This week was incredibly rainy! It rained almost every day, which is very common for German fall. It does not get as cold here as home in Western New York, so during the winter it is very common to have rainy days rather than snowy days. I had to be very careful because there are many leaves on the ground that are very slippery when wet. The nights have been cooler but have yet to go below the freezing point, -32° F (which is zero degrees in the system used in Germany, called Celcius!).
There are many animals around that are similar to what you might see in the U.S., like squirrels, swans, and mallard ducks. One of my favorite animals that I see are called common moorhens, which the Germans have translated as "sea chickens"! In my opinion, they look like a cross between a duck and a chicken. They love to float in the water searching for bugs and creatures for lunch. I enjoy watching them in the pond in the old botanical garden in the city.
