From a wave of warm weather to some tips for an August holiday and the unexpected end of arms deliveries to Israel, here’s what we’ve been talking about at The Local this week.
Inside Germany is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in Germany that you might’ve missed. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
Is it summer yet?
Beside one, admittedly intense, heatwave at the beginning of July, summer in Germany this year has been…not very summery so far.
People who have spent more than a couple summers in the country will be aware that a few weeks of cold weather and rain, even in the middle of July or August, are not uncommon. But the more-than-month-long stream of grey weather days, punctuated by chilly evenings and thunderstorms have really gotten to some people.
‘We’ve been robbed’, wrote Local writer Tom Pugh this week, lamenting the loss of summer sunshine that meteorologists had practically promised us a few months back, at the end of a particularly warm and dry spring. He was joined by the likes of Jordan Prince, whose often humorous videos about life in Germany have gained him a significant online following.
Fortunately for them, and everyone else who prefers their summer with a bit a sunshine, the next wave of warm weather has begun.
On Saturday, the German weather service (DWD) has forecast high temperatures in the lower 30s in much of southern Germany, as well as Dresden and Berlin. And the warm weather is expected to stick around for a few days.
High temperatures are expected to hover around 30C in southern Germany, and in central parts of the country they are expected to rise up to around 34C by Tuesday. In northern, coastal regions temperatures will remain cooler with high temperatures ranging between 22C and 28C through the top of the week.
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Tips for your holidays
Someone who just recently moved to Germany told me that his whole street (in a very central Berlin neighbourhood) seems to have suddenly emptied out. He was wondering what strange event he missed that could have caused the quiet exodus. I told him, it’s probably just August – the month when it seems like the whole country packs up and goes on vacation.
For the uninitiated, this guide to vacationing like a German can help you really soak in the entire Urlaub experience.
A woman floats on Lake Garda, a lake in northern Italy that is a popular destination for German tourists in the summer. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Daniel Reinhardt
And if you plan on flying home with a bag full of souvenirs, you can check this list to find out exactly how many bottles of Spanish wine, or Italian handbags, you can bring back duty-free.
Whatever you do, be advised not to try and pull your kids out of school early to extend your vacation period or beat the crowds.
Media reports on Friday highlighted how local authorities can issue fines against families that do so. Reportedly, 303 fines for the “unauthorized extension of holidays” were issued in Hamburg this year – a new record number of violations for the northern city-state.
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No more German weapons for use in Gaza
Germany is stopping the export of weapons to Israel for use in the Gaza Strip, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Friday. The Chancellor’s announcement came shortly after Israel said it would “take control” of Gaza City, a plan which sparked immediate criticism from governments around the world.
The arms export freeze marks a dramatic change of course for the German government, which has long been one of Israel’s staunchest international allies as it has sought to atone for the Holocaust.
Recent days and weeks have seen leaders, both political and cultural within Germany, show signs that they are increasingly willing to speak out against the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Germany’s Foreign Minister began with somewhat cryptic comments, such as saying that Israel was “increasingly in the minority” on the issue of Palestinian statehood, after allies like France suggested they were ready to do so.
Since last week, a growing list of German celebrities – including pop-star Nina Chuba and Israeli Golden Globe winner Ari Folman – signed an open letter to Chancellor Merz urging him to to stop arms deliveries.
Germany is known to be the second biggest supplier of weapons to Israel, behind the US. Deliveries from Germany have included firearms, ammunition, weapons parts and special armoured vehicles, among other equipment, the government said in June in response to a parliamentary request.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
