I’m British, I live up to my stereotype daily. I talk about the weather a lot. And whilst I’m not complaining about the present heatwave, I’d be lying if I said some rain right now would not be absolutely lovely.

Why does no-one warn you that the summer in Germany can get so hot?

Freibad or outdoor swimming
I’m hardy, and if you let me, I’ll swim outside in pretty much any weather. Unfortunately in Germany one has to wait for the 1st May for outside pools to be officially opened. Outdoor pools here are a definite step up from the cement heavy Lidos that I’m used to in the UK.

The Freibad is set up not just for swimming but for spending the day there, it is common to have large grassy areas for picnics, lazing around and generally enjoying the summer. Busy times at the Freibad get really busy, if you want to do some serious swimming or hate crowds go early and leave early. Check out this review of some local Freibäder

More local to me is this wonderful place and this is their promotional video

Eis (ice cream)
Not just for the kiddies, ice cream is more than just an after dinner treat here, it is dinner! Ice cream sundaes are works of art and definitely not all for kids (beware lots have cream liqueurs added).Spaghetti eis is not something I’d heard of before arriving in Germany. If you didn’t already know, the fanciest ice cream based dessert in the UK is the Knickerbocker Glory, every childhood should involve one of those monsters, but it’s no spaghetti Eis. Anyway the Spaghetti is just the start of it, pizza Eis, calzone Eis, lasagne Eis, I’ve seen ’em all and tasted a good few too.

City beaches
Some city beaches even have water, Nürnberg I’m looking at you, you beautiful city! Others are located next to rivers (or the sea, Flensburg) and some just appear in the centre of town, like this one in Erlangen. It’s almost like being at the seaside, almost.

The Forest 
Enjoy some natural shade and still be able to enjoy the outdoors when it’s sticky and humid outside. You don’t have to go too far out of the city to find shade and relief.  

Cool foods
Prepared without the use of a cooker, still light nourishing and cooling from the inside out. Cold veggies straight from the fridge and frozen berries and bananas in smoothies are really refreshing on a hot day and minimal effort!

Garden Balcony paradise
If you don’t have a garden, like me, don’t despair. You can pick up pretty much any kind of inflatable pool cheaply to suit your space or lack of (see my balcony last year below). Pro tip – even the smallest of spaces has room for a baby pool, cold feet can be enough to get you through sometimes.

DIY
Do you have a freezer, a sock and a packet of rice? In your hands you hold a powerful cooling device, honest! Fill the sock with rice and whack it in the freezer for an hour or so. Then apply it to any part of your body that needs cooling, it is particularly lovely around your neck. And you can reuse it over and over again. Though you might not want to eat the rice once you’re done.

BBQ
No cooker heating up your house and you still get a hot meal. I’m obsessed with roasted carrots and these prawn kebabs with satay sauce Mmmmm  

Stay hydrated people! And cooling thoughts to everyone else out there living in the sweatbox that is mainland Europe.