Turns out, I can speak German!

Who knew?

Tonight, after our first day of lectures ( 9 am to 6:45 pm on quantum history, baby-- and four more days to go!!!), a group of us planned to take the "unterweg" into Berlin for supper and to watch Fussball. But of course I didn't pay attention to what time we were gathering, and by the time I sauntered over to the meeting place, no one was around.

Which, secretly, I was glad for.

Not only because I needed some Introvert Time, but also because if I'd gone with the others, the Germans in the group would doubtless have done all the talking. This way, I was forced to venture out on my own... and to speak for myself. Me likey. I got on the next train without purchasing a ticket (it's one of those honor system things, with no turnstiles to collect your tickets. I decided to walk on the wild side today. Also, I didn't have any euros. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson about having foreign coinage on my person during these little trips) and stopped somewhere between the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften (where the conference is) and downtown Berlin.

I walked around the neighborhood of Hohenzollern until I found a pub with the game on, and proceeded to order myself a large wheat beer (eine grössen weizen Bier), Vienna-style Schnitzel (Wiener Schnitzel, oder Schnitzel der Art von Wien) with french fries (Pommes Fritas...I don't think that one is German) I even ordered water without bubbles and asked for my bill, and said "many thanks" a lot, all in German. Wee! The waitress knew English (as most people do here), but I think she was far too amused to tell me as much. But I sensed it-- deep down where the Schnitzel went to (i.e., my soul.).

Now I'm back, and thought I'd post a few pictures from my last night in Budapest while my dinner settles-- it was delicious, but for a quasi-vegetarian like myself, a little heavy. I feel like crawling under a piece of furniture and dying... so much bier. So much fried-ness. So much...meat.

While I digest and listen to the Smiths, have some photos: