German Rain Is Wetter

Before we moved to Germany, I became hooked on the show House Hunters International. In all the Germany episodes I noticed that it was often overcast or raining. I asked my husband, who has lived in and around Berlin, if this was an accurate weather sampling of Germany. "Oh no! It hardly ever rains there." He went on to tell me that the weather was similar to where we grew up, the mountainous/desert area of the western United States, which receives very little rain. 

As you can see from this picture, he is a BIG FAT LIAR! In fact, I may have even asked him if his tushy was warm because his pants were you-know-what. On fire. 

Getting used to all this rain has been difficult for me and my kids, seeing as were Americans and we don't walk or do anything in the rain. My oldest son, Alexander, plays for the American high school soccer team which often plays local German teams. For some reason, every Saturday for the last two months has seen rain. And every Saturday when I wake up and see the rain, I immediately assume they will cancel the game. That's what we did back home. Not here. You play in the rain.

I have a friend who has many German friends who like to walk and hike in the woods and she often makes plans to join them. On days when it's raining, she'll call her friends up and say "Well, I see it's raining out..." To which the Germans reply, "So?" You also hike in the rain.

You also ride your bike in the rain. You also walk your dog in the rain. You also carry groceries from the store in the rain. 

Back home we got such infrequent rain that if the dog needed to go out and it was raining, we could wait for 10 minutes and it would usually pass and the sun would come out and dry up all the rain and then the isty-bitsy spider... you know the rest. Here in Germany, my husband will tell the kids, "Kids! Minkie Dog needs to go out." 

"Da-ad. It's ra-aining though." And they will wait. Well, they wait for hours because that German rain isn't letting up and poor Minkie is doing the doggie version of the potty dance (much like the human version but with more barking.)

They even ask me to drive them to school when it's raining, even though it's so close we could probably spit to it. It's not their fault though. Back home, I did drive them when it was raining. We didn't have rain coats, we didn't have galoshes, and we only owned like two broken umbrellas that hardly were ever used. Here we have such an aversion to getting wet you would think we are this lady here. 

Needless to say, the amount of rain Germany gets has taken some getting used to. 

So that is why today I am sitting inside blogging instead of wandering the Odenwald, or sunning on the banks of the Neckar. 

Or having a nice bratwurst and apfelkuchen right here at this table. Nope. Not today. Today I am going to search my favorite website, Zappos, for some new waterproof shoes. Maybe after I get them, I will go out. And I hope I don't melt.

Tchüß,

Kelly*

*Is determined that some day while she lives in Germany, she will be able to go out in the rain, and not be afraid of getting wet. Maybe after she gets these. 

Update - May 2013 was one of the wettest months on record for much of Central Europe. Rivers through out the region reached levels that haven't been seen for 400 years the last week of May. Many towns throughout Germany, Czech Republic, and Austria had to evacuate people as rivers breached their banks.