the world has turned and left me here

the street musicians

Germany just beat Saudi Arabia 8-0 in World Cup action. (Better yet, some store promised they'd discount 5% for every point the Germans won by. I need to figure out where this store is.) France, the favorite, was upset yesterday by Senegal, so the French intern in my department, Florent, is going to have to put up with a lot on Monday. More than usual, that is. He already gets called "the frog eater."

Went into Munich with Matt today. Got a German grammar book, a German/English pocket dictionary, and a 175 g frisbee. The frisbee cost an outrageous 25 Euros and was the same kind you can buy in Walmart for 5 dollars, but timing is everything and I needed one badly.

After shopping around we got Leberkase on bread in the Market, at Vinzenzmurr, which Matt tells me is the German equivalent of a fast food place. Leberkase is a Bavarian specialty and reminded me of thick bologna.

Across the corner from Vinzenmurr stood the Church of the Holy Ghost, built in 1327 and decked out in the 1700s in full-blown Baroque style. And even if I hadn't known it was Baroque, it was obvious from the moment I walked in, and especially obvious when I saw the enormous ornate, gold-covered altarpiece. It is strange to think that secular art is a relatively recent phenomenon in the history of Western Culture. Western Culture--now I sound like Rick Evans.

We were about to take the S-Bahn back to Ottobrunn when I heard classical music from nearby. Under the shadows of an archway, a quintet consisting of cello, flute, clarinet, and two violins played something from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," Rossini's "Thieving Magpie," and Pachelbel's Canon in D, all cliched stuff but extremely well executed. The first violin was something to watch, bowing wildly, then suddenly turning the motion into a delicate pizzacato, then launching into fiery little passages, all the while peering out happily into the crowd. When he looked me in the eye I saw that very little of his brain was occupied by this process and was completely amazed.

Back home. Now that I have my German language books, there's no excuse any more. Think I'll make some coffee and then go sit in the garden and study.