White winter in Bad Wurzach

December, January and February have already gone by, and I am ready to receive spring with open arms. This winter has been the coldest I have ever experienced so far, and that supposed quite a struggle for me. That said, I also got the opportunity to live in a stunning winter wonderland.

• My fight against cold weather

When I decided to come to Germany, I was definitely not thinking about the weather. I could also not imagine that winter could be so cold here. In my catalan hometown the temperatures can be pretty low; and I was also living in London for a year, where it’s not particularly warm. I was expecting something similar here. But as you may already know, it wasn’t like that at all.

Temperatures would not rise above 0 degrees for a week or more, having maximum temperatures of even -5 on some days. I could not believe it. I realised that my body doesn’t deal well with the cold. It didn’t matter which and how many gloves, socks or shoes I used. As soon as I spent half an hour outside in that cold weather, my hands and feet stopped getting blood stream. It became even worse when I arrived back home, because when the blood came back to my extremities I could feel a horrible pain. At least twice a week, that whole process was so painful that I felt I could easily cry. That was certainly uncomfortable, as I needed urgently to go somewhere warm after a couple of hours in most of my outdoor trips.

Luckily, the rest of my body was okay most of the time. I have to say, though, that I have been using thermals on a daily basis. Sometimes -or rather, often- I’ve worn even three layers of them at the same time; and there’s no way I’m not wearing two layers of trousers every day!

• When cold and fun meet

Maybe cold can be annoying, but it also brings really impressive sights and fun activities! It was a really charming feeling to go out of the house almost every morning and step on fresh snow that had fallen during the night. Fields, trees, houses and streets covered with snow have always a magical touch that fascinates me.

     1. Amazing white landscapes: Neuschwanstein Castle, Rhine Falls and more.

This winter, a friend of mine and I have been up for many trips to castles, ruins and waterfalls. Of course, we have always been careful concerning the Corona situation, wearing mask and keeping social distancing. On the other hand, all the Corona restrictions (also the freezing cold weather) made these trips particularly special. Most of the places which are usually packed with tourists were almost empty. It was quite pleasing roaming around without being sorrounded by too many people!

One of these places was Neuschwanstein Castle - yes, the famous “Disney Castle”. We didn’t see more than 20 tourists there, when under normal circumstances it would be so crowded that people wouldn’t even be able to walk at their own pace. It’s also true that we didn’t get to see the interior of the castle. It was closed, as you may imagine. But being able to walk around without the stress of having so many people around us was by far better. That day was really cold and the floor was covered in a dick layer of frozen snow, so we had to walk carefully. The view of the castle was so stunning with all the snow covering it and the sorrounding mountains! I really felt I was in a dream. We visited other small castles and ruins nearby, like Sigmaringen castle, Schloss Waldburg, Burgruine Ratzenried, Hohes Schloss in Füssen or Ruine Sulzberg. Always with snow enhancing the landscape.

Some rainy days came to melt the snow, and we took advantage of that visiting some waterfalls! They were then overflowed by water, and that made them really spectacular! The most breathtaking one was the Rhine Falls. It is huge, and the water falls down with an impressive power, creating a big white explosion at the bottom. We visited other waterfalls too, such as Geratser Wasserfall and Lechfall.

     2. Let’s have snow fun! Sledding and playing in the snow.

Snow can be so much fun! It’s like bringing you back to childhood. When I’m sorrounded by snow and friends, I do a switch in my head: it doesn’t matter if I get wet, dirty or cold. Let’s just enjoy it and feel the joy of playing!

I built many snowmen; I did snow fights; I slid down some hills, with and without sled; I tried to build an igloo -although building a roof was more difficult than I expected-; and I was even buried in the snow, just as if it was sand on the beach! As you can imagine, I could not feel my hands or feet anymore after these fun times; but it was definitely worth it!

     3. With or without snow, always hike!

After some snowy days, preferably when the sun shined, it was a great time to go out for a walk or a hike and enjoy stepping on a thick layer of snow! I really like hiking, and it has been an interesting experience doing it in that white landscape! I felt somehow like a finder, as most of the time no one had stepped on the snow before me. And it is so satisfying, the feeling of compressing the snow as I stand on it! Some of the hiking trips I did were, for example, to the Schwarzer Grat and somewhere around Markdorf. But I also went for some walks just around Bad Wurzach or Weingarten.

One of the highlights of this winter was the holiday week that I spent in Constance with two friends who live there. Apart from cooking together, watching some films at home and playing boardgames, we hiked most of the time! We crossed the border to Switzerland a few times and did a hike near Säntis and also around Rigi Hochflue. There was so much snow that we couldn’t guess where the actual floor was! We also walked around Constance and from there till a viewing platform on the Constance Lake in Altnau.

     4. Ice bathing in frozen lakes.

You might think: “What on earth?! You just told us how much you struggle with the cold, and now you’re telling us that you go in the water when the lake has even a layer of ice?!” Ehem, yes, that’s right. I went “swimming” in a cold lake for the first time last November, and after that I’ve done it several times during December, January and February.

