Last Friday it snowed relentlessly the entire day and left a blanket across Frankfurt and Darmstadt that was up to 30cm thick in places. The transport network basically failed as buses found their normal routes iced over, transport trucks jack knifed on the autobahns and regular vehicles put their own spin on things, adding to the crash statistics. On Friday alone there were over 250 vehicle accidents in the Hessen area and in Germany 10 fatalities, the highest in Europe.
With cars reduced to crawl speed, commuters shuffling along the iced over pavements and the train service becoming more delayed by the hour, it was a total nightmare getting home. My regular 1 hour and 45 minutes commuting time required almost double that, which I managed to see through with a variety of train station bars and local pubs sheltering me against the storm until the next transport service was available. The temperatures required for snow to fall are not so low but the wind factor can make it feel like entering into a cryogenic chamber. It is utterly freezing..brrrrr!
It brings to mind and old addage, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey". This saying comes about from the days of the sailing ships when cannon balls were racked in pyramid form beside the cannons. The lower tier of balls rested on a brass plate covered in indentations to hold the lower level in place which was known as, "the monkey" . In really cold weather the brass metal plate would shrink and the cannon balls would roll off all over the decking undoubtably causing mayhem. Hence the saying.
We have had some reprieve over the last 3 days with only minor falls here in Hessen where as Bayern and the Black Forest areas were hit yet again on Sunday causing further chaos. Bayern has been busy digging itself out of over 3 metres of snow in the last few weeks, only to have it all come back again in 24 hours. They have had mountain avalanches and the roofs of public buildings collapsing under the weight. One ice rink hall roof collapsed killing several people inside. Monday saw schools and train services completely cancelled in the south and south west.
Given how much I detest having to go out in the early mornings to clear the footpath of snow, a legal requirement here in Germany, we have had it pretty good here in the mid-West of the country.
Today it has been snowing lightly for the last 5 hours and I truly hope that it will clear before much longer. Weather experts (ha ha ha) say it could continue till the end of April. Welcome to the ice age! My greatest hope lies (optimum word) in the knowledge that, “ Little boys who tell lies, grow up to become weather forecasters!”. In the meantime I will maintain the lease payments on my husky dog team and sled.
Mush! Mush!
