It's A Small World After All....

So I have pictures of my new place, but my room looks a mess in them so I think I'll wait to post better ones later. In the meantime, I think I'll make up for the last few massive posts of text with a few pictures. I don't think I can explain just how very narrow the streets are here without pictures, so without further ado:
This is the main street that runs through the town, Johannisberg, just below the school. Believe it or not, this is much wider than the streets that run around the school. I know what you're thinking "Okay, a one way street. Big deal." But here's the catch: this street is for traffic going in both directions. That's right. It has "two lanes". And I've seen large garbage trucks coming from one directions while a car coming from the opposite direction will simply pull over for a moment, wait for the truck to pass, then continue. I've been in cars three times now with people driving on these streets and it is terrifying to see a giant truck coming at you dead on from the opposite direction. They think it's funny that I'm scared by this. I guess it's just something you get used to? Anyway, the sidewalks are also very, very narrow:

It's as if they want to use as little space as possible for everything. The streets and sidwalks are narrow, the cars are tiny, the shops are pressed together. And yet if you just look around, you see that you're surrounded by vast vineyards and wide open space.

Anyway, the town really is charming. I think that's probably the perfect word for it. With the cobble streets, cute stores with gothic script, and vines overgrowing everything. I walked farther down through the town today and all of it is very photogenic. I think the next post will be full of pictures.

While the town is attractive, there really isn't much to do at all. It really is just full of restaurants and wineries along with a few posh hotels and banks thrown in here and there. In other words, I have no idea where I should buy snacks, toothpaste, or a blow drier. It looks like I will have to take the bus to Geisenheim if I want to do any shopping of any sort.

And what was today's surprise? (because there has been atleast one every day): I asked my landlady in passing where the dryer was. There was a washer, so the dryer must be close by. She laughed at me. And laughed more. And said, "here's your dryer!" and she handed over a prop-up rack for hanging clothes to dry. I guess if I want to give someone else a good laugh later, I'll ask where the laundromat is....