Waking up this morning, I noticed sunshine and quickly threw open the curtain: my daily “sky inspection.” Usually, I am quite disappointed to see hazy grey nothingness. Today, I saw blue. This was actually a bit darker blue than the faint light blue that fades into white, the kind where you are not quite sure if you are seeing blue or if your eyes are deceiving you. I didn’t see a cloud in the sky; the low-riding combination of haze/smog was of course still apparent. But it was definitely blue.

About 2:30pm, I was just getting ready to take a walk to our potenially new neighborhood when I noticed the light from outside getting dimmer. All of sudden, black clouds approached and there was a downpour which I have only experienced once before (this past weekend – was also indoors, thank god). Umbrellas, ponchos – it’s all no use. I saw the construction workers from the rooftop next door scrambling for their tools and running to shelter.

Life outdoors comes to a halt. At least that’s what I thought until I noticed the unthwarted Chinese still pedalling away on their bicycles. Until I lived here, I never actually wanted it to rain. In fact, the weather in Austria would often be so uncooperative that you were compelled have to spend a nice sunny day outdoors. Here, I find myself having to stay indoors when the sun shines (met a friend in a museum yesterday, because anything outside was unthinkable). Too hot. And now the humidity makes high temperatures reach unbearable limits. It’s here, the rainy season.

When the water comes, it washes away and dirt, not only in the streets but in the air. It washes away the humid air and replaces it with something much easier to breathe.

So, rains of the infamously suffocating summer months of July and August, you are here and you are welcome, just as long as you let those blue skies through every once in while.