Vienna -- Months 7-9 (November 2015 - January 2016) ... Winter.

** This post will be more a reflection of my experiences in those months. As I was not consistently taking notes during those months, these blog entries will be tinged with hindsight as I can see better my progress of adjusting looking back much better than I can whilst in those months and experiences.**

WINTER IS COMING! (I write this as someone who has never watched or read the Game of Thrones series, but that reference is so ubiquitous now and it has a dire feeling, doesn't it?)

The months of November through January were a major change for us, as we'd both lived most of our adult lives in California where winters are mild by the standards of most of the world. On top of that, we'd both spent the last half decade in San Diego, where winter just doesn't really seem to exist (though I've heard that this winter they got lots more rain due to it being an El Niño year).

These months were not actually that bad, in my opinion, at least for this first year because it was all so novel to have seasons. I found the chill and briskness of Autumn refreshing and novel, and really enjoyed being able to pull out and wear thicker, wool jackets that I'd always felt silly owning in San Diego. I really think that for the first month or so, I quite enjoyed the change of the seasons.

By early December, things had started to get a lot colder than I was used to (close to or below freezing -5 to +5 C/ 23-41F) and the shorter, darker days got even shorter and even darker. These negative effects of winter, however, were tempered by the fact that December in Vienna is filled with Christmas Cheer and Merriment. All around the city, Christmas lights were strung up above the streets, Christmas trees were dotted all around, and there were Christmas Markets all over the city. I think what made this month bearable was the novelty of living in a city that so openly celebrated Christmas by decking out all of the major parks and historical buildings. I also really enjoyed strolling around the various Christmas markets and seeing what trinkets were on display. We actually had a great time finding little presents for everyone.

Christmas Market at the Rathaus (City Hall) --> This one in particular was PACKED. 

I think December this year was also easier because we had a 16-day Christmas trip planned during which we would visit both East and West Coasts of the United States to touch base with almost all of our family members. This was our first visit home since we moved and we were excited to go home. This meant that we only spent about two weeks in December in Austria and spent the rest in the United States, so the increasingly dark and shorter days weren't so noticeable to us, because there was so much to be done before we left. We arrived back in Austria on New Year's Eve and rang in 2016 in our little apartment in Vienna.

January was where we started to feel the effects of the short, dark days and the cold weather. I think that a lot of people actually feel this way in January, due to the post-Holiday slump. To be honest, I kind of loved the cooler weather, but Chris' poor circulation in his limbs meant that he suffered more. The cold also exacerbated his eczema so that it flared up almost constantly during the winter. The part that I hated about winter was the darkness, I felt like we were in this impenetrable world of gray, with gray skies and gray concrete sidewalks and gray-tinged buildings. Without the green of trees to break up the streets, it felt so flat and dark. I really struggled to get out of bed and get started in the mornings during the first few months of 2016.

People who have lived here for a long time tell us that this winter was a relatively mild one but it dragged on for much longer than usual. I tend to believe them because I think we only got around 5 total days that it snowed and not more than a months worth of days where it was raining. But the darkness really was the worst and it seemed to stretch from mid-November and didn't seem to let up until at least the middle or end of March. I'm hoping that next winter will be easier, either by being more "winter-like" with more snow days or by being or seeming shorter. We'll see if that happens.

The days I loved the most this winter were the days with snow. There's something magical about a city that is blanketed in snow. It would instantly lift my mood because it made it seem like we were in a fairy tale with the snow-covered trees and streets. The lightness of sound on a snowy morning is something that I haven't experienced a lot in my life but I really love it. Its like this dampening of all sounds around where everything seems muffled and muted and peaceful.

Tango was mesmerized. Our little San Diego kitty experiencing weather for the first time. :)

In the end, for our first true winter, I think it went as expected for a couple of Southern Californian beach-dwellers. We definitely had a lot of adjusting to do and that will probably continue for the next few years. I really enjoyed the cooler weather, especially in contrast to the oppressive heat of the summer, but the darkness was terrible. I think next year we might look into some solutions to try and alleviate the low emotions that result from the winter season. I'm hoping for more snow next year and hopefully nicer weather earlier than the end of March, but I think I know what to expect so hopefully it won't seem so bad next year.