Good Ideas, Bad Ideas

Hi, All--

It's time to talk about two of Eliza's favorite things -- eating and sleeping! For those of you who are unaware, we elected to drastically reduce the overall cost of our trip by camping our way across Europe and eating on the cheap. Was this a good idea? So far, we think it's worked out pretty well, but it certainly gave us the opportunity to have quite a few bad ideas...

Bad Idea #1: Pitching our tent in the middle of a field, far away from any source of shade, in the middle of a heat wave. Sure, our high-tech abode has plenty of ventilation. But you can ventilate it all you want -- stick something in the oven, and it's still going to get cooked.

Good Idea #1: Meeting up with our friend Carrie in Amsterdam.

Bad Idea #2: Assuming that a "3-person tent" would comfortably fit three of us. Thank goodness we're all very thin... (On a side note, our tent weathered several serious downpours in the Netherlands, and is standing tall through a thunderstorm in Berlin as I type this -- Bravo!)

Bad Idea #3: Pitching our tent on and/or near a German ant colony. We still can't figure out where the little buggers are coming from, but they really like throwing parties on our rainfly. I assume that a few will hitchhike with us to Vienna; I just hope we're not responsible for an invasive insect species decimating the Austrian countryside.

Good Idea #2: Impulsively picking Dutch cafes by checking for low prices and ordering random menu items. Seriously, is it even possible to order bad food in Amsterdam?

Bad Idea #4: Impulsively picking German cafes by checking for low prices and ordering random menu items. Some of these kitchens must be staffed by toddlers wielding slices of Kraft American cheese and an EZ-Bake toaster oven. We should have stuck with the wurst. (Although I will say that we've had some of the best falafel/Vietnamese food of our lives here. Go figure.)

We still have two days left in Berlin, so I won't launch into a long-winded exposition of my thoughts on this once-war-torn, deeply divided, ethnically diverse, hustling, bustling, vibrant city just yet. But I will say that we're loving it, and provide a quick list of some particulars (this one's for you, Amy!):

- The sweeping views from the top of the Berliner Dom and the (super-touristy, but still satisfying) TV Tower.
- The Pergamon Temple and Ishtar Gates of Babylon preserved (almost) in their entirety; eat your heart out, Ben.
- Stunning 19th-Century marble sculptures at the Alte Nationalgalerie.
- Libeskind's phenomenal architecture at the Jewish Museum -- even if the exhibits were a bit lackluster.
- The low, low, low cost of beer.

Until next time!