deutschland

and i just remembered that i forgot again to write about how much we are enjoying germany. the people are fantastically friendly. all you have to do is look confused or bring out a map and there is someone at the ready, apologising for not speaking perfect queen's english, and offering to help you. my first instinct after morocco was to put my hands to my valuables, and be on my guard. but they have been genuinely lovely so far.

and the food... i guess after english food, any other cuisine is going to be great, especially when it is all prepared for you at a very reasonable price. but the continental breakfasts have been superb - 8 different varieties of bread/cheese/meat and a couple of fish choices. the salads are fresh and crisp and delicious. the pizzas are cheap and tasty. and the Eiscafes are brilliant. i haven't had so much icecream since i was a kid.

and the scenery has been lovely too. we haven't seen much of cities this trip, which is a bit unfortunate because Munich and Stuttgart have looked lovely. but we have enjoyed being in the country side. my walk in the forest was great, despite the lack of signs (it was like a hash - follow the signs for the first bit, then no sign at a 5 way intersection), and it smelt just like christmas (i.e. it was a pine forest, so it had one of the smells of the northern hemisphere christmas combined with the ridiculous heat of the australian christmas).

and overall, everything has been well organised, if very german.