The Getaway Car Postscript

By the way, I think I've figured out the German obsession with backing into parking spaces.

A conversation with German friend Livia brought to my attention the fact that in grocery store parking lots, it's exactly the opposite: cars are NEVER backed in. The reason is that the trunk needs to be accessible for packing up groceries. And I realized, that's the key! Trunk access! Hear me out ...

Germans use the trunks of their vehicles quite liberally. I think I opened the trunk of my car in the U.S. once every three months or so. Groceries, jackets, bags, etc., etc. always just went in the back seat or on the floor somewhere. But Germans actually use their trunks. I'm always a little confused and surprised when I catch a ride with someone and they offer to put my jacket and purse in the trunk before I get in, even for relatively short rides.

Keeping that in mind, one must also remember that German streets are really narrow. If you pull into a parking spot nose-first and pop the trunk and start rummaging around, you're taking up half the street.

And so they BACK IN! So they can put their stuff in the trunk without blocking traffic!

EUREKA!!!



JEM

Fahrrad

Jake got me a bike.

 Her name is ...

But you can call her ...

 She has a rearview mirror and a headlight and a little generator to power the headlight.

 

 And she appears to be pretty authentic DDR.

I think she's great. Thing is, I haven't really ridden a bike in like 10 years, and I can tell you that riding a bike isn't really like "riding a bike". In fact, I'd love to meet the person who came up with that saying and invite them to ride on my handlebars. I can't believe how wobbly and nervous I am when I ride now. Of course, I'm sure that has nothing to do with cargo I'm carrying along with me this time. Jethro always wears his helmet, of course, but knowing his well-being is reliant on my balance and awareness is a little crippling. He also adds a fair amount of weight that makes going up inclines nearly impossible for me. But we're trying. And I keep thinking, if all these 70-plus-year-old Germans I see riding everywhere can work it out, so can I. Right?



JEM

Fieldtrip: Pillnitz

This is Pillnitz.

It's a collection of palaces and grounds located on the east edge of Dresden dating back to the late 1600s, though it's seen its fair share of redecorations, remodels, and reconstructions since then.

Located pretty far from the bustling city center, Pillnitz served as summer residence for Saxony's royalty and also as home to at least two particularly beloved mistresses of Saxony's kings.

 

The Japanese and Chinese influence is unmistakable, but there's still some Baroque in there, in keeping with the royal family's go-to aesthetic.

 It's a quiet place located right on the Elbe River, and can be reached by ferry.

 And it has a hedge maze.

And on a summer weekday morning, you may there find a plentitude of gray-haired leisure-seekers in khaki jackets and sandals with socks, a photo-snapping gang of Japanese tourists, and these two — a woman and her child widowed and orphaned, respectively, by science.

In loving memory of my darling Jake who has been brainwashed by a doctoral thesis and dragged away by a grizzly band of academics. I guess we had a pretty good run.



JEM