I have survived my FIRST winter in Germany, yay!
Spring is upon us, and I am so excited to see everything in bloom soon! Still waiting for the last bits of frost to hit the road.
It's funny that after living here for a full winter, I have come to realize that nearly every travel blog I had read to prepare myself for 'must haves' during a European winter wasn't worth the effort.
Yet, here I sit writing about it...ha!
My disclaimer is this: If you feel that you will need it, bring it.
If you feel that you will NOT need it, continuing reading.
What is "it"?
Well, "it" is many things. You'll see soon enough!
Firstly, winter in Europe isn't scary. If you have seen snow, sleet, and have experienced cold fronts, and bone-chilling winds in your lifetime, you'll be fine in Europe.
I feel as if the weather here (in central Europe) best relates to the Pacific Northwest in the United States.
Sometimes the snow is minimal, if it even exists during the season at all.
Sometimes it dumps snow for a month straight.
European winters are fickle bitches. Expect mood swings consisting of sunshine, hail, frost, rain, snow, sleet, and all of the above. If you're really lucky, you will experience all of those moods within 24 hours time. Yes, it has happened!
My first winter wasn't bad. We spent our Christmas holiday in Paris, which wasn't terribly different than Germany's weather at the time.
Paris had mood swings during our week long visit around/during Christmas, but absolutely no snow:
Day one was chilly (about 47° F), and then it lightly rained in the evening.
Day two was cloudy and warmer (52°F), with bits of sun, and light rain at night.
Day three was sunny all day, and a bit colder than the day before (49°).
Day four was overcast and cold (43°F).
Day five was blistering cold with an even harsher wind chill of 22°F, yet sunny all day (32°F).
Yes. Finicky weather.
When we came home to Germany, snow was EVERYWHERE, and it was freezing balls.
Within seven days total time of us being gone, Germany went from tolerable to a frozen winter wonderland. Our neighbors had informed us that the snow happened the night before we returned.
Two days after we had came home to Germany, Paris had snow, too. Not as much, but still.
In Europe, the weather is relative all over. And if you are coming from a place that doesn't have a 'winter', note that peak winter weather isn't in December in Europe; it's in mid to late January through late February/early March.
If you come here during the holidays, you may be disappointed if you expect a Bing Crosby White Christmas. Sorry.
I know this was only my first winter here, but after talking to many folks that have lived here much longer than myself, my assumptions were true:
This weather is exactly like the Pacific Northwest.
That's how I felt before it was said (I lived near Seattle for five years), and in talking, many others feel the same!
One winter in Germany (or Europe) will be mild, while the next year will have an ice storm, and the next year everyone is knee deep in snow for two months.
You just never know.
So please, save yourself some time. If you feel the need to visit Yahoo answers or TripAdvisor to ask weather questions 3 months before an upcoming trip to Europe, just don't. Any answer you'll receive will hardly be accurate unless you're lucky.
The best thing to do is to plan your trip, pack for the worst, and hope for the best.
Check the 10 day forecast before flying abroad; this way you'll have a better understanding of what to pack.
Don't pack your bag a month out. If you do, you'll wish that you didn't. Like I said, the winter weather has mood swings and can change instantly.
What you MUST bring to Europe in the winter, aside from soap and junk:
Spring is upon us, and I am so excited to see everything in bloom soon! Still waiting for the last bits of frost to hit the road.
It's funny that after living here for a full winter, I have come to realize that nearly every travel blog I had read to prepare myself for 'must haves' during a European winter wasn't worth the effort.
Yet, here I sit writing about it...ha!
My disclaimer is this: If you feel that you will need it, bring it.
If you feel that you will NOT need it, continuing reading.
What is "it"?
Well, "it" is many things. You'll see soon enough!
WINTER WEATHER
Firstly, winter in Europe isn't scary. If you have seen snow, sleet, and have experienced cold fronts, and bone-chilling winds in your lifetime, you'll be fine in Europe.
I feel as if the weather here (in central Europe) best relates to the Pacific Northwest in the United States.
