So, anyone who’s been around for a bit will know that I’m working towards taking the family for a white Christmas in 2017. You can read about my original post about our white Christmas dreams, where I was deciding what options we would have if it all came into fruition. 

Well I’m very happy to report that our plans are so far on track. I have even managed to talk my sister and her husband into joining us and we are all over the moon about that. I never, in a million years, thought I would be able to actually talk them into it. I am super chuffed, beyond belief, that we are all going to have this wonderful experience and best of all the kids are going to cherish this time spent with us all (ok, with Unc & PP).

I can just see us wandering around the Christmas markets, sipping on a mulled wine while we wander around purchasing new christmas decorations for the our tree. The kids will have their beanies and mittens on, throwing snow balls at each other. We all know the reality is that we will be wandering around with the kids whinging about how cold it is while I’m saying ‘suck it up girlfriends and be thankful we are here’ but for now I can imagine my fairytale dream!

If you haven’t read my other post, I had nominated 3 possible places for our soirée, America, Japan and Europe. We have narrowed the it down to a more specific continent, drum roll please…………

Europe!

We have managed to decide that much. Which city in Europe is still to be decided. I have listed 3 of my favourites below, I am also happy to hear from anyone in the know. With 2 years still to plan, I am sure things will change regularly.

Prague or Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

While I’m happy to go any of the 3 locations, I think I am leaning towards Prague or Cesky Krulov the most. I think the scenery here is beautiful and its much more affordable when on the ground. We should be able to fly directly to Prague from any of the main hubs from Australia. Prague is well known for its Christmas markets and is a strong possibility of getting snow on Christmas day which is what its all about.

Apartments on Airbnb are also very affordable. We will be able to get a central apartment for all of us for between $100-$150AUD per night which is within our budget. I would hope to be stopping there for between 7-10 days and really explore the city and of course spend some money at the Christmas markets.

Krakow, Poland

Now this is in here because it has come highly recommended by someone at work and to be fair when you google ‘Krakow at xmas’ the photos look amazing and exactly what I’m looking for. Therefore making my list for some serious consideration.

I have been told that the beers cheap there (so thats a good thing) and from the initial search on Airbnb the accommodation looks very reasonably priced. In fact the apartments on Airbnb are very cheap and very modern and comfortable. It will however cost a little more to get to Krakow although we are almost guaranteed a white Christmas here which is of course a big plus, making it an attractive option.

Tallinn, Estonia

This is the ultimate Christmas wonderland! Guaranteed snow at Christmas and not just a sprinkle, we’re talking ‘getting snowed in’ type of snow!  I’ve always dreamed of a white christmas where you are looking out the window and the snow is up to the window ledge and you open the door and your snowed in! Just like in the movies! I think we could get that in Estonia!

Tallinn is also famous for its Christmas markets which is something else I’m keen to experience. There are plenty of blog posts naming the top Christmas markets in Europe and Tallinn rates in the top 10 in most of them.

The initial Airbnb search reveals the accommodation to be relative reasonably priced, we could get a nice, modern apartment for $100-$150 per night. This would be within our budget. Getting there on the other hand would be a little more expensive. I would definitely require an extra flight from one of the main european hubs. Sharon from Where’s Sharon, visited Tallinn this european summer and she tells me is a very affordable place to visit. Much cheaper than a lot of the other European cities.

New Year’s Eve

At this stage my sister has added a couple of requests which I will ensure are included in the itinerary, of which one is Brugge, Belgium for New Year. We can do that! I visited Brussels in 1995 and loved it so I’m looking forward to returning to Belgium. That’s the plan anyway which will mean we will be able to drop into Paris.

I have never been to Paris and I have to admit, its up there at the top of the list. Alannah is also very keen to go to Paris so thats something we can tick of her bucket list. I suppose a visit to EuroDisneyland will be on the cards also. It will only be a for few days and then over to England to visit some friends. There are some amazing family day trip in London that I would love the kids to experience. I can assure you that anything Harry Potter would certainly be at the top of the list for the kids.

So that’s the plan at the minute. I’ve got some ideas in my head and now I just have to check with all parties involved and then start to cost it all. I know that my budget is going to run out before my ideas so it’s going to come down to what we can afford.

I have since added another White Christmas update #3 and having just returned from our huge trip, I will write another post soon filling you on our prefect White Christmas. You won’t believe how it all turned out.

Happy travels,

Sal & Co.

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