It has been raining for nearly 8 weeks straight. We had a brief pause of about 4 days, where sunshine and warmth flood forth and tempted our serotonin levels to rise. But again the Wolkig days are back (for you non- German-speakers, that means, as you may have guessed, cloudy).
You might wonder when the German people ever get a chance to enjoy their bicycles, since it rains so much. Not to worry! No matter the weather here, people go out. People hang out outside with a drink if it's snowing, freezing cold, sleeting, raining....it doesn't matter! When we arrived here for a visit in late November last year, it was snowing and sleeting all weekend. But we still saw people eating (!) outside at several restaurants, with a blanket around them, and hundreds of people downtown having a glass of gluehwein and chatting happily for hours-all outdoors. I suppose that's why they drink so much here-- you don't notice that your toes have fallen off, and you don't care.
Nasty weather does not stop the German spirit, and it's a good thing. In fact, I think we in the U.S. could learn a lesson from them. You may very well see a mother of three, with two kids in tow via bicycle buggy, and her 4-year-old behind her, holding an umbrella over her head as she pedals down the street while balancing groceries in plastic bags. Did I mention she's wearing a skirt and is slim and trim with three kiddos?!!
I saw another guy, that same day I saw the mother, riding a red bicycle in a shiny royal blue jumpsuit with bright neon yellow shoes, while carrying another full sized green bicycle. Oh how I wish I'd had my camera for that!
Another things is, you will see hundreds of bicycles lined up at any given building, but none of them locked to anything solid. Maybe they'll have a lock through the frame of the bike and its tire, but they don't bother attaching their bikes to anything more because Munich is such a crime-free city. As someone who has had no fewer than 3 bicycles stolen in Chicago--all while locked up--this is still shocking in every instance.
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