HERZLICHEN GLÜCKWUNSCH ZUM GEBURTSTAG, BUNDESREPUBLIK DEUTSCHLAND

So... today is the birthday for the Federal Republic of Germany. Isn't that fantastic? Supposedly there's going to be a huge party extending down Unter den Linden, arguably the widest street in Berlin that passes through the Brandenburg Tor (Gate). I'm excited. I know the title of the post was misleading, but.. yes, I am pretty excited.

This place is fantastic. I love Berlin. Today, after going to a museum in which objects from the 1200s to the present were held and seeing more arm bones of Saints that I would've like to see in a lifetime, I had some quiche, ice cream, listened to some of "This American Life" (my new favorite podcast, now that I have time to kill while waiting for trains on the U-Bahn or S-Bahn), took a nap, and then watched the German Ballet "Schneewitchen," or "Snow White." It was absolutely fantastic. My favorite ballet for sure. The dancing was great, interesting set, fantastic costumes, and really... intense. It wasn't 'til recently that I remembered that the witch is actually given shoes which force her to dance herself to death....

Afterwards, we headed back toward a friend's house for some fun German Brettspielen (board games). We played Monopoly, IN GERMAN, with German street names... and man that was fantastic. I got the rush of all rolling dice, landing on property, playing with money, and negotiating properties--all of which I've learned from family board game nights, during which we spent probably at least a hundred hours playing Monopoly, dealing, rolling, and one game lasted a week. My sister and I would run into my parents bedroom at 9AM, wake them up, and force them to roll while they were half asleep. I would shove the dice into my dad's relaxed hand, let them fall out, and call that his "roll." Those were the days....

Anyway, I can't believe I'm only here for... less than three weeks. Time flies. Tempus fugit. Zeit fliegt.

Bis nächste mal,
Charton