German Chocolate

Dillypoo has a new love in her life:

Did you know that in Europe they eat chocolate for breakfast? I didn't either. A little dab on bread or a rice cake with some fruit and yogurt is my new favorite way to start the day.

It's the best way to keep the daily Dementors at bay. And with apologies to my Australian readers, chocolate is much tastier than Vegemite on toast.

Dillypoo is finally home, recuperating from intense exhaustion brought on by the events of the past 12 days. Getting from Hamburg, Germany to Piqua, Ohio felt like swimming upstream for three days. I had no idea a body could function for so long on so little sleep.

I'm currently sitting on my bed with the cats and dog, organizing photos and reminiscing about the past few weeks.

And thinking about Nutella. I brought my jar home but took it to the office yesterday. Which means I can't curl up with it and a spoon this weekend.

That's probably a good thing.

But back to the photos and reminiscing. Two weeks ago, The Professor and I climbed to the cupola of this Berlin cathedral:

And I mean we climbed it! For all the boasts about German engineering, the use of elevators seemed to be a foreign concept there. We had to hoof it up (and then down) about 4,000,000 stairs:

It's a good thing Dillypoo works out regularly because the old Dillypoo wouldn't have made it past the steps leading into the portico.

But the views at the top were spectacular:


It was one of the highlights of our visit to Berlin. That and the walking tour we took our first day in the city. If you're ever in Berlin, I recommend looking up Berlin Walks. Our guide walked us past the Brandenburg Gate, the site of Hitler's bunker and to various memorials dedicated to the victims and survivors of World War II:



It was a thought provoking and emotional way to learn about and see the city. We spent the next two days exploring East Berlin further, looking for art and returning to some of the places we passed during the walking tour.

And eating chocolate for breakfast.

Can you say chocolate croissant? Almost as awesome as a jar of Nutella!