City slickin' it

So we're farm-town hicks. We spent the weekend up at our cosmopolitan Wiesbaden city friends' apartment--tres chic et moderne. Anyway, everytime we go to "the city" I find myself saying things to Aiden like, "See how bright it is at night in the city? See how much traffic is in the city? There's no cows in the city." And it's so exciting to be in the midst of all the noise and action as you walk down the streets and enjoy the variety of the shopping. In our beloved Reichenbach, our little Spar Markt is about the size of our living room, and serves as the grocery store, butcher, flower shop, and post office. It's really all you need on a typical day. It's a world away from Super Walmart--literally. But every now and then, it is frankly exciting to go to the city and revel in the choices and the...city-ness! Our city friend, Chris, and I were talking about the benefits of both city and country living as we strolled back to the apartment. Of course, we can both think of good and negative things about living where we live. My #1 negative is the smell of cow-poo first thing in the morning. But I'm not sure that out-weighs the gorgeous views of sprawling country and wooded areas, the relative safety of village-life, knowing your neighbors well, and (a big one for me) being able to go running and biking through nature just by stepping out your door. I'll keep being a country hick for now if I can get my dose of city every now and then.