Will and I took our first optional outing with Edie yesterday, heading to a department store to pick up a few things for my in-laws visit. It was also the stroller's debut. (We are the proud owners of a gently-used Bugaboo that we bought in San Francisco. For those who don't know, this is a premier stroller; once Will tried it out, all necessary sacrifices were made to make one our own.) The department store we aimed for is connected to a subway station that is only 5 stops from our own so it seemed like a safe goal.
About 10 minutes after arriving at the department store, Edie lost her good spirits in a big way. Though Germany is very breastfeeding friendly, I am not quite skilled or comfortable enough yet to feed her on the only chairs that the store had available, each of which were positioned directly in front of an escalator. I made two failed starts, but the gazes of the streams of of Saturday shoppers finally did me in. So we found our way to the store's cafe and did right by the baby. Fed and sleepy, we tried to muster a second wind and headed home.
Arriving at the subway platform, I noticed that there were too many people. And too many of them were wearing tacky scarves. A flashback from my year living in Seville, Spain clued me in - soccer game. Our subway station is en route to the stadium, and in fact there is no other train that we can take to get home. We waited as about ten trains came, their doors opened to drunken men, packed like sardines, singing team songs, and pounding their fists and/or beer bottles against the train walls. Even if we could have bent the laws of physics to squeeze ourselves into any of the cars, the thought of any of these super-fans bumping into my baby or making her unhappy in any way flooded my mind with visions of me turning into a Tasmanian Devil-personified and going absolutely loco on the offender.
So we were about 3 miles from home, at night, in sub-freezing weather, trapped in the subway, and baby's food clock was ticking. Cab was impossible because we have no car seat. Logically, I cried a little because that usually solves things. After my tears curiously were not a magic solution to our predicament, Will pointed out that we were not far from my mom's apartment. As fortune would have it, she was on her way there at that time, so we went to her tiny abode to wait out the mayhem.
Will had planned on cooking us a Valentine's Day dinner (a day early since his parents were arriving the next morning). This ostensibly simple trip to the store turned a home cooked meal into Thai takeout, and we finally made it home about 3 hours after we were done shopping. Happily, only we were worse for the wear. Princess Babystuff didn't seem to mind one bit.
[Edie pictured with her Amma, Big Edie, who once again saved the day.]
Traveling south on this inmafous day, I'd notice the cheerfulness of the lot headed north. I admired their spirit, waved to them, and suspected that Frotmann was their destination--the soccer palace/field.
ReplyDeleteAfter hearing from you (Rakel) and the thought of my little Valentine close to the noise (moment earlier thought of as merriment) the entire German population, their behavior, history and on and on, repulsed me.
From now on, check the soccer schedule before taking on another dangerous fieldtrip with my namesake.
So many things to learn about in a new country. Some of them seem only to be an incomprehensible annoyance.
ReplyDeleteOh, awful! They should have a "fan-free car" on the train, like they have a cell-phone-free car on the Amtrak. I'm glad the story has a happy ending - there are worse fates than Thai takeout, I reckon.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing about the football-free zone! Alas, I am definitely in the minority with my attitude. We are glad it happened when my mom was around; from now on game schedules will be consulted.
ReplyDeleteOh My goodness. I remember my first rip to the department store afte the twins were born. It was mid december, and since it was right before the Holidays, I was desperate. I packed them up in the minivan and headed to a small mall in Rochester that was close by. One of the girls was very unhappy bythe time we got there, and so I attended to her diaper first, car still running, in the parking lot. I don't remember which one it was, but by the time I had undressed one of them, realizing that it couldn't have been the diaper, because it was clean-whooosh! Number two in liquid form was coming right at me :-(
ReplyDeleteBy some grace of God, I had a change of clothes in the car for both of us. Must have been a tummy ache? Shopping with tniy ones is way over rated.
Oh lord, Omi! Times like that you just want to curl up, go to sleep and wake up to none of it ever happening. That story makes me tired just imagining it :)
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