From January onwards, the lakes were frozen. I had never seen something like that before! They had a layer of ice on top where someone could carefully even walk. On a hike, we even saw a frozen river, in which a stream of water was flowing under an ice layer! Back to the ice bathing topic, in the Freibad we usually go to we are not alone, many people go swimming regularly in winter! For that reason, there is always a small area where the ice layer is broken and we can get in. We can’t go further without crashing against the ice, but for me, at least, it’s enough, as I just want to dip myself into the water and run outside the water after the shock feeling.

Although it can sound quite scary, if you let your mind go blank and just let yourself into the water, you will realise that it’s not as hard as it seems! And after the first dip, maybe you feel like going in the water again for more! The feeling after ice bathing cannot be explained; you feel so refreshed, strong and free!

There was also a really warm and sunny week in February. We took advantage of it and spent a day somewhere close to Friedrichhafen (Manzeller Hölzle). After enjoying the sun whilst sunbathing, relaxing and playing volley, we ended the day with a dip in the lake! That was my first time bathing in the Constance Lake!

• White Christmas in Germany

As Christmas was approaching, I faced a dilemma: should I go to Spain or stay in Germany? Going to Spain wasn’t going to be easy. I had to go through a corona-test within two days before the flight and show the results once I’m there. And once I go back to Germany, I should be in quarantine for around 5 days and either do another test to be able to end it or remain 5 or more days at home. And after all, after going through this ordeal, I would not be able to celebrate Christmas properly with my family, as obviously Covid regulations take place also in Spain.

But what am I going to do if I stay in Germany? At the end, the German government decided to close the schools one week earlier. That meant that we had 3 holiday weeks at the school! And within these weeks there were some important dates which are usually spent in family, the 24th and 25th of December. With whom was I going to spend those days, in a time in which there are so many restrictions about how many people is allowed to gather together?

After buying my plane ticket to Spain, I was still pondering about cancelling it. But before I made up my mind, the airline cancelled the flight. It was clear, I was going to stay in Germany for Christmas. Luckily, I have a very good friend here who invited me to stay as long as I wanted at his place, and to celebrate the Christmas days with his family. I felt really welcomed and embraced, and definitely not alone, as I had initially expected. I spent 2 weeks with him and the last one my two other friends in Constance. In that way, I got explore around the area when it was fully covered with snow during wintertime. I ended up having an amazing time!

Lebendiger Adventskalender und Weihnachtsdekoration überall

Every year, in Bad Wurzach, several families gather together to perform a "Living Advent Calendar”. This year, it took place at the square in front of the church. The story is divided into four parts, which are performed in diferent days throughout December by a different family every time. I went as part of the audience on the first day; but I got to act on the second part of the story! One of the families who participate in that event were lacking a person to cover one of the characters. I was recommended by one of the teachers at my school, so we got in contact and I was given one of the roles. Unfortunately, the two last parts of the story couldn’t be performed because of stricter Corona regulations. At least I got to see and participate in some of it!

The text was quite funny! It was about a king who really wanted to hear the real Christmas story; but for his servants it wasn’t easy to come up with it! Meanwhile, the cook is shouting around, giving some orders to get all she needs to prepare the Christmas meal. Without knowing it, she is giving small and indirect hints which will help recover the real Christmas story. Can you guess which character was I? The cook! I didn’t need to say much, just shouting a couple of times that I really needed some sheep cheese to prepare a pie. Anyway, I feel that my unintended hints were quite essential! It was a fun and filling experience, and challenging too, as I am not a native German speaker.

Christmas was beautiful in Bad Wurzach as well as in other villages and towns in the area. There were many illuminated Christmas trees; they hanged some flags with candles on them on every Sunday of Advent; and, although there were not so many Christmas markets due to Corona, I was able to stroll around a small one in Biberach.

• German schools are closed

Corona is still playing its tricks. The number of corona cases kept growing and the measures had to be stricter: less people was allowed to gather together, there was a curfew from 8pm until next morning, and all shops were closed, except for supermarkets and grocery stores.

Regarding the school system, in December, schools were due to close a few days earlier than they would normally do. Not only that, but after Christmas holidays they didn’t get to open their doors again.

It took some time until the school readjusted to the new situation and we, the volunteers, received our new tasks in this extraordinary circumstances. At the moment, though, I have enough work to do.

1. There is a “care service” in the school library for those children who can’t stay at home. I am responsible for it, which means opening the library every morning and support these kids with whatever they need, which is mostly helping them with their homework. At the moment there are only two children coming daily to this “care service”, so I can be their “private tutor” whenever they need it to do their school tasks.
2. The other task I am responsible for is teaching Spanish, one of the after-school activities that the school offers. Of course, I am doing everything online. Not so many students are taking these lessons, and for that reason I am able to do individual videoconferences. That allows me to make them participate more and to teach them in a more personalised way.
3. Distance learning can be a bit challenging for some children, who claim to have issues with internet, their computers, the programs they need to use… For that reason, the school made an email to which the pupils can report their problems. That’s another of my tasks, answering to some of these emails.

How long is the situation going to be like that? At the moment, in Baden-Württemberg they already opened kindergartens, primary schools, and those courses who are now preparing for “Abitur”, and this week the classes 5 and 6 are reopening again! My tasks then are very likely to change again soon. I guess we can hope for a not so far away opening of all the classes.

That was my winter here in Germany! I’m excited now to see how nature turns colourful again, as the weather warms up.