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On my first visit to Europe it hardly even registered but the more I visited the more I noticed the laundry. In Europe it’s still very common to dry laundry in the open air; on rooftops, from balconies or just from open windows, across narrow streets or along the façade of a building, cheerful strings of clothing offer a decorative touch to many a dreary Monday. Because despite vast differences in culture throughout Europe, from Germany to Portugal, from Greece to Poland, Monday is laundry day.

Even the girlfriend doesn’t own a dryer. Not for lack of space or money but by choice. I asked her once; a mistake I won’t make again anytime soon. Despite the sensible arguments it was a long lecture. Try never to catch a Dutch person on their high horse unless you have plenty of time.

So why do so many Europeans prefer to hang their laundry out a window rather than toss it in a dryer? I guess that in many cities is lack of space is a reason. If your million dollar Paris apartment is to small to have both, you probably prefer having a shower over having a dryer. In more rural Mediterranean areas a lack of reliable electricity could play a role. But at the end of the day the main reason seems to be that the people of Europe really want to dry their clothes the slow way: outside. According to the girlfriend her clothes and towels last a lot longer without being tumble dried. Freshly washed sheets also offer lovely shade on the balcony; cooler than dry cloth and with that wonderful clean smell.

Surprisingly, weather conditions do not deter the people of Europe from doing laundry. No matter how sunny the forecast is for the days later in the week, the lines get filled on Mondays, even if it’s a rainy Monday, or a snowy one, or even a freezing one, for that matter.

Walking through Barcelona on a drizzly afternoon once I looked up to see alleys full of laundry covered on the top with plastic sheets to keep them from getting even wetter. “Why not just wait a day?”, I wondered out loud. “Tradition”, the girlfriend shrugged with the tone of somebody who’s been hanging clothes in the rain all her life.

Practical or not, I’ve grown fond of the colorful fabric that makes inner cities all over Europe smell like they just stepped out of the shower. Mondays are my favorite days in Europe. How could they not be?

Comments, questions or suggestions are more than welcome. You can contact Mickey Welsh at mewelsh@gannett.com. You can follow "Wish I Was There" on Facebook for a daily dose of Europe at https://www.facebook.com/travelmickey1.

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