Last week, strolling through the parks with sunshine and 20°, we thought winter is pretty much over. So we were kind of surprised when we were told yesterday that there is some snow coming up. An really – when we looked out of the window this morning, the whole city had dressed in white, with about 10cm of snow.

Having arrived in Bishkek only last week, this is my first winter day in the city. And to me, the city and all life in it have changed completely overnight. Sidewalks are not exactly a pleasure in summer, but with ice and snow they turn into a real adventure. Small ponds (!) and slippery paving stones motivate pedestriants to produce quasi-olympic achievmements concerning long jump and hurdles.  Women wearing high-heels teeter through ankle-high mud. Bored taxi drivers, who usually sit on the curb stones playing cards, approach top form during fierce snowball fights. Dozens of gardeners walk through the parks, beating the snow off the trees using large spades and axes.

Here are some Bishkek impressions from this morning:

By the way, the weather forecast predicts cosy 24° for next week :-)