just john

I didn't post it, but one of the historic points in the Mercedes Museum was the first Tour de France, complete with a picture of the starting field. In the U.S., you can always pick out the cyclists when people are in shorts because of the unique quadriceps muscle development. Over here, so many people use bikes for practical and recreational purposes that it's hard to tell who rides for exercise. I guess that's another way of saying more people have better looking legs.

 

I haven't really found and $78, Wally World-style bikes here yet either. They seem to start in the range of what I’ve always considered real bikes rather than toys. Basically, equipment meant to be used rather than garage fodder.

I’m still getting used to some things about this culture. Germans are not taught, raised, instructed, or otherwise briefed on how to stand in line. For so rigorous and organized a people, getting service seems to be an act where everyone reverts to survival of the fittest. It happens at stops lights, any counter line, with clerks, parking spaces, etc. I’ve had to learn a level of assertiveness that would get me in fights in America. Sometimes all I need is a hard stare while other times I actually have to step in front of and physically block people from moving past me. Very odd to my upbringing. I’m sure it’s compounded by the simple cultural difference but it seems that Germans have no patience and infinite patience at the same time. 3 point-some-odd seconds will get a horn blown behind you at a Munich stop light but once a person actually finishes waiting in their non-line and gets to a service, they seem to almost revel in taking up as much time as possible, covering and re-covering minute details completely oblivious to their surroundings. My favorite was waiting for a TV salesman at Media Markt. I swear I could have summed up the entire 10 minute conversation with, “Dude, you cannot afford the TV you want.” I still don’t think he’s convinced.

Still warm here, ha ha.