49° 19' 11.11", +8° 26' 4.49"

While the rest of us are in the Imax at the Technik Museum, Lambert volunteers to do a little online research—on my laptop, of course, using the Museum's broadband. His research skills prove to be quite impressive—which makes me a lot less likely to doubt, for example, his account of the murder of Godfrey the Hunchback, which some historians have called sensational and melodramatic. Anyway, Lambert produces convincing evidence that German child safety laws are very strict indeed. Passengers younger than 12 years of age and less than 150 centimeters tall must be strapped into an EU-approved child restraint system. A kindersitz.

Although Bruno says that contemporary laws don't apply to Conrad—an opinion that wins him an admiring smile from Bertha—I decide that the risk is too great. If Conrad is going to ride in my minivan, he's going to use a car seat. An EU-approved kindersitz. No more questions. That's the way it's going to be.

Pretty soon I'm driving past the cathedral again, looking for a Neckermann's store that's supposed to be around here someplace where apparently they have a huge selection of kindersitze.

Guess who springs for a 129 euro Ferrari kindersitz?