While the rest of you have been getting excited over the occasional snow flurry and some light frosts, I've been out in East Germany in the Harz mountains experiencing the real deal - even down at the foot of the mountains there was a couple of inches of snow cover and temperatures -12C overnight and -6C midday. Picture can be opened in a new tab at full size on a right-click.
I'll concentrate on the Brocken , 1147m asl, as one of the reasons for going there was to see commercially working steam engines, narrow gauge but full size.
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At the starting point in Wernigerode with the engine being hooked on
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and on the way up
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and again, ruling gradient 1 in 30.
Views from the train
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This is the Wurmberg where the Americans had their listening post across the valley from the Brocken where the Soviets had theirs.
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In the forest
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The TV tower on the Brocken
I didn't stay outside long to take photos - with the temp at -14C and a windspeed, I guess, of 20 to 30 mph, the windchill equivalent approaches -30C with frostbite on exposed fingers expected in 30 minutes.
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At least the view was exceptionally clear. The top of the Brocken can expect 28 cloudy days in January
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But you can see how the legends of the witches on the Brocken arose
War does not determine who is right, only who is left - Bertrand Russell
Chichester 12m asl