8/7/07 - Munich

Brett is really a trooper, because despite barely sleeping and feeling like two day-old shit, he still wanted to go to the Deutches Museum. So we walked there and paid our 8,50 euro, only to discover that all these complex things were only explained in German! I had been afraid of this, but had foolishly assumed that the guidebook or any of the half-dozen people who recommended the museum would have mentioned the lack of english. After 15 minutes we were frustrated and Brett felt terrible, so we just left and headed back.

After a while, I decided to go get Brett some food from the grocery store. After having gotten directions, I headed out into the Munich afternoon. As I left the hostel, I thought, "Maybe it's not a good idea to go out here by myself" and like magic, this group of 6 guys appeared, hogging all the sidewalk. As we walked toward each other, I veered to the edge to try and squeeze by, and as I turned sideways to get between two of them, the one at my front side deliberately swerved into me so that he could feel me up. Gross. Then I got a catcall from one of the ubiquitious shady international call places. I was in a shitty mood when I got to the grocery store, which only got worse when I discovered that this city HAS NO SALTINE CRACKERS!!! OR PEANUT BUTTER!! blasphemy. I grouchily went to check out, but my mood lifted a bit when the cute checkout clerk winked and smiled at me as he handed me my change. Then, four steps out the door, a bulldog trotted by, happy as can be. It was as if the bulldog universe was telling me, and through me, Brett, that things weren't so bad as they seemed, and to just turn that frown upside down. Even the rain that started on my way back and the repeated Arabic catcall couldn't bring me down.

Anyway, we ate some crackers and very crunchy peaches and then read in bed for a while. I've started in on 1984, which I horribly haven't read and someone should revoke my degree over, and Brett is now reading the David Sedaris and howling with laughter. There's quite the thunderstorm, with flashes of lightning and loud thunderclaps and lots of rain, but it's nice to sit inside and listen to rain drum on the atrium roof while reading.