Today we went off on one of our family adventure tours, which sounds really exciting but actually involved a short stop at a very dull reservoir (heralded as 'amazing' and 'not to be missed' in our rather biased guidebook). It didn't help that gale force winds nearly blew us off the dam, and that Gaia spent most of the time wondering which part of the precipice would be the best suicide leaping point. We were practically alone, apart from clusters of motorcyclists on a smoke-break. They seem to like it round there - just endless curving empty roads with lots of potential for dangerous overtaking and frequent shack-like diner places dotted around. Anyway, we hustled everyone back in the car and CG decided that we should take in the Tegernsee, a lake in the vicinity, which is also one of the most expensive places to reside in Germany. (He likes to fuel his dislike of rich people by checking out how the other half live sometimes.) So off we went, winding along the roads in between motorbikes and dead leaves.
On arrival we parked and sat in the car eating peanut flips and other trashy things trying to build up the motivation to actually get out. We then headed to the lake and admired the waves and the other tourists. There were also some curious-looking ducks who were delighted to be fed with our sesame sticks. Some ten happy minutes were passed in this way and, as usual, we attracted lots of curious glances. Walking on a little further we were confronted with a large sign - DO NOT FEED THE DUCKS. THEY CAN FIND THEIR OWN FOOD AND WILL ONLY GET SPOILT IF YOU GIVE THEM YOURS. And so on. FEEDING THE DUCKS WILL ONLY RESULT IN RATS, WEASELS, SQUIRRELS, SEAGULLS AND OTHER VERMIN RUINING THE PLEASURE FOR VISITORS TO THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE. OK, we get the message. Hurriedly shoved sesame sticks in rucksack in case the police are looking. The ducks moved off as one, disappointed. I hopped on to a little wooden jetty with Titus and we danced around a bit, pretending to fall in the water and so on. Then CG alerted me to another sign - ACCESS TO JETTY STRICTLY PROHIBITED. DISOBEYING THIS NOTICE COULD LAND YOU WITH A HEFTY FINE. Well, that was enough for me. I couldn't get back to the car fast enough. CG added insult to injury just before we got there by telling me off for walking on the grass. How German can you get????? He just can't help himself though. It really distresses him to see people behaving in this Bohemian fashion, and he feels obliged to put them back on the straight and narrow. Probably just as well as far as I am concerned. But that's another story.
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