a warm welcome from the cat

 It is becoming difficult to wake up early, and it is harder to get out of bed. The alarm at seven served as a final reminder to get out of the bed or else be late for the appointment for breakfast in Munich.

It all works smoothly enough, then there is ice on the car window. This needs to be removed with a scraper, which takes time. Then the vehicle will not start, it takes an alarming amount of time for the engine to start firing. There is fear that the battery will be exhausted before the vehicle will start. A short inspection under the bonnet to check for possible vermin that may have chewed at cables or something. Martens like to do that, for whatever reason. There are no signs of any infestation. Drop the lid on the engine, this makes a loud sudden noise which causes a group of policemen on the opposite side of the street to go on alert. They calm down soon enough.

The car starts, but the delay is done. The delay is made worse by heavy fog on the route, which makes it necessary to drive at a reduced speed.

Arrive at the address in Munich, and find the breakfast there waiting. The host is impatient, but there is no help for it. The alternative would have been to be too early, and this would have been a waste of time too.

Listen to the host talk. That is the way he is. He is an incessant talker, a man with a great memory for dates and events, and a constant drive to pass these informations on to the people around him.

We take his car to the centre of Munich, to the old food market. He loves this place dearly, we walk around for several hours. He speaks about the times fifty years ago, and of course much has changed. There used to be a stall selling only eggs, this was no longer able to stay in business with just this one product. The market used to supply the local people and the local hotels, and the nobility too. All of those markets have changed, or gone away.

Return to the host's house and finish off his coffee. He is now an older man, and will need his rest.

Take the long route back to landshut, return home to the cold room to receive a warm welcome from the cat.