Winter wonderland in Pittsburgh

After a short winter break here on our blog, we thought it was time to check in. Since early January, we have been living normally in Pittsburgh and going about our daily lives. Julian is working, and I started working part-time in a physiotherapy practice at the beginning of January as well. So, we are both quite busy.

Meanwhile, we get to experience a wonderful winter with icy weather. Temperatures in January dropped to -20°C at night, and during the day, it was sometimes still -12°C. In between, there was also a lot of snowfall. With the cold, even the rivers in Pittsburgh froze over. This happens very rarely here, especially all three rivers freezing at once.

On January 11, we had a half-marathon coming up, which we had naively signed up for thinking 'it won't be that cold.' As the weather would have it, we ran the half-marathon in a fresh -7°C with continuous snowfall. So much for the saying: The weather won't be that bad... Despite the cold and the snow, the run was a unique experience that was also enjoyable while being able to admire the beautiful winter landscape. It is worth mentioning that this was Julian's first half-marathon and my second, and we persevered despite the difficult conditions and moderate preparation.

After such a wonderful snow experience, we went cross-country skiing roughly an hour away from Pittsburgh. This was also a great day, though perhaps not well-timed, as we encountered heavy fresh snow and almost got stuck on the way home. The trails were well-prepared, and after some initial difficulties (since we had not been cross-country skiing for years), our skiing style turned out to be quite decent.

After we've done enough winter sports, we are currently trying to check out various neighborhoods in Pittsburgh whenever the weather permits. So far, we've come across some fantastic houses, lovely cafés, excellent breakfast spots, and shopping opportunities. We will keep this up for the next few weeks because there is still much to see around Pittsburgh.