Sometimes the snow is minimal, if it even exists during the season at all.
Sometimes it dumps snow for a month straight.
European winters are fickle bitches. Expect mood swings consisting of sunshine, hail, frost, rain, snow, sleet, and all of the above. If you're really lucky, you will experience all of those moods within 24 hours time. Yes, it has happened!
My first winter wasn't bad. We spent our Christmas holiday in Paris, which wasn't terribly different than Germany's weather at the time.
Paris had mood swings during our week long visit around/during Christmas, but absolutely no snow:
Day one was chilly (about 47° F), and then it lightly rained in the evening.
Day two was cloudy and warmer (52°F), with bits of sun, and light rain at night.
Day three was sunny all day, and a bit colder than the day before (49°).
Day four was overcast and cold (43°F).
Day five was blistering cold with an even harsher wind chill of 22°F, yet sunny all day (32°F).
Yes. Finicky weather.
When we came home to Germany, snow was EVERYWHERE, and it was freezing balls.
Within seven days total time of us being gone, Germany went from tolerable to a frozen winter wonderland. Our neighbors had informed us that the snow happened the night before we returned.
Two days after we had came home to Germany, Paris had snow, too. Not as much, but still.
In Europe, the weather is relative all over. And if you are coming from a place that doesn't have a 'winter', note that peak winter weather isn't in December in Europe; it's in mid to late January through late February/early March.
If you come here during the holidays, you may be disappointed if you expect a Bing Crosby White Christmas. Sorry.
I know this was only my first winter here, but after talking to many folks that have lived here much longer than myself, my assumptions were true:
This weather is exactly like the Pacific Northwest.
That's how I felt before it was said (I lived near Seattle for five years), and in talking, many others feel the same!
One winter in Germany (or Europe) will be mild, while the next year will have an ice storm, and the next year everyone is knee deep in snow for two months.
You just never know.
So please, save yourself some time. If you feel the need to visit Yahoo answers or TripAdvisor to ask weather questions 3 months before an upcoming trip to Europe, just don't. Any answer you'll receive will hardly be accurate unless you're lucky.
The best thing to do is to plan your trip, pack for the worst, and hope for the best.
Check the 10 day forecast before flying abroad; this way you'll have a better understanding of what to pack.
Don't pack your bag a month out. If you do, you'll wish that you didn't. Like I said, the winter weather has mood swings and can change instantly.
WHAT TO PACK for EUROPE in the WINTER
I'm not going to sit here and bore people with a list of what types of coats are the cutest, and which hats are in style.
This is a list of what everyone should have packed for a visit in the winter; the style choices of each item are on you!
What you MUST bring to Europe in the winter, aside from soap and junk:
- A heavy parka; preferably with a hood
- A light-medium weight coat (I prefer thick athletic fleece, but any light-medium coat will do)
- Thick winter scarves; the softer, the better. You'll be wrapping your face with it when the cold wind smacks you. Like I said, the softer, the better.
- Fleece lined leggings (to wear under your pants. Regular leggings work, but fleece lined are best. My husband wore long johns on a few days underneath his pants)
- Pants: Denim, thick jegging pants, bootcut jeans, skinny jeans, casual black pants. Whatever. It all works here, promise.
- Long sleeve cotton shirts
- At least one thick sweater. A few more if you're staying for awhile.
- Thick boot socks. Military winter boots socks are THEE best. Find them in the men's sock aisle at Target, Walmart, PX Exchange, etc,. Cotton is bad, synthetic is good.
- Boots. One good leather pair is better than five cheap pairs.
- A sturdy umbrella. Cheap umbrellas break in winter winds.
- Gloves. Not the $1 store kind, but a $20 investment in a thick, black North Face (or similar) pair will do. Leather goes better if you're fancy. I prefer fleece while in jeans & leather for special occasions (dinners, dates, etc).
- If you are 100% dealing with snow (visiting the Alps) do not come without snow boots. Rainboots with socks do not count. Trust me.
