TRAVEL SPECIAL..... WINTER VACATIONS WORLD SPECIAL

WINTER VACATIONS WORLD SPECIAL

Winter Wonderland

As winter embraces the northern hemisphere, we bring spectacles that are a must-visit this season

A WHOLESOME WINTER EXPERIENCE

Region: Russia

Trust the Russians to have fun even in the bone chilling cold. Moscow makes the most of the snow-decked winter landscape by packing in myriad fun activities to try. Start with Maslenitsa, a cheerful pre-Christian celebration. Maslenitsa Festival Tours are run in Moscow and St.Petersburg. It covers the iconic tourist attractions of two Russian capitals as well as endless festivities. Maslenitsa is also popular as the Pancake week with the Russians liberally savouring the delicacy with numerous fillings and toppings, from sour cream to caviar, to salmon and all things sweet. Each day of the festival involves food, predominatly pancakes with many indulgent toppings, sledding and snowball fights to complete the fun episode.

Ice Skating and fun winter sports

Think winters in Moscow, think ice skating. There are numerous artificial arenas set up in Moscow, head to Gorky Park (the largest ring), Sokolniki Park, Izmailovsky Park, and Patriarch’s Pond. In addition to ice skating, there are spots for skiing, sledging, tubing, ice sliding and snowboarding. More than 40 parks throughout Moscow offer dozens of ski tracks and walking paths. Tracks are well-illuminated and are equipped with heated locker rooms and rental points.

THRILLING ZONE

BANISH THE WINTER BLUES WITH EXCITING TOURNAMENTS AND SPORTS

Region: Switzerland

The country of legendary ski resorts, Switzerland is enveloped with the highest number of peaks in Europe, along with plenty of winter sports. This is the perfect excuse to escape to the snow carpeted wonderland featuring an exquisite backdrop of high peaks stretching into the distance. Apart from skiing you can also try Bob Run, Extreme Ice Karting, Glacier Bungee Jumping, skating or golf and spectate horse-racing and polo. From Klosters to St Moritz, Verbier to Zermatt, all are famed for exquisite winter. Cricket on Ice, hosted in St Moritz, is another yearly tournament, attracts business executives from all over the world. Apart from that listed alongside are3 tournaments that you can catch on your winter visit to Switzerland.

AN ADVENTUROUS OUTING

A SKIING HOLIDAY IN NORWAY

Region: Norway

If you’ve had skiing on your bucket list, head to Trysilfjellet Mountain region in Norway. The region has a good ski school and is popular with families. It is considered as one of the country’s biggest ski destination with access to tracks on three sides of the mountain. Furthermore, the resort town of Hemsedal provides access to the Scandinavian Alps. The craggy and wooded Hallingdal Mountains are considered by many as the finest ski areas. There are large children’s area, snow parks and excellent off-piste opportunities to avail. If you are visiting the Norweigan capital, there’s ample opportunity to try numerous winter sports a little outside of Oslo city centre. X-Games, the Youth Olympics, the Snowboard World Cup and the Arctic Challenge are some of the events you can catch here along with trying your hand at a sport at a ski or snowboarding park.

PARTAKE IN WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION

Region: UK

Celebrated across the globe, winter solstice marks the beginning of longer daylight hours. As the sun rises and sets on December 21st, in the northern hemisphere, it is the year’s shortest day also the official beginning of winter. The prehistoric ring of standing stones, Stonehen Trysilfjellet Mountain region in Norway. The region has a good ski school and is popular with families. It is considered as one of the country’s biggest ski destination with access to tracks on three sides of the mountain. Furthermore, the resort town of Hemsedal provides access to the Scandinavian Alps. The craggy and wooded Hallingdal Mountains are considered by many as the finest ski areas. There are large children’s area, snow parks and excellent off-piste opportunities to avail. If you are visiting the Norweigan capital, there’s ample opportunity to tryge is considered as one of the most iconic sites for winter solstice. During mid December, Stonehenge offers a surreal setting. Stonehenge is carefully aligned pointing to the winter solstice sunset; the rays of early morning light perfectly align with the stones piercing through them. As with sunrise, sunset is spectacular too. The event is claimed to be more important in the Pagan calendar than the Summer Solstice, because it marks the ‘re-birth’ of the Sun for the New Year. Towards the opposite edge sits New Grange, which points to the winter solstice sunrise, and the Goseck circle, which is aligned to both the sunset and sunrise. Thereafter, visit the historic city of Salisbury nearby. Wander around its picturesque streets, ancient towns decked with black and white Tudor houses or visit the 800 year-old traditional local market.

STARS OF THE NIGHT

EMBRACE THE STARS

NORTHERN LIGHTS AND NORDIC LANDSCAPES

Region: Iceland and Finland

The Northern Lights need no introduction. Sleeping under the stars or watching the Aurora Borealis dance is a dream for many. Although, its not as easy as it looks to spot the lights. City lights can blur out the lights in the night sky hence a remote location is necessary. A dark sky sans clouds furthers your chance to spot the lights. With the dazzling phenomena right around the corner, head to Iceland or Finland. Spend some time in an igloo or sleep in a bubble, which is a free standing, inflatable bubble for an accommodation. The set-up featuring a clear plastic shell allows for unparalleled viewing of the surroundings. While the sighting of the magical lights is not fully guaranteed, the remote location in the middle of forest just outside of the main attractions of the Golden Circle extend unique experience by itself. While Northern Lights is the prime attraction in the region, Iceland’s most famous spots remain accessible even during winter. Visit the waterfalls, Blue Lagoon, glaciers, black sand beaches, museums, ice caves, and the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. You can club your experience with a visit to Lapland, Finland to enjoy Christmas festivities.

Compiled by Shireen Kanchwala
Shireen.Kanchwala@timesgroup.com