Observations

As we have travelled through Germany we couldn't help but notice the signs of yesterday's election.  Just as at home, almost every lamppost had a poster advertising one party or another.  At the start of the trip, driving through the former East German states of Sachsen and Sachsen-Anhalt,  we noticed a stronger presence of Alternativ fur Deutschland, the ultra right wing party. 

We didn't like the tone of the images nor the sentiment they were promoting.  Of course, they were not designed to appeal to the likes of us.    

There was a distinctly 'nudge nudge wink wink' unpleasantness to them all.  Lowest common denominator.  Nasty.

When we reached the end of our meal last night and found the staff somewhat distracted,, it didn't occur to us that their minds may be elsewhere. Only as we left did I notice the manager looking at the front page of the early edition of the local paper and casually asked about the outcome.  Is Angela Merkel still in charge?

He looked up, visibly upset. "Yes," he said, "but we have a lot to worry about here" - and he pointed to the 13% result of AfD, shaking his head.  "I don't know," he said. "I just don't know what is happening."

I could only nod and agree with him.  There we were;  a German restaurateur,  an English couple and an American couple.  All of us mystified by the way our worlds are shaping up.  Just what might our parents (and Grandparents) have made of it?