You don’t have to leave the house to experience adventure – sometimes a look from the Munich home office to the rascals from the neighboring house is enough. Three anecdotes from Germany and the world.
In the middle of … Munich
Illustration: Marc Herold
In a moment lost in thought at home office, the view slides from the screen towards the window and stops at the house across the street. There are two boys standing on the balcony, having a hard time. What is there to laugh about? You follow the scene and witness a rascal prank. One of the tots throws water from a bottle onto the street. When the torrent hits a group of teenagers, they both dive behind the balcony cladding. Downstairs, they raise their heads in confusion, as the next projectile is already flying. This time: a raw egg. It misses the clique and bursts on a gully. It is enough for those shot at, they fire back with a handful of rubbish, but they hit the wrong balcony. Annoyed, they pull away. The gaze wanders back to the laptop, but one thought remains: in future, the balcony will be avoided. Thomas Balbierer
In the middle of … São Vicente
Illustration: Marc Herold
Eleven o’clock in the morning at the Aeroporto International Cesaria-Évora on the Cape Verde island of São Vicente. At the entrance, several security guards check your vaccination certificate, passport and boarding pass. It’s busy in the departure hall: two souvenir shops, a snack bar with fresh tuna pies, an information stand and baggage check-in are waiting for clients. Just bizarre: According to the display board, there are exactly two departures for the rest of the day, both propeller planes from an Angolan line that head for neighboring islands. While Europeans reflexively question the economic viability of this airport, a three-man group of women in red uniforms appear. A passenger survey that they wanted to determine the satisfaction of customers with the airport. Well what can you say. You feel well taken care of. It’s all OK. Thanks very much. Patrick Illinger
In the middle of … Graefelfing
Illustration: Marc Herold
Nowadays, the real adventure is experienced with boosters. Waiting four hours in front of the vaccination center in the Gräfelfing community center, and that at two degrees Celsius – you quickly think of Robert Scott, Fridtjof Nansen and the other polar researchers you had read about. The people from the Graefelfing community wanted to make everything as bearable as possible. At a stand there was hot tea for free (either fruit or herbs). And then the moment when the vaccinated had reached the warm town house. A big cat greeted them, gray-black with a hint of Siam. She brushed around the legs of the helpers from the Malteser Relief Organization and willingly let the vaccinated and those still to be vaccinated scratch her. It was probably not entirely in accordance with the regulations. But which adventure is already in accordance with the regulations? Nicholas Piper