Peace in the Time of Beer

I feel refreshed. Yes, refreshed.

I never feel refreshed in the morning. It is more a feeling of being tired.

My body wakes up after about five hours of sleep and it does not return to slumber. This week, Kiel Week, I am sleeping about 7 1/2 hours a night and I feel good. Usually, I wake up to use the bathroom about 5:12 and that's it for me. This week, I wake up at 4:57 for my nightly emptying and then fall back to sleep. Amazing.

I can only blame it on walk around and around and around in search of fun at Kiel Week.





Yesterday, I circumnavigated the the Kiel Ford. In the process, I watched a northern German version of cheerleaders. It was odd. As a native of the northeastern part of America, I do not have an affinity of extra-perky girls being thrown around. It was nice that that tradition had not found a spot in Germany. Until now. Fortunately, they were not good, so they may die away soon. You could totally see them count with their bobbing heads and mouths as they danced and moved into formation. It was robotic thrills. I got so nervous that they were going to drop one of the girls at the top of the pyramids that I left early.

Then I returned to wandering. Along the way, I had some chorizo. I was offered lime for the sausages. I chickened out but I think I may have to try that soon. I also ate some food from Ghana. Some groovy dish with spinach and yucca sat next to a mix of cabbage, peas and a strong tomato base.

Friday night, Asmus and I plan to Tour the World in Beer. I should sleep forever Friday night!

The Heart of the Golden City

Prague's Old Town Square

For a nation where few people go to church or identify himself as religious, Germany has a ridiculous amount of religious holidays. Despite my understanding of these holidays, I take advantage of them.

Germans don't work the Friday before and the Monday after Easter. About 40 days later, there is the Day of Ascension or Himmelfahrt. That is on a Thursday and most people take off the following Friday. A week or so later, there's the day Jesus met the Apostles and tells them to preach the Gospel, Pentecost or Pfinsten.

In honor of Jesus going to heaven, Asmus and I headed to Prague.

View of Prague from the Prague Castle

Soon after we started dating, Asmus pushed the idea of us going to Prague. The beauty of the Golden City so beguiled him that he went there alone just to wallow in it. We hopped a tiny airplane with propellers and landed in a beautiful, baroque city.

Frank Gehry's Dancing Building

I'm more of a fan of activity, more than sights, so I enjoyed the shopping (on Sunday!) and the Museum of Communism. It was like the twin to the Museum of Propaganda in St. Petersburg. The Czech museum used real objects and information to portray life during the Soviet occupation of the Czech Republic. It was a bit weird that the museum about Communism sits off the main shopping street and shares the building with a casino.

To the left, Museum of Communism. To the right, casino.

It was cool keeping Asmus happy in his favorite city.

The streets of Old Town in Prague