Pretty much the extent of it.

Um no.  That’s not me.  I was a little perkier than that this morning at about 9:30.   That was when I realised the pecans I bought were the kind you snack on.  “Salted and roasted”  or something like that.  It’s not really a “language” thing.  It’s more of a “put your damned glasses on so you can see what you’re getting” thing.   So I had to make another short trip over to the Merkur in the Westbahnhof.  (West train station)

I knew I could get them there,  since I had found them there in the past.  It’s often a little tricky to find certain little things I find.  Some shops as simply too small to carry all the quirky little things,  and it can be a minor challenge to keep track of what is available where.

There’s the usual flock of tourists coming or going,  and it almost never fails that I end up giving someone directions if they’ve just come from the station.  It can be confusing if you just emerge out onto the street with no real sense of where the heck you might be.  This morning it was a young couple with backpacks,  looking at a map,  speaking English. 

English is quite often the common language of the confused I find.  Anyway,  the young gentleman (whose first language was not English,  but I didn’t ask)  fetched his “Ipad”  or whatever it was called, and brought up the directions,  and come to find out they had walked right by the store where they were supposed to make a turn, but they had gone the wrong way.  I’m not sure why any directions would include a store as a landmark,  but I know I’m not up on all the latest technology.   Plus,  I like to have a pretty good idea of the direction I need to go right after I come out of the station.  But maybe that’s just me.

Hey,  when I first set foot in Paris,  I had no map,  and there was certainly not the technology that’s available today.  I relied on finding my way by dead reckoning.  It wasn’t until after a day or so that I picked up a little fold up map of Paris,  that I still have to this day.   Paris hasn’t changed much in 34 years.

So I didn’t think about it at the time,  but afterwards it occurred to me that,   you can have all the fancy gizmos you want,  but if the directions are confusing or misleading,  you’re still screwed.   Human intervention is usually a requirement.  They were looking for a youth hostel that I hadn't heard of (‘cause youth hostels are such a big part of my world)  on a street that didn’t sound all that familiar either.  Come to find out it was over on the other side of the Gürtel.  I don’t usually wander off that far. 

So that was my big excitement for the morning.  Big whoop. 

There was a brief plan afoot to get out of here somehow,  with the idea that maybe there’s some material down at Komolka with Travelling Companion’s name on it.  A person who has sewing as a hobby can never have too much fabric.  I mean, as a woodworker,  I’d have gobs of wood hanging around too, if it didn’t take up so darned much room.  I’m just saying  I ‘get it’.

She tends to drive up Mariahilferstraße when she comes home from work,  and as the traffic is usually stop and go,  it would seem that there is always a moment or two to peer over at the entrance,  where it just so happens that all the new fabrics are on display.  Clever bastards.

That’s how we ended up with those Swarovski light fixture by the way,  but that’s another story.  Too much looking around.  At that particular time it so happened that I was at the wheel,  so don’t immediately think there was some gawking and driving going on.  I was watching the road,  don’t worry.   Need better window blinds.  Or something.  Or maybe the city needs to take away that particular traffic light?   That would work.  No stopping equals no window shopping.  

The thing is though,  it’s another hot day,  and the stores aren’t necessarily air conditioned.   Eeep!  

I’m not going to even say how much neither of us don’t want to do that.   The grocery stores are air conditioned thankfully,  but even then,  I get those chores out of the way in the earlier hours.

We’ll just stay here where it’s nice and comfy.  Thanks.

 

I think that’ll be the extent of my ramblings.

 

Try to stay cool,  wherever you may be.  Enjoy your weekend.

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

 

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