Today the public transport workers in Mainz are on strike for higher salaries and extra time off, and the trams and buses aren't running (except for an “emergency schedule” which isn't actually a schedule – prospective riders are encouraged to wait at the stop to see whether anything will turn up, and service ceases entirely after 8.30pm).

Marie has wisely decided to work from home today, so her only challenge is getting to the Mainz dance night in the evening. To make things simple I decide to tag along, so we're going together in the car for 7.45pm (unlike normally where she takes the tram there and I come to pick her up at the end). This is just as well because, counting us, there are six people there in total, including the teacher Matthias. To add to the confusion and inconvenience, there is construction going on and the big motorway tunnel is closed during the night, which means that coming home we need to drive through the city, and that, even having lived here for almost 15 years now, is still a bit of a challenge for me – I can manage but there is an element of serendipity that I could just as well do without.