We went as migrants from Germany to Australia in 1959. Eighteen years later we were able to go back to Germany for a visit. Peter had taken his long service leave. This is why we could stay in Germany for about two months, from the middle of March to the middle of May. The year was 1977. Peter looked up now the date for Easter Sunday of that year. It was actually the 10th of April.

Peter and I, we both distinctly remember Good Friday and Easter Sunday of 1977. On Good Friday late in the evening we went outside after we had seen a wonderful opera performance (Aida!). We saw gently, gently a few snowflakes coming down. During the following day the snow disappeared because it was not cold enough for it to remain.

However on Easter Sunday we went with Peter’s family to a restaurant called ‘Die Zwiebelstuben’. The same thing happened. We looked out of the window and saw snowflakes ever so gently coming from above and settling on the ground. It was such a peaceful picture. We just loved it.

People have been telling us recently, this year they still have a lot of snow all over Berlin. They are sick and tired of the cold temperatures. They are longing so very much for spring to arrive. They say in April it should be much warmer already. And they think it’s about time that the snow should disappear. Snow in April? It reminds us a bit of the snow we saw in April of 1977. However the snow in April of 1977 didn’t last for very long. We just noticed it on a couple of nights and soon it was gone again.

These two nights in 1977 when we saw the snowflakes coming down, these two night were an unforgettable experience for us. This sort of calmness you usually would remember in connection with Christmas. But this was not Christmastime; it happened to be Easter of 1977. Really wonderful.