29 Comments

  1. Struggling to Get Back Into Traveling - Grounded Traveler
    May 13, 2013 @ 10:51 pm

    […] just felt so good and freeing after a bit of a hard summer. An even harder winter due to the cold and dark has led us (I fear) into hyping this trip up in our minds.Β  The first few days of the trip have […]

  2. Announcing Beyond Vacation 2013 - Grounded Traveler
    April 7, 2013 @ 10:15 am

    […] in Bologna. Late summer and fall will be back home for work and planning a winter in the warm (Germany can be cold and dark in the winter.).Β Much more detail on this coming up. Check out Ali’s perspective of the Beyond Vacation […]

  3. Agness
    January 29, 2013 @ 10:00 am

    I remember my last visit in Berlin in December 2012. It got dark at 4pm but the Christmas markets make the whole city look so bright πŸ™‚

    • Andrew
      February 2, 2013 @ 4:21 pm

      Christmas markets do help. Though January can be pretty gray and no festivals. February often has Carnevale/Fasching, which helps though it is only a few days.

  4. Christina
    December 29, 2012 @ 10:36 pm

    London is similarly dark and grey. Great for Christmas markets and gluehwein but once Christmas is over, time to hone those indoor hobbies in Jan/Feb πŸ™‚ Yoga here I come.

  5. A Travellers Christmas: Andy From Grounded Traveler | One Giant StepOne Giant Step
    December 23, 2012 @ 9:03 am

    […] to have the time off to be quiet and reflect on the year and regain energy in the middle of the dark German winter. It can be a good experience if you go into it with that […]

  6. Lasantha Silva
    December 17, 2012 @ 7:33 am

    Hibernation seems like the best thing to do, especially with the wintry weather. But you can’t just stop working… Great blog, I enjoyed it very much. Thanks.

    • Andrew
      December 24, 2012 @ 12:04 am

      Yeah, work has to occur unfortunately. Just need to figure out work that can occur indoors.

  7. Jo Lene Mahon
    December 13, 2012 @ 9:45 am

    Hey Andrew, what are some points of interest or ‘must-dos’ for a visit in Freiburg? Thinking of going for a weekend maybe early next year, it’s not too far from Karlsruhe after all, and have a young baby in tow – would appreciate any suggestions you may have for places to go/restaurants to visit etc!

  8. Until Further Notice, You Can Assume I'm Freezing | Ali's Adventures
    December 13, 2012 @ 9:05 am

    […] recently wrote about how Germany gets dark in winter, and as much as I hate that we get just a little more than eight hours of daylight each day, […]

  9. Alex @ ifs ands & Butts
    December 3, 2012 @ 6:33 pm

    Ah unfortunately there is nothign to combat it in January. I cannot stand it, because by the time I am off work it has already been dark for two hours and my inner clock is beyond confused. The good thing is, it’s sunny so much later in the summer and that ALMOST makes up for it πŸ˜‰

    • Andrew
      December 4, 2012 @ 11:18 pm

      Yup. To see it get dark and realize you still have to sit there is hard. Summer festivals are good and I just need to remember them during this time. Though they are so far away timewise now.

  10. Laurence
    December 1, 2012 @ 3:21 am

    Christmas markets and Gluhwein are the only way forward! I always used to find January and February the hardest in terms of the seeming never ending darkness. Have to say I’m not a huge fan of the dark nights either – one of the main reasons we’ve escaped to Thailand this Winter!

    • Andrew
      December 4, 2012 @ 11:17 pm

      I am not looking forward to Jan and Feb either. Thailand sounds wonderful. Bit jealous.

  11. Cathy Sweeney
    November 30, 2012 @ 11:08 am

    I think I understand that January can be a let down after all of the wonderful Christmas markets. If only the markets would continue until the days got longer….

    • Andrew
      December 4, 2012 @ 11:15 pm

      Yeah, push the markets to the other side of Christmas in addition to this side?

  12. Jeremy Branham
    November 30, 2012 @ 1:18 am

    I am with Debbie. I grew up in the southern part of the US but am not spoiled by California weather. We are having a huge storm here right now but it’s so rare to have days and days or rain that you just deal with it. Like you, it can get dark here early as well. That part I don’t like. However, summers are great – for longer days and lots of sunshine.

    If I lived in Germany, I would have to consume myself with football during the winter πŸ™‚

    • Andrew
      December 4, 2012 @ 11:14 pm

      Football is mostly outside and cold though. Sitting in cafe’s and watching maybe.

  13. Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista
    November 30, 2012 @ 12:56 am

    Being a California girl, I’m spoiled but I don’t like the shorter days either! I love the longer days and can hardly wait for them to come back around.

    • Andrew
      December 4, 2012 @ 11:13 pm

      I can’t either and the worse part is that we are just at the beginning.

  14. Scott
    November 29, 2012 @ 8:50 pm

    Experiencing this for thee first time here in Amsterdam the last month housesitting and it sure does affect you. When that one sunny day comes, it feels like summer even though you are still cold! I think the January-Feb-Mar would be the worst to handle for sure. It is funny how you just tend to think Europe is just straight across fro the US, but in reality is further north, I blame bad maps.

    • Andrew
      December 4, 2012 @ 11:13 pm

      Yes, bad maps and climate similarities despite the latitude. We were just talking tonight to some Germans explaining that were Ali and I grew up was south of Portugal latitude wise.

  15. Christy
    November 29, 2012 @ 1:55 am

    Brrr.. just reading this post is making me cold. I like your idea of hanging out in well lit cafes. I should try that when I get down about the darkness in winter.

    • Andrew
      December 4, 2012 @ 11:12 pm

      Yeah, well lit places help a lot. Avoid the darker ones, I find they just make it worse.

  16. Gillian @OneGiantStep
    November 29, 2012 @ 1:54 am

    I grew up on the 50th parallel in Canada and am currently on the 53rd. It really is dark and cold. I like it in the summer though when it says light until 11 or later. I get quite discombobulated in tropical climes where it is light at 6 and dark at 6 all year round; I find that it is warm and so I am naturally wanting it to be light until late! I think pubs are a perfect solution to the winter darkness! Cheers!

    • Andrew
      December 4, 2012 @ 11:11 pm

      So you are on the same level as Scott in Hamburg. I definitely love the summer light, but the winter does make it harder. The balance is made out of extremes as opposed to a real balance.
      The idea of being weirded out because it is warm and still dark early is an interesting one. We will see once we get going on our travels.

  17. Scott
    November 28, 2012 @ 10:44 pm

    My hometown in Minnesota was on the 45th parallel. Halfway between heaven and hell, so to speak. Now in Germany we are at 53 degrees North, as far north as Hudson’s Bay. By all rights we should have polar bears in our back yard! πŸ™‚

    After having lived in Minnesota and Arizona, neither of which have normal seasons, I’ve come to appreciate having 4 distinct seasons. And like Chauncey Gardiner says in Being There, you can’t have spring and summer without having fall and winter.

    • Andrew
      December 4, 2012 @ 11:10 pm

      I fear the polar bears would be unable to work in the German order and be fined heavily.

      I definitely like Spring and Fall, Summer is ok and Winter can be reduced to the 4 week Christmas Market season for all I care. I remember going to school up in the mountains and having all 4 seasons in the same day.