I was hanging around the main train station in Munich on Tuesday night, doing a bit of people watching, and a guy with a serial killer look walked up to me and just stared at me for about 5 seconds. I stared back, knowing that if I did not he would sense weakness and my entire herd could be in danger.
He barked something quickly in German that I didn't understand, I said, "I don't understand" in German, then he yelled, in English, "50 cents!" Thinking to myself that the man could have done a bit better job of making me want to give him money, I turned him down and he walked off muttering, then about 35 feet away turned back to yell that I ought to learn the #### language or some such.
I felt like I was in New York.
I had a very similiar experience at the train station in Paris last summer. The only moment during the trip when I didn't feel safe, but then I realized he was a little Frenchman standing no taller then me!
ReplyDeleteWell, he does have a point. You *really* should learn the language...
ReplyDeleteI think your problem was thinking in feet instead of meters.
ReplyDeleteCrazed panhandlers can always tell.