First Visit Ever to The Snow and a Stay in a Hotel
For the first time we (the family) decided to spend two days away from home and stay in a hotel. I know this is common for most people but, the truth is, we never stayed in a hotel in long years. The only time we spent a few nights in a hotel my son was three therefore my daughter was not even born.
Starting from the beginning
My kids never saw real snow. We live in a zone of the country where it never snows. We have visited in the past villages that were built with artificial snow just for the purpose of Christmas holidays but that’s not the same thing as it is to see real snow.
For a long time my kids have been asking to visit Serra da Estrela, which is a mountain where, during winter, we can find snow. This holiday we decided to grant them the wish and we decided to go to the snow.
Where is the snow
The weather has been quite enjoyable but I believed we could find some snow in the mountain. I phoned a local Tourism center and what I heard was not what I expected. There was no snow in the mountain, and no snow in the surrounding areas. However we could find artificial snow in there.
I must confess that I was quite disappointed and wanted to quit the trip. We would be spending money on a trip when out main goal would not be meet.
Managing kids
We were into deep with this trip. My kids were too excited, too anxious and they wanted to go. In fact they weren’t worried about not seeing snow, they wanted to go because it was a family trip to a distance place and, they would be staying in a hotel. They were too thrilled with the hotel idea. I couldn’t convince them to postpone the trip.
Let’s go
We prepared clothes for two days. We prepared heavy clothes for the cold. We prepared gloves and knit hats. We were ready for the snow even a small piece of snow.
Arriving
After three hours driving we arrived at a beautiful, shinny place. The mountain. Serra da Estrela. We could find melting ice on the way and my kids were thrilled with it. Every piece of ice was like a treasure they were finding.
When we arrived at the top of the mountain we were able to play with artificial snow. This artificial snow is made with canons and it is very similar to real snow. My kids were thrilled with it. They made snowmen, we threw balls at each other. It was quite amazing.
Arriving at the hotel
In the afternoon we arrived at the hotel and that was a terrific moment for them. Being in a hotel for the first time.
The hotel is a resort one, with four stars. We found a huge family room. We found a hot water swimming pool. Jacuzzi. Sauna. Turk bath.We found an amazing place where we would stay one night. Of course we took advantage of those facilities for the rest of the afternoon and until dinner time.
Next day
The next day my kids decided they wanted to stay in the hotel. Going to the mountain was not a priority. They wanted to take advantage of the hotel luxury. And…we let them. Until it was time to leave. And we were back to reality again.
Christmas gift
I can realize now that, what we are missing because of lack of money is huge. People that are financially well and can travel whenever they want have at their disposal resources we can’t have.
My kids are so happy with this Christmas gift. Yes, it was like a Christmas gift. Now they can’t say they never stayed in a hotel. Snow will have to wait for another trip.
