BUT it's not the love that warms up over here… it's the radiator itself.
Here winter has come and it's almost gone, and I still don't keep my word to be assiduous in my texts, tsc tsc…
But although I missed some cool events in the city, one thing that hasn't happened yet is the cold and I, unlike most of Brazilians, I LOVE cold wheather . It is true that the city has almost nothing instersting to do during the winter when compared to the summer, because everyone prefers to stay indoors having a wine and watching Netflix than walking aimlessly through the streets.
But I am part of the crazy percentage that likes to walk the streets, even (or mainly) in the cold.
No, walking in the cold is not unpleasant, if you are well wrapped up. The problem for many of us is that we don’t wrap up enough - or don’t have the right clothes - to get through cold temperatures. I mean: there is no point in wrapping up a little and complaining about the cold, or also, it is useless to put on eight t-shirts and a jacket if none of them is suitable for winter. "Ah Giovanna, but winter clothes are expensive and it's not worth buying just for a week or two of intense winter!" Well, then we can't complain about being cold, can we?
Appropriate winter clothes are expensive, yes, but they are an investment: if you buy a good thermal second skin, half of your problems are over and, because they are just ”underwear”, It's fine to use them multiple times.
But well, leaving aside the question of proper clothes or not (even because it's not a matter of choice, but of necessity), I always liked winter for the same reasons that everyone likes: we dress better, we don't feel uncomfortable with heat, the blood pressure does not do gown and we do not sweat all the time. But here I was able to discover some other reasons that made me like winter even more.
The first, you might even think I'm a little crazy, but it's the day: here it gets dark earlier. On the winter solstice, night falls at 4:30 pm, but for the rest of the winter it gets dark between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm. I really like the night because it is calm, even in the city center we can see stars, satellites and the moon. Winter allows you to see the starry sky early and it does not interfere with your bedtime.
Second, of course, is the food. As the cold is super intense here, our body needs a reserve of fat to maintain itself during this period. Here, we eat without guilt! And it's wonderful, delicious! Fondue, pizza, tarte flambée, choucroute, spaetzle, jarret, wine wine and more wine !! Although we also eat more during the winter in Brazil, it is more intense here. I remember one year when my friends went home to eat our traditional annual fondue, and we need to turn on the air conditioning in the room to be able to justify eating a super hot fondue on a not at all cold day (I think it was about 30 ° C). Here every day is cold, and you need to maintain yourself, eat well. And you talk food, you talk gicaballet! 😛
Third and last, not to extend the list, it was something I discovered in January, and I fell in love with it right away. I can't tell if people like it here, but I love it: the smell of burning wood.
I am not sure where this smell comes from, because all houses are equipped with electric or gas radiators. But the smell of burning wood is noticeable almost every night. It is a smell that brings me calm and serenity, the smell of winter. I believe that this smell is either eucalyptus or pine, and when you go out on the street, you get smoked with that winter smell. <3
If you don't like winter and think I romanticized a lot: the bad side of winter is the same bad side of autumn! Take a look at the text here and delight yourself with the runny nose problems (which still want to fall on my freshly chopped onion).
À bientôt e, Perdoe o meu Francês! 😉
