A lazy mouth is a sheer misfortune – was my father’s favourite saying. Probably that’s why I love small talk
“May a biker join a biker?“ worked so far always on this trip. In one of these small talks I learned e.g. that the opposite of an “e-bike” is a “bio-bike”. I started to spread this knowledge in all following small talks and the response so far was like my initial one: “Oh, I should remember that…”

The information from these conversations it’s also very practical. Where to go, what to avoid, what to eat, what to pass, what is a must-see, what not. Today, I also managed to confuse my counterpart completely. In Wittenberg, the city of Martin Luther, the most important German church reformer, I experienced a great festival. People dressed in medieval costumes, countless stands selling historical objects, parade with drums and trumpets marching through the crowded streets.
“What festival is it?” I ask naively a young lady next to me.
“It is our city festival!” replies she with a completely estranged look.
“What is the reason?” I continue
She looks at me as if I had fallen from the moon and then continues:
“We celebrate the wedding anniversary of Martin Luther”
“Was he married several times?” I try to joke
“No, just once, but we celebrated every year” and the small talk was over…