Winterlude here and there

Canadian winter festivals are upon us for the next few weeks. In particular there's Ottawa-Gatineau's Winterlude/Bal de Neige. I grew up skating on the canal where once upon a time beavertails were reserved only for those who braved the ice. Always memorable too is the annual Winterlude Triathlon (skate, ski, run) happening today, which I have participated in a few times.

Then there's Montreal's Highlight's festival of which I am big fan. The Nuit blanche is particularly fantastic. You can do things like listen to Lord of the Rings music played on a church organ or watch cartoons in Place des Arts at 3:30 in the morning. High art meets low art.

 and Quebec City's mega Winter Carnival. The ice slide is fantastic.

But then my brother forwarded me this ridiculous image of a uber winter palace located in Harbin, China. See it and weep...with envy.