I live on what is officially the sunniest island in Europe, and one which is frequently named in the top ten most beautiful islands in the world. You can learn more about the island of Hvar on my Hvar portal here, and it really is a stunning place to visit. With an average of 2.718 hours of sunshine a year (not sure how they counted that) and rumoured free hotel rooms if it snows, the weather is a key topic.
Here is the terrace view:
And while it may be wonderful living on a sunshine island, there is one big disadvantage with small children when it only snows about every ten years.
There is no snow.
The big exception was February 2012, when snow covered the whole island, causing Christmas card views from the terrace. But that was the last time the kids has seen snow, and it only last a couple of days.
So as we headed to Munich for a couple of days after Christmas, there was great expectation from the little ones that there would be plenty of snow to play with.
And Munich did not disappoint. We noticed the first flakes high above Marienplatz, flakes which quickly grew in size and frequency, until very soon the pedestrian zone towards the main station was completely covered. The kids could scarcely contain themselves, and our parental prayers were answered. We wanted to have a nice sushi meal, which the kids would not eat, but all worked out perfectly as we found a restaurant with large windows which allowed us to supervise the kids in the snow outside, while we enjoyed some fresh Japanese cuisine in the warm inside.
There was snow EVERYWHERE, and the kids were having a great time, but as they soon discovered, it was not just children who were having fun in the snow. We came across a young couple in their twenties near the River Isar, obviously enjoying themselves as they built an impressive snowman. The kids went over to help and we fell into conversation.
"Isn't this exciting?" said the young girl, who told us they were on holiday from Brazil. "This is the first time we have seen snow EVER. We are having so much fun building this snowman, and we can't wait to send pictures to friends back home."
Whether you are from Croatia's sunniest island or exotic Brazil, sometimes the pleasures of a foreign city are very simple indeed...
