Osweiczim, Poland, and Auschwitz

Birch trees and barbed wire



weeping willow and guard tower



This is rebar that was in the structure of the gas chamber at Birkenau-Auschwitz. When the allies were approaching, the Nazis blew it up, and then burned it to destroy the evidence. The fire was so hot, this rebar wilted.



Train track to unload, and only unload, people.




I hope I spelled that right above. the German version of the town name is what the concentration camp got its name after.

Berlin and stuff

this is actually owned by two brothers, by those names. Seriously. I mean that. It's true. Just kidding.


This is a river in Berlin. I call it "the Berlin River."

Ruth on the double decker bus



Fresh food in the Berlin train station. Man, look at all that cabbage. If you ate all that, you'd probably live forever.

This shirt cost the equivalent of $90 in the U.S. I don't even know what it means.




This T-shirt is the equivalent of $75. Notice it's in English. The father of the person buying this were the ones that "the ugly American" was named after. After the revolution, as Patrick would say, this person will be in front of a cart plowing my field.




Fresh juice bar, also in the Berlin train station.

Ruth doing her makeup in a sign reflection

this made me think of ya, Lara, if you're reading this






subway art. Pretty daring, I'd say, for something hanging in a sandwich shop.



this dog could be Sandoz's twin. I wrote earlier that she looked like Tang, but I think more like Sandoz. Not the first dog I've seen who was so strikingly similar either. That phenotype must run really strong in nem doags.

Berlin

In memoriam, these plaques are outside of a home where these victims of the holocaust had lived.



Generic German bike



Ruth and I ate at this market, where we figure we'd get something authentically German. The guy couldn't speak English, so we pointed in our mouths, and rubbed our stomachs, and he just looked alarmed. We continued to ask, pointing in our mouth and licking our lips and going MMMMMM! and he just spit on the ground, and pointed at it. I think he was saying that he didn't think the food we has serving wasn't very good, but while we admired his honesty, we figured if it's good enough for the Germans, it's good enough for us, and we just licked our lips some more and said MMMMMM! until he finally served us up some. i have to admit, it was really gross. It was just a big bowl full of this bubbly, slimy, snotty liquid that tasted slimy and snotty. really bad. I'm shocked that the Germans can stomach that stuff. Oh well, like they said in Anchorman, "when in Rome!" and like they said on that show Diff'rent Strokes, "what may be right for you might not be right for some," and "whatchu talkin' 'bout, Pearl?"

I'm just kidding. This is where the savvy German shopper gets the very best deals on spittle! We knew it all along. Either way, we walked away realizing two things: the stuff tastes really gross, and Diff'rent Strokes is really a great show.



Mercedes, rising up like a Phoenix after the bombings of WWII.

Erotik Museum, Berlin

This is the first sculpture of a man that doesn't depict his, er, flugelhorn, as all shriveled up. Man, what are people so afraid of? We see images of women constantly, everywhere we turn, and this is the first time Ruth or I had seen any depiction of a man aroused. Big deal, eh? Come on, guys. Let's give something back to the ladies who put up with depictions of women's er, funbags, all over the place 24 hours a day. Let's stop being so freaked out. No wonder Ruth took about 47 pictures. Until our wedding night, she had probably never seen such a thing. Poor girl, how fair is that?




This is the description of Courbet's "Origin du Monde" or the "origin of the world." Indeed. I guess it caused a big stink for being obscene, which is fricking ABSURD. It's the most normal thing in the world, and again, perverse that we're so warped and out of touch with who, and what we are, that we think this is obscene. I will admit, I'm not sure I understand what it's doing at the erotic museum, but I applaud that he made it.



Courbet's painting.




Tile work in the Berlin subway. It looks Navajo (wait, Navaho or Navajo?), but either way I think the Germans are onto something by having artwork up and not bare.


Petruvian energy drink

berlin's erotic museum, etc.

turka cola


run cool



this guy is supposed to be a biblical figure. I honestly can't remember who he's supposed to be. I will say though, that it's very perverse, and obscene...


that showing a person in their natural state is so taboo. If the gods had wanted people to be nekkid, they would have had them born that way. And besides, isn't that unrealistic? Shouldn't that thing be more like half the size of my pinky?



Incredibly unrealistic, as I mentioned. Maybe if it they were more like stubby pencils, it could be believable. I guess that's why Ruth took so long in that area, checking out this bizarre version of what humanity "might" look like.





this could be Tang's long lost sister. What a beautiful animal.

everything's backwards over there


This cat was just jamming out in Vienna. These guys are all over the place. Europe's lousy with 'em.

tile roof in vienna. pretty sweet.




ruth makes friends all over



probama graffiti in vienna


not to be outdone, picasso gets in on the act



nightmares

This last one is made from real teeth. Just the teeth part, silly.

Masks from the "masks" exhibit in vienna. There were hundreds and hundreds. The variety was crazy. really impressive exhibit.