Spring is a glorious time in Austria – after enduring a long, cold, dark winter, the change is slow at first and then seems to happen all at once – birds tweet happily in the trees, buds burst open, everything turns green, the sun shines and the gloom disappears.
Living in a country that has four definite seasons and residing in a small apartment invariably means there isn’t enough space to store all your clothes and shoes. That’s why having a cellar here is such an advantage – you can put away all your bulky winter stuff when you don’t need it.
Our apartment comes with a corresponding small cellar room in the basement. It’s like having an indoor shed. So last year we purchased an easy to assemble clothes storer to keep everything protected over the winter.
Retrieving heavy jackets at the start of winter is no fun, but doing it the other way round – putting away the heavy jackets – awesome! I usually have to do this in two phases. The first is sometime in April and sees me putting away the heaviest jackets and shoes, the ones that really are for snow and ice conditions. However in April there are always a few cold mornings where you might need to throw on a jacket, scarf or gloves. Therefore the second phase, in May, is the better one, when all the winter stuff is really gone, and up come the sandals, flip flops and cute summer dresses.
In fact, half the time I’ve forgotten exactly what was down there in the first place, so it’s kind of like going shopping… in your own wardrobe. “Oh wow, look at these cute shoes, I totally forgot I had those. Bonus!”
And with the sun streaming through the windows and and half the bulk removed from my wardrobe, I feel my spirits lift in anticipation – bring on summer!
an aussie in austria 