Off to Ikea

It's Saturday morning and am still in need of a few things for the new flat. Am crossing the border into Belgium to go to Ikea. Why drive 1.5 hours when there is one in Germany 50 min away? Because Germans seems genetically programs to have no spacial reasoning. Which, in effect, means if there is snough space for two people to pass by you, the German will bump into you. When you are in lines--assuming there is some strict structure that forces a line, because Germans tend not to do lines and will just step in front of you--if you are actually in a line you will usually feel hot breath on your neck--it's a German waiting. Then you will feel an elbow in your back or a foot against your heel. Most of the time it is unintentional, they just lack the ability to not touch you when you are in between them and where they are going.

But I digress. When my colleague and I went to the Cologne Ikea a few weeks ago it was a very painful event for me, getting bumped into at least 50 times, you'd think I was in a New York or Tokyo subway, except that in New York they would be more polite and apologize or at least acknowledge that they just clipped you in their big hurry. Here in Germany it is your fault for existing in the aisle.

Two months ago on a whim I went to the closest Belgium Ikea, which is about 20 minute past the border. As it is Ikea, it is basically the same stuff in the same store with the same layout and the equivalent huge number of shoppers. I spent three hours there and no one bumped into me. Ate in the fine Ikea cafeteria and no one stepped on me. A woman even thanked me (in French) for moving my chair in when she was trying to get past. Was pleasantly surprised and it made for a nice shopping experience. Therefore I'm going back for more.