I was really looking forward to summer 2014. Having arrived back in Australia the previous August, I had almost just gone through two winters, the Austrian one being a lot colder than anything I’d previously experienced. It started warming up around March, albeit slowly and we made plans for all the holidays and short trips we would take during summer. We live right in the mountains, among the lakes so there is plenty of hiking to be done, lakes to relax around and small, out-of-the-way places to stay.
When it hit mid-May, I was told, time and time again, by different people, that it would just be a few more weeks of unsettled weather and then once summer settled in, we would see bright, sunny days from 25-32C° in abundance. This did not happen.
At this point, being in the mountains, the weather was quite reminiscent of Melbourne summer unsettled weather. You couldn’t tell by looking at the sky what it was going to do. Just because it was cloudy, it didn’t mean it was going to rain, just because it was sunny didn’t mean it wasn’t going to rain. I got used to the 4pm thunderstorm that rolled in just about every day, made a bit of a nuisance and noise (but not always bringing rain) and then would often disappear to finish the day in superb, sunny style.
And though it was not cool, it never got really warm and there were only a few hot days where I thought it necessary to take a swim in the pool or a lake. The people here grumbled the whole way through, wondered when summer would arrive and finally admitted that it must have passed us by this year.
And so here’s to summer 2015. Bring it on!
Still, not having a job meant that I could always enjoy the best of it so I can’t complain much. Though we didn’t get as much hiking and swimming in as we had planned, the cooler weather meant the outdoor pool was never overrun with people and I certainly got my share of drinking in the sun and a light European tan.
an aussie in austria 