The Bag, Ladies

I didn't really know what to expect for my hike through the Ahr valley (only a few miles from Nürburgring, for you racing fans). I had my water, some energy bars and my camera but I figured I should also bring some extra socks, in case my feet got soaked. Also, having learned my lesson from Hawaii that no matter how nice the weather seems, have something to protect your camera. Bad news: I was out of plastic bags.

Fortunately, the hotel supplies free bags! These little bags are usually kept right by the toilet. I stuck my camera in one, a pair of socks in another and an open bag of peanuts in a third. That used up all the bags they had. The next day when I saw the housekeeper, she gave me a very strange look, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I didn't get to do the hike I wanted because storms (including a tornado) had destroyed the trails I wanted to hike. I hiked a different trail and there was no rain, not even any clouds. Along the way, I would stop in a rare shady spot and have a bite. One of those spots was a little shelter where several people had stopped.

My pack was a little disorganized and I had to partially empty it to find things. I pulled out my extra socks, in their little bag, and set them on the bench next to me. The woman nearest to me gasped and started speaking rapid fire German to the other women with her. They were all sneaking looks at me when I found my peanuts. Most of the peanuts had fallen out of the peanut bag so it was a good thing I had that extra bag around it. The bag was to long and narrow to fit my hand in so I just held the thing up to my mouth and poured in the nuts.

Two of the women gaped at me. I guess they've never seen someone put their salty nuts in one of those bags! I offered them some, holding the bag out to them. They recoiled in horror, gathered up their things and left the shelter. Some people are so weird.