All my earlier trips to Germany were
either during autumn or during winter.
Autumn is a very beautiful season here, colourful leaves all strewn across the paths and it is not very hot and not very cold. It is pleasant and windy and cool.
Winters here are harsh. I have experienced minus 25 degrees and heavy snowfall when the life is thrown out of gear. It is good to watch the snow sitting inside the house, which is not possible now as I will have to go out for work. This year, it will also be Tanay who would be wading his way through the snow to his crèche and back. This year he would enjoy the snow because he will understand it this time. Let's see how the winter treats us later this year.
Summer - was the season, which I was eagerly waiting for. I wanted to see the beautiful colourful landscapes around. I wanted to see and hear the people enjoy out in the sun. I wanted to see the sun setting late at about 9:30 pm, which was so unique and different for an Asian like me! So finally after a spell of long winter, the sun finally came out and with what bang!!
There were days when the temperature here touched 38 degrees, very unusual for European standards. As there is less pollution here, the sunrays pierce you even when it is 30 degrees and with 38 degrees you are very likely to have a sun stroke and faint. All the handkerchiefs I bought from India and which were unused all this while came to my rescue and helped me with the incessant sweating and the wardrobe underwent a change with only cotton and light clothes finding their way to me. I spent 10 Euros in buying a cap as I thought that would at least help me save my head from getting cooked!! Tanay also graduated to half pants and sleeveless shirts and after a lot of persuasion agreed to wear cap when we went outdoor. Atul enjoyed his cycle rides more than ever and discovered a lot of new routes for cycling.
I will also enlighten you with the baking sessions that we had in our house which is on the roof top. (Dachgeschoss). All the walls would become extremely crispy and hot as the sun gave them his heat with open heart. We neither have a fan nor an Air Conditioner. No, we are not the only ones who are under-privileged in this case, but no house in Germany has a fan or an AC. All it has is a heater, which is useful only when it is cold. So we were all huffing and puffing, sitting at home during late evenings, trying to find some piece of paper which would cater as a temporary fan. We kept all the windows open in the hope that it would get better with the breeze coming in, but no all we were left with was sweat and irritation and hot air around. As sitting in house did not help much, venturing out in such a blazing sun was also little risky with Tanay around. So, we had no choice, but to bear with the really hot, glaring, blazing, trailing summer.
After a brief spell of this not-so-pleasant summer experience, I welcomed rains with open arms and open heart and changed my opinion about the German summer. It may be a welcome change for the Germans here to wear black in the sun and enjoy, but for me I am more than happy with a mild sun and pleasant weather.
The recent change in the atmosphere and the weather conditions all over the world is indeed alarming! Europeans wouldn't have imagined that not placing fans in the house would be looked upon as an disadvantage 20-30 years later.
I would like to put my thoughts about the global warming, but in another post maybe.
Till then, enjoy the sun!!
Autumn is a very beautiful season here, colourful leaves all strewn across the paths and it is not very hot and not very cold. It is pleasant and windy and cool.
Winters here are harsh. I have experienced minus 25 degrees and heavy snowfall when the life is thrown out of gear. It is good to watch the snow sitting inside the house, which is not possible now as I will have to go out for work. This year, it will also be Tanay who would be wading his way through the snow to his crèche and back. This year he would enjoy the snow because he will understand it this time. Let's see how the winter treats us later this year.
Summer - was the season, which I was eagerly waiting for. I wanted to see the beautiful colourful landscapes around. I wanted to see and hear the people enjoy out in the sun. I wanted to see the sun setting late at about 9:30 pm, which was so unique and different for an Asian like me! So finally after a spell of long winter, the sun finally came out and with what bang!!
There were days when the temperature here touched 38 degrees, very unusual for European standards. As there is less pollution here, the sunrays pierce you even when it is 30 degrees and with 38 degrees you are very likely to have a sun stroke and faint. All the handkerchiefs I bought from India and which were unused all this while came to my rescue and helped me with the incessant sweating and the wardrobe underwent a change with only cotton and light clothes finding their way to me. I spent 10 Euros in buying a cap as I thought that would at least help me save my head from getting cooked!! Tanay also graduated to half pants and sleeveless shirts and after a lot of persuasion agreed to wear cap when we went outdoor. Atul enjoyed his cycle rides more than ever and discovered a lot of new routes for cycling.
I will also enlighten you with the baking sessions that we had in our house which is on the roof top. (Dachgeschoss). All the walls would become extremely crispy and hot as the sun gave them his heat with open heart. We neither have a fan nor an Air Conditioner. No, we are not the only ones who are under-privileged in this case, but no house in Germany has a fan or an AC. All it has is a heater, which is useful only when it is cold. So we were all huffing and puffing, sitting at home during late evenings, trying to find some piece of paper which would cater as a temporary fan. We kept all the windows open in the hope that it would get better with the breeze coming in, but no all we were left with was sweat and irritation and hot air around. As sitting in house did not help much, venturing out in such a blazing sun was also little risky with Tanay around. So, we had no choice, but to bear with the really hot, glaring, blazing, trailing summer.
After a brief spell of this not-so-pleasant summer experience, I welcomed rains with open arms and open heart and changed my opinion about the German summer. It may be a welcome change for the Germans here to wear black in the sun and enjoy, but for me I am more than happy with a mild sun and pleasant weather.
The recent change in the atmosphere and the weather conditions all over the world is indeed alarming! Europeans wouldn't have imagined that not placing fans in the house would be looked upon as an disadvantage 20-30 years later.
I would like to put my thoughts about the global warming, but in another post maybe.
Till then, enjoy the sun!!
38 degrees!!! A European city that doesn't use fans and air conditioners cause the temperature always remained pleasant would be in a shock to experience 38 degrees. Reminds me of the old Bangalore days when fans were hung in the ceiling just as a show piece since no one actually required it much!
ReplyDeleteI hope the developed world does something for the climate change and save themselves of the transition that Bangalore has seen in it's environment.
Good to see two of your new articles on your blog mrunal :-)
ReplyDelete