Ah, The Germans...

I know it's become something of a cliche. But whenever and wherever you go on holiday there are a certain type of people who tend to irritate just that wee bit more than others. I refer, of course, to the Germans.

German efficiency has become a cliche itself but it is an inescapable fact of life. I remember a couple of years ago while holidaying in Gran Canaria. A fantastic time as you would expect, weather brilliant as you would expect - and the queue to the restaurant for dinner headed by the Germans as you would expect. Dinner was served between 5.30pm and 8.00pm but that didn't stop our friends from the Fatherland claiming their place to be served first from around 5.00pm. The rest of us were still lying on the beach when the Germans were forming a naturally orderly queue. Then again, they had been out on the beach from 7.00am having placed their beach towels in strategically advantageous positions some two hours earlier...

My weekend in Krakow had a familiar feeling when my attempt to secure the tastiest looking croissant was thwarted when Hans and his pals read my intentions and headed me off at the tea and coffee table. And as for getting a table by the window? Already taken. I half expected Basil Fawlty to enter the restaurant doing his funny walk. Even if he was suffering from concussion during the funniest of the Fawlty Towers episodes, Meester Fawlty may have had a point.

Without wishing to attach the same label to all Germans, there's an arrogance to some natives of that nation which is a tad disconcerting. During the moving guided tour of Auschwitz, the thought crossed my mind on what our charming young Polish guide thought of the German tourists to the site. Equality and diversity are important things these days and the European Union as its name implies is united as one (well, apart from the French...)

As Basil Fawlty said 'We're all friends together now...'