I live in a valley, with a hillside that separates our little valley from Wiesbaden (off in the distance 4 km away). This hillside is a curious location, having a tower, restaurant, and hotel. Named the Kellerskopf, it has winding trails around it, with several parking lots where people park their car and walk the trails.
I've probably walked these trails on at least three-hundred occasions. On a warm spring day, over an hour, you might bump into twenty people. Some are professional 'walkers'....some come with their dogs....and some bike along the trails.
Well....on Thursday (all of this in the regional news....Wiesbadenaktuell).....two couples with dogs each....bumped into each other.
No one says what started this, but some type of argument developed. Police aren't sure of what was said, or if some insult was spoken. My humble guess is that it was something related to the dog business....maybe one was walking the dog without a leash, or maybe their dog was too aggressive.
But this argument reached a level where the two lady 'walkers' felt unsafe, and one of them pulled out their 'bear-spray' (irritant spray), and gave a dose to the mid-50s guy and his female friend. Then the two ladies quietly walked away....while the irritant-affected couple spent a while trying to clear themselves.
Ten years ago, you never had to worry about Germans carrying around 'bear-spray'. Today? I would take a guess that one out of every ten Germans (especially women) carry the stuff in their purse or jacket.
The law? Well, you can buy and use the stuff for protection against animals. Use against humans? Forbidden and illegal. If the cops were to stop and frisk you....they generally won't say anything. If you used it against some kid and stayed around for the cops to arrive....that would be a legal problem for you.
The cops have taken the report from this guy, and are appealing for help in identifying the two women. I kinda doubt that they will come forward.
I point this all out because it's a troubling sign of where things have gone over the past decade or two....with Germans prepared for trouble, and in some case, triggering the trouble themselves.
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