Spring How It Is Now

I’ve thought long and hard about the differences between spring here and back in Switzerland. If I would compare it with how it was where I grew up it would obviously be very different as I’ve already mentioned in my previous post. But would it be if I’d compare it to where I lived before we moved? I’m actually not that sure.

What makes the biggest difference… I guess it might be the lead up to spring. How it slowly develops and simply gets greener. Back in Switzerland there is usually snow everywhere during winter and it has to go first before everything can grow and develop. And that means a muddy phase that builds the fine line between winter and real spring. For sure it’s the opportunity to experience spring so close to the ocean, going to the beach for walks and realizing how much nicer it gets day by day. And then suddenly seeing people lying in the sand, ready to tan. Well, I have to admit, some crazy hard ones do it all year round, while I just look at them pull my beanie down, my gloves up and look forward to go back inside… Suddenly though there are more people coming to the beach and taking their clothes off. Yep, spring is coming.

We don’t have that mentioned muddy bit in between winter and spring. It just slowly gets warmer or suddenly hot one day before going back to colder temperatures. Down where we live it’s a bit tricky, you know. You can go from 12C to 27C in only 24 hours and then right back down to 13C. Thinking about it really hard I don’t think that would be any different in Switzerland, maybe the temperatures would be still much lower but they can vary just as much during spring as they can here.

What I find is the biggest difference is the sudden strength of the sun. While you can easily be in the sun in spring in Switzerland without worrying about getting burned, it’s a completely different story down here.

We had a couple of really nice and warm days last week and so you tend to move outside and sit in the sun. It’s what you do when the days finally get warmer. Living in Australia now for almost a decade you should think that I know by now. That I know you can get burned already in early spring. Obviously I don’t as I actually ended up with a sunburn on my neck on Sunday. Crazy, right? It’s something that would simply not happen in Switzerland that early in spring.

The sun is really strong down here and that’s why I will head out and buy sunscreen now as it will only get worse. Spring has definitely arrived with that strength of the sun, although the temperature went down again. It doesn’t matter. The birds are singing, the trees blooming and I’m so ready for days on the beach and in the water.