Note: CVJM=YMCA

CVJM = Christlicher Verein Junger Menschen = Young People’s Christian Association = YMCA more-or-less, but it's different in Germany!

Sunday, 6 February 2011

Snow, ice and frost (Photos)

What I was never taught to deal with when learning to drive in the UK. Last winter here, this sort of snow thawed and froze again, until people couldn't get into their cars for the layer of ice around them.

At first, when I saw all these railings on the rooves here, I thought the Germans were overcautious about tiles falling off the roof. I know understand this is to stop snow (or, worse, snow thawed and refrozen into ice sheets) falling onto people from 4 storeys high, for example. Ouch. When walking through the city, watch the pavements before you for smashed ice, then look up, and be weary. A few places don't have these railing things.

These have to be knocked down...

This is someone shovelling snow off their shed so that it doesn't cave in...

The biggest icicle(s) I've ever seen. Not much shorter than the shop window below is tall.

Frost now - notice how one side...

...is not as white as the other.


I've never seen anything like it...


A typical East German house (Photos)

I stayed in this building, belonging to a church, with the Youth group of the Baptist church in Frankfurt (Oder), on their Autumn retreat. I was told the design is typical of the DDR era.

Interesting place for a skirting board...






Notice the bell below the stairs, used to call everyone together for mealtimes.