- A good. moisturizing dry skin lotion. My skin took a beating during winter and I had a few sleepless hotel nights during our winter Euro travels because of it; my skin was dry and itched like hell. Wish I brought a conditioning skin lotion while traveling. Hand lotion didn't help.
What you MIGHT want to bring to Europe in the winter:
- A heavy wool dress coat, for dinners or nights on the town.
- Skirts/Dresses to wear over fleece leggings and under coats, if weather permits, or you're brave.
- Dress boots
- Rainboots
- Flats
- Casual, not athletic sneakers (Converse, Vans, & Keds are popular here)
- Sock liners, for boot wear, especially in extreme weather.
- Wool hats or beanies. Yes, even posh Parisian ladies wear beanies.
- Earmuffs. Not needed if you have a thick hood on your jacket paired with a thick cozy scarf. Wrap it up!
What you MAY NOT NEED, but should think about:
- A swimsuit: WHAT? Yes, a swimsuit. Most hotels in large cities have indoor heated pools, saunas, and some have mini water parks. Some European cities even have world renowned outdoor thermal spas (Baden Baden, Budapest, etc,.). I regret not having my swimsuit while in Paris during Christmas vacation. Our hotel had a few indoor Jacuzzis that sounded really nice (with vin chaud) after a cold and tiring day.
- A handmuff. A handmuff can be your best friend when waiting in a long line outside of a museum, or cathedral. It's not completely necessary, but a warm option.
- If you already live in Europe and are doing some winter traveling by car, throw a sled in the trunk! We've visited two random small towns in Germany during winter, for reasons other than sledding, but found that they had legit sled runs everywhere. I wished we had brought ours!
I won't tell you what to carry on your person for daily site-seeing in Europe, but a few words of advice:
- If you know it will be heavily raining on a day you plan to do a lot of walking outside, stuff an extra pair of socks in your backpack or purse. Wet socks inside of boots are not fun, and they can cause serious feet problems if worn wet for long periods of time. Ever heard of 'trench foot' or 'gangrene'? Not a fun souvenir to take home.
- Chapstick. Not lipstick, not lipgloss. Chapstick. Cold weather and wind can dry your lips out fast!
- Sunscreen. Yes, you can get sunburned in the winter here, especially if you are participating in winter sports (Skiing, snowboarding, etc,). Some sunscreens also help prevent windburn, which happens in the winter quite often; any where, any time.
- A good, deep moisturizing hand lotion.
- An extra pair of cheap gloves. Just in case you lose a good one while out and about. Been there before.
- Water. It is easy to become dehydrated in winter, especially when walking around all day. Just because it's cold doesn't mean that you don't need water.
A FEW EXTRA NOTES:
- Stick to dark colors in Europe during the winter. You'll blend better, if that's what you're worried about. However, I have an ivory princess cut peacoat and I've worn it out. People didn't seem to stare, and one lady on a train asked me where I got it! I saw a few other light colored coats as well in big cities. Just don't wear neon yellow or some crazy shiz.
- It is perfectly acceptable for men to wear casual fur trimmed hoods on coats/parkas.
- If you have to travel via plane, and cannot bring a ton of luggage, consider this: Most of the selfies you will take (or photos that you will be in) will be of you wearing a coat. Don't put too much thought into what people on Facebook or Instagram will see you wearing underneath your coat. You can wear the same sweater under a coat daily, and nobody would know. Want to change it up day to day? Pack different scarves instead.
- Do not underestimate the power of an umbrella in the winter. Sure, a summer walk in the rain isn't bad, but being cold and wet in the winter sucks.
I am sure I may have left out some essential knowledge, but for me, this is my absolute must bring list during my travels in Europe's winter. We visited about 16 cities during the winter and I brought 97% of what is posted here everywhere we went to each place.
The 3% that I forgot was the body lotion, swim suit, and sled! Okay, maybe not 3%, but you get my point.
Wait for my Spring Edition to be posted in June or July (2015). If you are looking for my Autumn Edition, I've already wrote it! You're welcome.
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