When I arrived in Amsterdam on May 20th,
2011, I was greeted by sunny skies and temperatures that allowed me to
comfortably wear shorts in the garden area of the bed and breakfast I stayed in
for my first five days in town. Conditions stayed like this for my first ten
days – I don’t think it rained once, and my walks across town (before I’d
purchased a bike) were hot and tiring. And, after those first ten days, it
didn’t stop raining for the rest of the summer, and the temperatures rarely rose
above 70 degrees again.
I exaggerate slightly, but you wouldn’t know it
from talking with my Dutch friends and colleagues last summer. Last year’s small
talk usually drifted toward the lack of sun and warmth, and the high volume of
rain.
This year, temperatures stayed somewhat low (one
day around 50 degrees) up until the middle of May. Then, as if on a clock
tethered to my schedule last year, they shot up almost exactly at the one year
anniversary of my move. It was pleasant and warm for my bike ride to Utrecht
last weekend. And the temperatures kept rising through the week, with few clouds
and no rain to get in the way, all the way up to 80 degrees.
After months of short days and long nights, gray
skies, and low temperatures, Amsterdamers flocked to bars and cafes with
outdoor seating. They swam in the Amstel River, took to their road bikes for
rides in the country, jogged around town, lounged in the parks with wine, beer,
and miniature grills, and waited in lines to get ice cream. It’s as if everyone
knows what I did not when I arrived last year: that this may be the start of a
glorious summer. Or it may be a brief period of beautiful weather before a
summer of gray skies, rain, and temperatures that aren’t quite warm enough for
“summer,” but are warm enough to feel sticky.
Regardless, ubiquitous smiles suggested that sun
and warmth may be better at altering mood than the recreational drugs Amsterdam
is better known for.
No comments:
Post a Comment