Rain wahh!!!

The rule of thumb this week is: North of the alps: Rain, rain and rain. South of the alps: Draught and excessive heat. Maybe you should hop back and forth, two days north, two days south... ;-)

I'm a big tennis fan and Wimbledon (held in London) has been absolutely massacred. The forecast is supposed to clear up a bit in the next few days though so hopefully you will turn out ok. have fun :) London is still awesome even in the rain!

To be fair its not raining ALL the time ,it just feels like it. 13" so far in June /July, here in northern england.Summer can't be far away...

Richard, in Frankfurt today it only rained once. It started before I got up and hasn't stopped yet ;-)

Richard and Andreas....to quote American comedian Bill Cosby....."How long can you tread water?"

I worry a lot about the weather too.
As Californians, we just don't know how to cope with rain or humidity outside of winter. Packing a raincoat displaces several clothing items. And what do you do about shoes? It looks and feels awkward to wear winter shoes with summer clothing, unless you are hiking in the country or wearing jeans.
We will soon be going to Belgium and Amsterdam, which will be mostly cities. But my luggage will be half-filled with things I'd feel uncomfortable wearing together. I'm truly puzzled about how to pack light when rain is a possibility.

Hi Nancy - These are words from my wife - it's really easy to cope with the rain. Wait until you have arrived in Europe and then buy a simple, brightly coloured, lightweight rain top ( Kagoul ) they cost about USD10.00 or less. They are a one piece rain cover that comes with a built in hood. They are so light they can be rolled up and placed in a small sandwich box. When you leave Europe either throw it away or give it to the needy. As for shoes, pack an old pair of tennis shoes ( trainers ) the soles are waterproof and they can easily be dried out. An old pair of jeans are all you need for the rain. All of these can be dried out by hanging them from the showerhead over the bath in your hotel room. The only other alternative is to do what Madonna does now she lives here: buy a really expensive waxed cotten country coat, put on a tweed country cap, wear six inch heel boots and designer label jeans - she looks a klutz.

i just came back from germany, and it rained most of the time. i bought one of those fold up into a pouch rain jackets and a cheap umbrella in a german department store. for shoes, i wore my crocs flip flops as they are indestructible.

the main drawback is that the outdoor cafes are not available, but we managed to have fun anyway. and walking in the rain has a certain charm.

Nancy, perhaps you want to consider the LL Bean Casco Bay Windbreaker? It's $30, folds up very small, has a hood that rolls up, is very lightweight but durable, and comes in many nice colors.