region_Quebec.html

https://www.going.com/guides/parc-omega-canada

https://theplanetd.com/parc-omega-wolf-cabins/

https://wellnesstravelled.com/how-to-book-the-viral-parc-omega-wolf-lodge/

4.    Take an UnCruise!   Have you ever thought that you'd like to take a cruise, but you didn't want your vacation to be spent more on than off the boat?  This could be the solution for you.  Do you like to get out and do activities and be submerged in the surroundings of your vacation?  UnCruise heard you.

If you ever thought of visiting Alaska, Hawaii, Costa Rica, the Galapagos; this kind of trip might be for you.  You still get a cruise.  You still get very nice lodgings on board.  But you get a bit of adventure that a conventional cruise might not offer.

The activities are very nature centered, so you will be active.  The company offers a webinar for you to join so you can decide if it's for you or not.  But in the world of tons of cruises; this may be the slightly different one that fits more with your needs if you like to get out and experience nature a lot on vacation.

https://uncruise.com/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g31020-d4413916-Reviews-UnCruise_Adventures-Juneau_Alaska.html

https://www.icruise.com/cruise-lines/un-cruise-adventures.html

https://www.virtuoso.com/travel/luxury-cruises/cruise-lines/2718/uncruise-adventures

https://www.adventure-life.com/operators/27533/uncruise

5.    A Piece of the Berlin Wall in San Jose, Costa Rica.   Lots of people visit Costa Rica every year, and most go to or through San Jose.  That being said, one of the things that I've found fascinating as I've traveled is some of the places that have gained panels from the defunct Berlin Wall.  I had no idea that San Jose is one of those places.

I've seen pieces of the wall from Berlin to Montreal to New York City and beyond.  This piece was erected in the garden of the Palacio San Martin at Freedom Square in 1994.  It's a lovely park, garden and square to visit, and there is an official panel from the Berlin Wall displayed there.  I've been treating the Berlin Wall Panel search in my lifetime as I would the search for Waldo.  You never know where it might turn up.

https://en.the-wall-net.org/san-jose-cr/

https://ticotimes.net/2015/11/09/berlin-wall-fell-26-years-ago-part-stands-costa-rica-today

https://news.co.cr/berlin-wall-san-jose-costa-rica-see-fragment/63725/#google_vignette

https://qcostarica.com/a-piece-of-the-berlin-wall-in-san-jose-costa-rica/#google_vignette

https://costarica.org/cities/san-jose/

They may be a bit unusual this week, but there are always some interesting places to add to a trip you may have already planned and that's what a fast five was meant for.  Hopefully, if you happen to be traveling in the areas I highlighted today, you will find these oddball attractions a good addition to your itinerary.

Keep tuned in to hear more great ideas to add to your trip.  Follow, like and enjoy!