For those of you that have been following my life of travels, will know that I have been in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the past 7 months. We are now in March and the weather is finally changing for the better.
The winter months in Minnesota have been some of the most difficult times I have faced not only inside the UK but also outside. We had temperatures of minus 20 for several consecutive days on occasions, added with the dark mornings and early nights, it is easy to understand why I gained weight and felt miserable at times.
The saving grace with the weather is that whilst it is extremely cold outside, the sun is always in the blue sky. With this there were occasions when sat inside was no different than a summers day.
We have been recommended to purchase a SAD light from friends in the state but so far have yet to get one. The light was probably not the main issue yet the sight of snow for nearly 3 months.
The last several days have been amazing and hopefully we get a good summer, I cannot wait to put my shorts on.
On a side note, whilst outside the temperatures are some of the most extreme I have felt I would probably say that not once have I felt cold inside my apartment or in another building. Whether heating is subsidised here in Minnesota I am unsure but in the UK I have been used to the house being cold during the mornings and evenings simply because of the cost in gas.
So to answer the point of the article, we survived the Minnesota winter by going on short breaks every 6 weeks, in December we travelled to Mexico and in February to Colombia. These short breaks did us the world of good.
How to survive:
1.Purchase good waterproof boots
2. purchase a hat, Scarf and Gloves
3. purchase coat and other thermal layers
4. Holiday Breaks in warmer climates
5. Winter activities – Snowboarding/Skiing
Survive long enough and you will eventually see this at the 10,000 lakes the state is best known for:
