October was an unusual month for most of Germany. Records were set for the number of sunshine hours in some places, and with temperatures in the 60s and 70s for most of the month you almost had to wonder where you were!

In the nearly 22 years that I have lived here we never had a fall like this one. Four weeks of Indian summer, topped by a record temperature of 77 F the last week of October. Our visit to the southern Black Forest in mid-October was a delight, a stark contrast to a visit in the same region at the same time of year nearly 20 years ago when we had two days of gale force winds and plenty of rain. Monica and her dad went for a walk along the Rhine river on the last day of October, and the temperature in the late morning hours was already around 60 F. Monica is wearing her special "Volkseigener Betrieb" hat ["People’s own company"] that she purchased on a trip to the former East Germany in the mid 1970s. The original "VEB" sticker is still in the hat!

However, November 1st brought more typical weather for this time of year: rain and clouds. The farmers rejoiced, and the Rhine Riviera is over for a good while – it may be years before we have another October like this one!