Sauerkraut, Bratwurst, and Thievery

I think we'll start with the negative and work towards the positive.

I left my in-flight bag (that bag to hold the stuff we have to fly with, things I might need, knick-knacks and service items) in the storage room in the flight attendant lounge for a night. I made sure to take out everything valuable, lock it up, and store it stacked against other suitcases. My precautions were useless. I came in this afternoon to find the zippers ripped open and everything disheveled. The thief did not even have to common courtesy to put everything back in the correct pockets! He/she took my bottle of aspirin (?) and my Nintendo DS which I completely forgot I had in there! It's my fault for leaving a valuable behind, even by accident, but I'm not even angry about the theft of the material object. I'm much more disappointed in the disrespectfulness and desperation that is manifested by the act of stealing. I'm a bleeding heart, if he/she had asked me for money, I probably would have handed over all my cash.. Just don't go through my things and leave it in complete disarray, please. I'm sincerely hoping that the thief enjoys the DS, has a son or daughter that will love it, or can pawn it and actually needs the money...

Moving on to the positive, I got called on my ADays to go to Stuttgart, Germany! Stuttgart is one of those places that would be incredibly easy (relatively, of course) to pick up and move to. It's got the history, great food, money (Mercedes are made there), organization and German efficiency. It was a great place to walk around all day then get a huge delicious dinner.

















The old town square

















The same steeple and tower, farther away, from the walking street (no cars, lots of shopping!)

















Tulip season!







At Ochs'n Willi for dinner

with Schwäbische Maultaschen: beef and spinach inside a potato pancake. With potato salad and sauerkraut on the side. Blissful!




I've decided that I want to learn German now. Everyone on the plane and in Stuttgart (as well as when I've traveled) thought I was German! Quite a compliment, actually.

And a concept that's been rolling around in my consciousness lately: "there is animalism in the soul, and the body has its moments of spirituality". I like that.