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Winter in Germany- those steal grey skies for weeks on end?

Winter in Germany- those steal grey skies for weeks on end?

Old Nov 20th, 2003, 10:14 AM
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Winter in Germany- those steal grey skies for weeks on end?

I may be spending a few weeks in GErmany for business in January. I have been told by friends that Germany is incrediblely grey in the winter. The skies are grey with a low hanging clouds for weeks on end. Temps may be mild in the 30s but a regular cold wind and general dampness make it almost spooky.

It can't be that bad, can it?
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Old Nov 20th, 2003, 11:01 AM
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Depending on where in Germany, you'll be lucky if it's "mild" in January. I've frozen my toes off in Berlin.
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Old Nov 20th, 2003, 11:21 AM
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I live in Munich and yes, it can be that bad! IMO, November through February pretty well suck. There may be some sunny days and it may be painfully cold! The days are really short which makes it seem worse. If you think it will be awful, then it's not, you'll feel so lucky! I suppose it really depends on where you're coming from. I'm from Texas and have never gotten used to the cold, gray, short, dreary days of winter. My friends from the UK think the weather here is great!
 
Old Nov 20th, 2003, 11:26 AM
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Consolation prizes: hot chocolate, lemon/butter/sugar crepes. (Well, you need all that sugar in cold weather!)
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Old Nov 20th, 2003, 11:42 AM
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That weather sounds like what we have here in Pgh.--and we don't even have gluhwien (sp?)!
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Old Nov 20th, 2003, 12:41 PM
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We drove 3 hours north to Cologne today under those exact grey skies, but once there the sun came out and the pink of the sunset against the cathedral was incredible! It was worth travelling through all of that grey and fog for just that moment alone
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Old Nov 20th, 2003, 12:51 PM
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Oh Marilyn, you think the way I do!

Nothing can steal a grey sky away faster for me than chocolate and crepes! (hee hee )
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Old Nov 20th, 2003, 01:42 PM
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And Mexican juice, right, Scarlett? I always thought that was tequila.
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Old Nov 20th, 2003, 02:22 PM
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Yes, Marilyn, drinking always makes the sky less grey
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Old Nov 20th, 2003, 04:50 PM
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Travel anwhere at any time of year can be magical, you just may have to work a little harder to make it so. Germany can have brutal Winters. So too can many parts of the US. My first full Winter there was a tad depressing...I was having serious insomnia and did not see daylight for almost 3 weeks. And then I realised....for thousands of years people have lived here...there must be something to do. Where will you be in Germany? I'll bet the folks on Fodors can offer many great ideas...at the very worst find a beer hall you like and drink your way through the Winter.
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Old Nov 21st, 2003, 12:51 AM
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Ah, January in Germany. Don?t worry, the days are short, so you?ll probably see the sky only out of a window during work. Otherwise it?s dark. If we?re lucky, it?s cold with snow but it might also be a little bit above freezing with rain. Really awful and exactly the weather to catch a cold.

One of the good things: skiing. Take a weekend and head to the Alps. Everybody does it, which means that it?s full and expensive. Accept that and it?s a lot of fun (including après-ski). Furthermore, January isn?t exactly the prime time for holidays (with the exception of skiing and heading for a sunny place away from Europe) which means that you can get good deals on trips around Europe. Many places have a special atmosphere in winter and unlike summer, you don?t have to stand in lines together with a few thousand other people who want to capture a magical moment in an atmosphere reminding of a crowded subway station.

January is a rather quiet month in Germany. Christmas is over and people wait for spring. If you?re still here at the end of February, make sure that you don?t miss Carnival (preferable in the Rhineland) if you like to party. People let it all out after a long winter and it gets pretty wild.

And one last advice: make sure that you sometimes get out of the house, on a hike or what ever. Just staying inside all the time makes things worse.
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Old Nov 21st, 2003, 12:59 AM
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Some folks are "fair weather" travelers and then some are...TRAVELERS.
 
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