Pick-A-Day

October 2005
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Construction

A week ago Sunday, I went to the coffee shop here in Weimer to do some reading and enjoy a cup of tea. It was a beautiful day, and the coffee shop featured a beach theme, complete with sand in its courtyard. I took off my sandals and let my feet enjoy the sand.

I returned the next day and much to my surprise, the street was in the process of being chewed up—the city has decided to do something to the street—what exactly, I am not sure. At first I thought they were going to change the street from asphalt to cobblestone, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, because they’ve only taken up part of the street, while digging a trench the length of the street.

What’s remarkable about this is that it hasn’t stopped anybody from visiting the coffee shop. After weaving my way through the equipment and trench directly in front of the door, I found that the shop was packed. I was not alone in ignoring the construction.

This is actually typical here in Germany. There’s another street nearby that has been completely ripped up, and yet people walk right down the street, around the asphalt laying machines, steamrollers in action, doing their daily business.

It wasn’t until I found myself walking through gaps in the fences, letting the asphalt chewing machine pass-by, and walking across dirt that it dawned on me that this would be impossible in the States. When I paused to visualize this scene in the States, I could only imagine that any attempt to cross the street would result in somebody yelling at you.

Here, the construction workers paused to buy a cup of coffee and pastry from the coffee shop. At first I thought they might be doing it because they felt guilty since they were blocking the street—until I realized that every seat in the store was taken, and that a few people were braving the construction noise to sit in the beach courtyard.

4 comments to Construction

  • ChrisC

    Getting to the coffee shop sounds a lot like cooking dinner in my house.

  • Making comments works, right?

  • koko

    Adam, I like the new layout but I must say…I really liked how on the old style the comments popped up in a different window. I know my preference doesn’t count…but it should 😛 xo

    ps i got that movie that we watched with Mateo that one night…cowboys and angels…i’m making boy watch it because I really liked that movie 🙂

  • I will see if I can figure out the comments popping up thing… it might be awhile.