German

Inscrutable. No, like, I mean it's REALLY HARD!!!

You stare at computer screens and barely understand one word in 10.

Announcements in trains only make any sense at all because of the context and the place names.

Menus are not really a problem because most things we encountered were either a variant on bangers and mash or escalope of pork or veal (Schnitzel is an escalope in breadcrumbs).

Pronunciation is phonetic and regular but it's still utterly baffling. And hard to get your mouth round.

But I did make two minor victories.

One evening I ordered two small glasses of red wine, and later explained that I wanted Montepulciano. Zwei Achtel von Rotwein. Montepulciano.

The following day I reflected, planned, rehearsed and ordered two small glasses of Montepulciano with a bit more finesse. Guten Abend. Zwei Achtel von Montepulciano bitte. Danke schön.

So glad to get back to the Francophonia!

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