Baby, It's Cold Outside

Brrrrrr Dear Reader,

It is cold in Konstanz. Really cold. Like, your nose feels like it's going to drop off just from opening the door, cold. I guess I should have expected it really - Germany does, after all, have snow in winter and I suppose I don't live that far away from several sets of mountains. Still, having been assured that the Bodensee has its own little micro-climate, meaning that snow is (supposedly) rare and the cold (apparently) won't last that long, it has come as a bit of a shock to have an average of -12ish over the last few days (not to mention windchill!).

Unlike my village back home, however, Germany does not grind to a halt at the first sign of snowflakes. Despite the ice on the roads, buses were still running (almost) to time and one poor Learner was still having their driving lesson. The schools were still open - no snow days for these children - and people were still going about their daily business. My mother's fears that I should start stockpiling tin cans of food have luckily been unnecessary, although possibly I should have heeded the advice of the hot water bottle...