Today is a designated rest day. I’ve been doing something every day for the last week and I need to relax if I’m going to go home refreshed. Then I look out the window and the soft snow falling bewitches me. I decide to head out for a couple of hours.

I walk to the U-Bahn station. The city streets are sludgy and wet now. There are big piles of dirty melting snow.

At 0913 I catch the U6 from Marienplatz to Studentenstadt. I want to explore the northern end of the Englischer Garten. I arrive at Studentenstadt at 0922 and make my way to the park. The northern part is less open and more like woodland, at least under snow. There is light snow falling and a few people around, mainly walking dogs or jogging. I walk all the way down to the southern part where I was yesterday. It’s still white but the paths are clearly worn. They are quite sludgy too. It was lots of fun walking through the snow, but very hard work.

By 1200 I’m back in the hotel and spend the rest of the day relaxing and working on the jigsaw puzzle.

(Title translation: Still more white) 

We‘re melting! 

While publishing my blog post for Salzburg I notice it’s started to snow. I hurriedly get ready and at 0920 head to the Englischer Garten.

Wow! What an experience. The park is blanketed in snow. To begin with there are a few other people walking, but by the time I leave the park is buzzing with people walking, jogging, walking their dogs, pushing prams, skiing, dragging children in sleds, making snowmen, having snowball fights and playing a football match. Everything you’d imagine and very much a real winter wonderland.

Yesterday I noticed that the trees near a mound in the park had hay bales at their bases.  I wondered why. Now, with people riding down the mound on their sleds I assume they are to cushion the blow if a collision occurs.

I mainly use my iPhone for photos. The snow is wetter than the other day and I’m nervous about getting my camera wet. When I do get it out I use a plastic bag to protect it. It’s all a bit distracting though, and soon I put it away and cover up my rucksack to protect it from the snow.

At times the snow is heavy and blowing horizontally. It looks as deep as 8 cm in some places and at least 4 cm all over.

At 1210 I return to the hotel. It’s been a magical morning and just the kind of experience I had been hoping for. I feel very fortunate.

It’s a cold and grey afternoon. After tossing up a couple of options I settle on walking to the Englischer Garten, a large park in the north east of the city. I get there about 1330. There are lots of people walking around, despite the freezing weather. It’s a beautiful park, even with most of the trees without leaves. I can imagine what it must be like in summer.

I wander around the southern part which ends at a lake. And the lake is beginning to freeze over. There are large chunks of ice on the surface. It’s very surreal to see.

At 1500 I’m heading back and all the church bells in the city are ringing. They go on for quite some time.

Right on the edge of the park is a bridge and the water is rushing beneath at a crazy pace. I’m not sure if it’s intentional or not. Either way, the waves don’t go to waste and there’s a group of surfers having lots of fun and attracting quite and audience.