Ever since I got here, everyone's been saying "you've come at the wrong time", "...this is one of the coldest winters we've had in the past 10 years.....", "its going to be freezing again this week...", and so on. I was prepared for a cold winter but lost my confidence when I heard the locals say that it was too cold. Just before leaving, a cousin remarked that the most difficult part for us from the tropics is the footwear - we never seem to have the right kind of shoes to wear in the snow! Reminded me of my adventure walking down in sneakers on the slippery sidewalks in Ottawa many years ago - this time I was prepared - I had ankle length leather shoes, made in Matheran! and guess what, they rock!! Went for a winter walk in snow and sleet and nothing happened! Mind you I haven't seen my toes for the past 2 months or so!!!
For me, the more tiresome part is the clothes, and the advice on what to wear and what not to wear...."wear layers, they're easy to peel off as required", "thermals might make you feel hot indoors, but they are good if you are cycling", "cover your head- your body heat escapes from there", "don't forget to wear warm woollen socks!" So layers it is! No compromises when it comes to keeping warm so I end up putting on as many warm clothes as I have, one on top of the other...couldn't care less if it substantially enhances my already large frame (!) And inspite of all those over-sized layers, I still feel cold! Not to mention what a dhyan I must be looking like, all bundled up!! And then comes the cap, the gloves and the scarves....no scope to wear earrings or necklaces with those things....the cap just about covers the ears, the gloves have a tendency to get wet, and the scarves never match the outfits!! In any case there isn't much to match when one has a choice of only 2-3 colors....most people wear only black throughout this season, some daring ones try gray and if one really wants some color - navy blue!! Guess I'm the only crazy woman going around in a red jacket!! which later to my dismay I was told was a Spring Jacket. Honestly, with its fleece lining and all, I always thought it was warm enough (at least it was in Punes' almost non-existent winters!!) .... my brother suggested that I go in for a modular kind - the type where one can remove layers as required...when I went shopping, I realized that there is a whole range of jackets to wear while doing different things in different weather conditions! And as I dealt with my confusion, the Euro price tags made me shiver once again!!
