Berlusalzvienich

For those of you who understand German, please don't be worried by my title! I am quite alright. Here is the story...

Yesterday I went to the Hellbrunn Palace. There is so much to see within the grounds...including a zoo and the palace itself. But I first saw the trick water fountains. It was really fun and interesting, but there are fountains waiting to hit you around every corner and through every doorway. We were in a building with stone floors, and just as I was thinking how dangerously slippery they were due to the water, I rushed through a doorway in an attempt to avoid the fountains. When my foot hit the stones on the other side, it immediately flew out from underneath me. Today I am very sore.

After touring the palace, I went to the zoo, but was disappointed with the way it was kept and how sad and lethargic all the animals were. I slipped out through a side and found myself in a gravel parking lot. As I turned to get my bearings, I put my foot down in a pothole...full of murky water...in flip flops.

Not to be brought down by such little things though, I really enjoyed the rest of the day, climbing to the best lookout place over the city. I also met a really nice Canadian girl, and we finally watched The Sound of Music together last night. It was so amazing to see it again and recognize so much of the setting. When the Von Trapp family sings for the last time, they are actually in the Felsenreitschule, which I saw on my tour of the performance halls the day before yesterday!

I can hardly remember everything I've seen here so far, but my favorite experience was definitely the Marionette Theater. Though the opera lost a certain dimension by being played from a recording, it gained another through the marionettes. Sometimes I forgot we weren't looking at real people. Their movements are really graceful, and they added some humor that I think would otherwise have been lacking.

I am off to Vienna soon. It should be very exciting. I know two students there that I met while in Berlin, and they've promised to give me an insider's view of the city. They are very generous. I am also hoping to spend a day in Bratislava (don't worry, Mom and Dad!), because it is only 60 km away. I have heard that it is no more dangerous than any other big city, and it is certainly a great opportunity to add another culture to my experiences. Tschau!