Christmas in Bitterwasser – at 33°C and glorious sunshine
In Europe Christmas is usually associated with cold temperatures, early sunsets and, in the best case scenario, snow. In Bitterwasser, the world looks very different.
The drought is hard to imagine, as it rained so much in January. Suddenly everything was green. Sinks and pans overflowed. The grass shot up. And that is now the problem, it is now everywhere as hay on the stalk. When there is a thunderstorm, lightning sets it on fire. Driving cars off the beaten track is forbidden. Hot catalysts can easily ignite the dried out stalks.
Areas around Bitterwasser and the neighboring village of Hochanas have also been colored black. Luck for Bitterwasser, the fire around the mast of the directional antenna near Hochanas spared the mast itself. If it had been flared, there would be no telephone and no internet in the lodge.
In Europe Christmas is usually associated with cold temperatures, early sunsets and, in the best case scenario, snow. In Bitterwasser, the world looks very different.
By Luc Stalman, Team Captain representing the Wilfried Grosskinsky Foundation
The second half of our 1000 km training camp has begun, and with the arrival of Felix Herold and Andreas Weitz, a new chapter unfolds.