I'm a simple emigrant, and I don't have a dacha

In Germany I haven't encountered “dachas” in our sense at all. Not only private ones but also for rent. The usual format of celebrating a birthday somewhere in a country house with a pool is simply impossible; most likely you’ll come across either a house for 1000 euros a day next to a municipal pool, and in that listing they might also say that parties are forbidden (why would anyone want such a house then), or an apartment in a building somewhere very far away, suitable for eight people at most, or simply a plot of land with a gazebo, for example. Of course those who live in resort towns and villages can boast a wider choice, but that’s a completely different story. We’re used to the idea that, even living in a Siberian city, you can enjoy country-house holidays in nearby villages. For wealthy Germans there are houses in Spain or Portugal for this. I’ll admit, the alternative isn’t unpleasant. But it’s hard to fly the whole crowd to another country for a two-day celebration. And for ordinary mortals instead of dachas there are Kleingärten. These are little “islands” within the city, divided into small plots. Usually there are small houses built there, more for storage of things, because living in such gardens is illegal. They cost differently, but around 400 euros a year in rent, of course. Kleingärten are very popular with city residents: everyone wants to go to the dacha in good weather, bask in the sun, so renting such a plot is very difficult. Each such plot is a separate community with its own rules and customs, but practically you’ll almost certainly have to stand in a queue and wait from a couple of months to a couple of years. For amusement: in one community they told us, “Come in January, then we reset the entire queue.” I can already picture the happy faces of the people whose queues were reset. Nevertheless, in January I will definitely come. 😀 And how are things with dachas for you? #useful #Ordnung photo: Hans Blossey/imago