Living through my first Berlin winter has been tough. Terribly tough. The European winter is on a whole other level to what Australians call this season back home, which I can see very clearly now is not a ‘real’ winter at all. But because I don’t want to dwell on what was easily the most difficult time of the year, let’s talk about spring.
Spring came early in Berlin much to my delight. As the historical average temperature for February is just 3ºC, as the month marched by I kept anticipating another frozen spell like that which scarred us in late January; two weeks of bone-aching and face-numbing cold where the temperatures didn’t even peek above 0ºC. More on those days in another post.
But February came and is almost gone now and things are looking up. It’s been an unusually warm month by Berlin standards and the past few days in particular have been glorious. I’ve been able to open up the windows of my apartment and let the sun stream through and I’m loving watching the birds make their springtime nests from my kitchen window. Last Sunday, Ben and I spent some time reading in the park, welcoming the warmth of the sun’s rays on our pale faces. Everywhere I look, the bare trees are budding and little pops of colour are beginning to spring up. The days are getting longer and thermals are not needed anymore. Oh, and Berliners seem to be a little happier. I’m seeing more smiles around as I go about my day. Yes, Spring, I know you came early, but you are more than a welcome early guest.
