Downtown

Downtown, mid-town, old town - whatever you want to call it, it's where we live now. Right in the center of the city in the oldest part of the city. Baby, it's where the action is.

It's making me downright giddy.

I had to get a little Christmas gift bag for the gift I'd bought our doctor for Christmas. Last night while washing dishes I thought "Dang. I hope I can get out long enough tomorrow morning to go hunt down a gift bag!" and then it dawned on me "Hey! I'm downtown! I'm in the place where things like gift bags are in plentiful supply! And by golly 1000 Dinge (1000 Things) is...what?...fifty yards from my apartment? Maybe even less! And they have things like gift bags! I can get there and back before the morning coffee stops brewing!"

It was as if all of life's problems were suddenly solved for me.

Anyone who knows me well knows my love of Christmas, knows my love of the Magdeburg Christmas market and knows how I was all a-twitter to now be living within literal rock throwing distance of it. Christmas market goodies and fun and festivities right down the street from me! I can go bathe myself in Christmas market revelry every day if I wish!

That's just what I did tonight. Not so much for merry-making but for bratwurst.

B's been pinging at me since the Christmas market opened to finally have a bratwurst. Nothing is as good as a fabulous Thüringer bratwurst from the grill at the Christmas market. Bratwurst done until it's a deep dark brown and the casing is all wrinkly and split and crispy. I can take one bite and say to myself "I moved to Germany for love but I think I'll stay here for the bratwurst.".

Normally B has to wait until he's able to get downtown to even entertain the idea of a fresh from the grill bratwurst but no more. I just walked down to the market, asked for some bratwurst to go, had the piping hot wursts wrapped in some foil, walked back home and by the time I tossed them onto a plate and got out the mustard and ketchup, they were at the perfect temperature for eating without blistering the roof of my mouth. Heaven! And reaffirmation that living in Germany is gooooood!

All the headaches, expense, frustrations, disappointments, anxiety, irritations and backbreaking work it took to move was forgotten and I once again proclaimed that I love living downtown.

Pass the ketchup.