Cochem, on the Mosel River, is a picturesque little German town. The steep hills on the riverbanks are great for growing Riesling grapes, and this town has a long history of making wine, so if you like Riesling, this is the place to visit.
After touring the local castle and the quaint town sights, we came across this inviting, little sidewalk café. It was full of couples sitting together, drinking and chatting, so my wife and I decided to take a break and taste some of the town’s famous Riesling wine.
We found a table and ordered a couple glasses. As the waiter brought our wine, a young man in his late 30’s, well-dressed, with a rose in his lapel, sat down at the next table and ordered, in English, two glasses of their very best Riesling. A couple of minutes later, the waiter came out with two glasses and a bottle, showed the customer the label and then poured the wine.
Meanwhile, my wife and I relaxed, chatted, and enjoyed the fruity taste and minerality of our Riesling. During a lull in our conversation, I took out my smartphone and began looking for our next tourist destination.
In contrast to our activity, however, our neighbour just sat at his table, waiting. He was quite calm, hadn’t touched the wine, and I assumed he was waiting for his friend. I speculated to my wife, that because of the flower in his lapel, he was waiting for his date.
After about ten minutes, he started drinking the wine in front of him. I guessed that his date was late, so he had decided to start without them. That’s typical, I would’ve done the same thing myself. But interestingly, he still looked relaxed, not anxiously waiting. What I found most surprising though, he didn’t pull out a newspaper or smartphone to fill in the time. It is so unusual for someone to just sit quietly alone. Contented.
When he had finished half of the wine in his glass, he switched the glasses, and then started to drink the other one.
I was intrigued. Since he had already spoken in English, I leaned over and joked, “Is your friend late? At this rate, there probably won’t be any wine left for them when they finally arrive.”
“No, no one else is coming,” he chuckled. “I am in a monogamous relationship, with myself.”