According to Saints Matthew and Luke, when Christ was commanded by Satan to turn stones into bread to show his divine powers, he declined, saying that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. Well, that's as maybe, but having just spent a week in the Moselle valley, it's obvious that neither Saint ever met a German as they would have been told firmly that, important though bread is, it's meat, sausage, cake and cream that really matter. Life is tough for a would-be vegetarian in the heartland of European order, civilisation, and civility.
All is not well in Germany, however. I was, for example, rather disappointed about the poor recycling facilities in the little town where we stayed, but I suppose that pokey medieval streets are not the best suited to Mercedes bin lorries. I was even more disappointed by being surrounded by so many vineyards full of Riesling grapes with very little to show for it by way of decent wine. And then there's the beer. Dear me ...
However, I reckon that crossing the road must be safer in Germany than it is here. This is largely because you are only allowed to cross when Mrs Merkel says you can, and Germans dutifully wait for the lights to turn green even when there's no traffic in sight. Partly in a spirit of solidarity, we joined in with as much enthusiasm as we could muster. In truth, we were more in fear of the Road Crossing Polizei than of offending against good order.
Back home now, and already looking forward to my next trip and the bread (which I do like).
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