Hiding from the Föhn......

Today was one of those days when you just want to stay curled up inside. Not that it was hideously freezing outside and not that the rain was pouring down....but my gosh, the Wind!


I spoke to my friend Petra this morning about the weather ....''Mein Gott, Petra, dieser Wind ist so stark!'' (or something along those lines)    ''Ja, Ja!'' She said, ''Es is die Föhn! Die Föhn ist nicht gut!''  .....THE FÖHN!!!  Now that sounds scary..... 


Föhn def. 
Dry, warm wind. It is the name of the wind that blows in the European Alps, but is now used as a generic term for any similar wind. It gains its warmth from the air being compressed as it descends down the lee slope of a mountain and historically has been blamed for symptoms such as headaches, depression, psychosis and even suicide among people living in its path .The first clinical review of these effects was published by the Austrian physician, Anton Czermak in the Nineteenth Century.


So now you know why I decided to hide from the Föhn today.  From my point of view it is to be avoided at all costs as it does some seriously ugly stuff to your sinus cavities and can give you a very nasty headache.  So when the wind is blowing in Munich I stay in!  

We are well into Autumn here and that means our apartment is getting very little natural light.  Some days I feel like I am stepping out of a cave into the daylight! Some days I just leave all of the lights on inside to cheer myself up. And some days I like to create a little bit of warm winter ambiance and light my collection of candles. It seems to be the thing to do here as the grey days increase in number and the day light decreases.....a variety of candle displays begin to appear in the shops. Yesterday was a cold and wet day and while I was out I picked up a new set of tea light candle holders and couldn't wait to get home to light them. Just a simple tortoise shell colour glass but put the candles in and an instant feeling of warmth soothes me. 

I also wanted to show off my new hausschuhe or house shoes.....commonly known as slippers.  It is a part of life here to take your shoes off as you come inside.  When you take off your shoes, you’re keeping the dirty outdoors that have crept onto your soles relegated to the front door.  And most practically, you’re keeping your floors cleaner! So hausschuhes are a part of life.  Up until now I have either just gone barefoot, worn socks or in winter I would pull out the uggies. Emma has now taken over wearing my uggies and my feet feel like they are starting to develop heel spurs (ugh!) by going shoe-less on my hard wooden floorboards all day long....so I have relented and bought some proper German felt hausschuhe.  I am in love with them. They are so comfy and so warm. I have included a link to the website if you want to check them out.  And if you decide you like the look of them (and who wouldn't) I can pick you up a pair and bring them home at Christmas.  A nice little pressie for yourself all the way from Munich! 

giesswein haus slippers

So, as the daylight hours are decreasing and the sun does not show itself all that often at the moment, on days like today when the sun hits my lounge room at around 1.30pm for half an hour (the only time the apartment gets any sun), you will find me lying prone anywhere in the room.... across the floor or lounge ...trying to catch a few of the warm rays and top up on that quickly diminishing vitamin D.


Hopefully tomorrow will be a windless day and I will be out enjoying that beautiful Bavarian autumn weather!

Oh, and I just wanted to share my joy....the gorgeous orchid that Matthew bought me for our wedding anniversary last year....I have managed to keep it alive for almost a year now (touch wood)! This is an amazing feat for me as I am not good with indoor plants.  It is blooming even better than last year...isn't it a beauty! 


Tschüss! 
(I know it sounds like you have just sneezed when you say Tschüss, but it's Bavarian for bye!)