I’ve been living and working in Germany since 1989 and there is one trend that cannot be denied – summer ends the first week of August. Maybe not by the calendar, but by the thermometer. While it can be hot in June and July and even April sometimes (while May is nearly always very mild) by the first week of August it’s all over and done with. There are days when the temp is well above 90 and then a big storm comes along and just like that, with thunder and lightning and heavy rains and the next hour when the storm passes, summer is over. We put away the rotating fans in our apartment on August 8th and I don’t expect to need them again until next July. Want to escape the Dog Days of Summer in America next year? Plan a trip to Germany for August.