It's January so as far as I'm concerned the fun part of winter is over and the bad part has just begun. I never liked winters in Europe. The only thing that truly cheers me up right now is the prospect of moving to a tropical place (Mumbai) for the next 2 or 3 years.
I'd rather complain about winter on my blog than to real people because whenever I tell anyone I hate winter they go: "I love the seasons!" or "I don't mind cold weather sometimes." I mean, of course they have a point there. I even agree to some extent.
Fall is okay. I love the way the trees look then. Berlin is gorgeous in October/November, especially where I live: in an actual forest. I don't mind throwing on a jacket when I go out and when it rains I simply wear a raincoat. I love it when the first snow falls in December and I'm in a good mood the whole holiday season organizing parties, decorating the house, buying presents, drinking mulled wine, visiting Christmas markets, coming up with New Year's resolutions, going ice-skating, watching a couple of movies, and planning the elusive ski trip.
But come January, I'm reminded of everything I don't like about winter in Europe:
It's too cold to stay outside for more than 30 minutes.
No leaves on trees for about five months.
No point going to beaches, biergartens, zoos, farms, or fun parks.
There's no camping, hiking, fire pits, or outdoor live music.
It's cold everywhere in Europe, so no point in travel (other than skiing).
It's gray most days and it gets dark in the afternoon.
Everyone gets a cold or the flu, and nowadays COVID.
Wearing the same warm wintercoat every day for months and no dresses, skirts, open shoes or any other clothing I like.
Hardly any parties or events.
Slippery roads (I got injured falling off my bike the first day it snowed this year).
Dry skin on my face and my hands.
Lack of fresh fruit and vegetables (that doesn't come in triple plastic wrapping from across the world).
I have a feeling this winter is going to pass just as slowly as last year's, since COVID numbers are soaring. I just recovered from my second COVID infection, which I caught during a holiday trip to the US, so I haven't been at work for about a month. Once I'll start going to the office again there won't be much to do, since we have to minimize Embassy operations once more due to the pandemic.
For now, I guess I'll just focus on getting better. Letting my foot heal from the bike accident and getting over the lingering cough I have from getting COVID two weeks ago.