74. Living in a Cold Climate
Living through a European winter is a whole new ball game for most Australians or anyone living in warmer countries.
There were numerous surprises for me the first time I encountered such cold and extreme weather conditions. I can probably best sum it up by a quote from a friend of mine who once said upon arrival in Boston in the thick of winter: "in the first half hour in the city I laughed at all the locals wearing funny hats - the next half hour I spent looking for one myself." On the other hand, a Swiss friend of mine regularly quoted his father who had always said:"there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing!" When you are used to living in such conditions, you are used to dressing accordingly.
Extreme low temperatures are quite mind-boggling. The lowest I experienced was a -28 degs. overnight in Berchtesgaden. When I woke, it was -20 odd degs. and the maximum temperature for the day was about -10 degs. It is true to say that when temperatures are that low, you can feel the warmth coming back into the air when it hits zero. Skiing also gets very cold especially if it is a windy day. When the air is as cold as this, breathing can be a little painful as the cold air hits warm lungs.
Whilst the arrival of the first snow was an exciting time for me and I can still hear the words of one of the locals saying quite simply: "Schnee kommt", it is not necessarily so romantic for old people and car drivers. Snow covered footpaths gradually turn to ice and become mini skating rinks. A fall can easily result in a broken hip for an older person and sadly this is often one of the most debilitating injuries of all with a long road to recovery if at all. Driving in the snow is also hazardous and slippery conditions frequently lead to accidents. Snow tyres with extra thick treads often have to be fitted at the start of the winter and local authorities have to spend a lot of costly time clearing the roads of snow, ice and slush.
The winter also brings with it a lot more jobs. In very cold temperatures, batteries sometimes have to be removed from cars overnight to prevent them from running flat. Paper placed over the windscreen when you go out at night stops the windscreen from becoming a sheet of glass and even the locks on the car door can freeze up. I had the bright idea the first time this happened to me to blow warm air into the lock and my lips froze to the metal. When I pulled back in surprise, I left a fair bit of blood in the snow! Clearing drive ways and shovelling snow from stairs also add to winter 'fun'.
Extreme low temperatures are quite mind-boggling. The lowest I experienced was a -28 degs. overnight in Berchtesgaden. When I woke, it was -20 odd degs. and the maximum temperature for the day was about -10 degs. It is true to say that when temperatures are that low, you can feel the warmth coming back into the air when it hits zero. Skiing also gets very cold especially if it is a windy day. When the air is as cold as this, breathing can be a little painful as the cold air hits warm lungs.
Whilst the arrival of the first snow was an exciting time for me and I can still hear the words of one of the locals saying quite simply: "Schnee kommt", it is not necessarily so romantic for old people and car drivers. Snow covered footpaths gradually turn to ice and become mini skating rinks. A fall can easily result in a broken hip for an older person and sadly this is often one of the most debilitating injuries of all with a long road to recovery if at all. Driving in the snow is also hazardous and slippery conditions frequently lead to accidents. Snow tyres with extra thick treads often have to be fitted at the start of the winter and local authorities have to spend a lot of costly time clearing the roads of snow, ice and slush.
The winter also brings with it a lot more jobs. In very cold temperatures, batteries sometimes have to be removed from cars overnight to prevent them from running flat. Paper placed over the windscreen when you go out at night stops the windscreen from becoming a sheet of glass and even the locks on the car door can freeze up. I had the bright idea the first time this happened to me to blow warm air into the lock and my lips froze to the metal. When I pulled back in surprise, I left a fair bit of blood in the snow! Clearing drive ways and shovelling snow from stairs also add to winter 'fun'.
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| Cologne Cathedral 2103 |
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