Go lightly from the ledge babe, go lightly on the ground

Oh baby don't you know I suffer?
Oh baby can't you hear me moan?
You caught me under false pretences
How long before you let me go?
oooh...You set my soul alight oooh...You set my soul alight
(oooh...You set my soul alight)
Glacier's melting in the dead of night
And the superstars sucked into the supermassive
(oooh...You set my soul alight)
Glacier's melting in the dead of night
And the superstars sucked into the supermassive
I thought I was a fool for no-one
Oh baby I'm a fool for you
--"Supermassive Black Hole," Muse (Full disclosure: I am a Twilight fan.)

And on their horses come charging by,
among them girls who have almost outgrown
this galloping of steeds; midway in passing
they look about, across, over, anywhere---

And now and then appears a snow-white elephant.

--"The Merry-Go-Round" by Rainer Maria Rilke (trans: Fleming & Lange)

Lessons from the Englischer Garten:

Saw a couple taking their wedding photos in the Garden. It was so cute I almost wanted to puke: they had a great photographer, obviously. The bride was wearing a strapless dress with an empire waist and an aquamarine sash, and the groom was wearing a black suit and tie, and they were reclining as if to picnic under the shade of this tree (with a blanket and wicker picnic basket), and were reading a book together, and an old-style black umbrella behind the bride. Then they got out old tennis/badmintion looking rackets and started playing badminton. It was so Edwardian, and now since I connect Edwardian with Twilight (see above), it melts my heart always. So I watched them and read my current book, Roots by Alex Haley.

I was walking in the Garden and heard these two girls (my age) talking to each other and I realized they were speaking English at the same time one of the girls SMILED at me in greeting. SMILED. I couldn't believe how flabbergasted I was. I haven't been greeted with a smile by a stranger since my America days.

The sun's come out at last after a week of fifty-degree rainy and overcast weather (though I would rather this weather than sticky gross humidity any day) in München. I am told there is an 80% chance of rain tomorrow. But this weekend's a homework weekend anyway, got some loose ends to sew up.

I'm heading into my last month here in München, and I've got some really mixed feelings. It reminds me of "Almost Famous," when Russell explains to the kid that "it's the circus. No one wants to leave. No one wants to say goodbye." I have a hard time thinking about leaving, even though I'm not even the biggest fan of German culture. But there's some things I really really like (even if I can't place my finger on it), and I don't want to leave those things behind. But as I thought in the Garden, I've had so many adventures here, many of which I wasn't planning for anyway. I've had some bad moments and some amazing, soul-searing great moments. I've learned so much. But there are plenty of adventures ahead of me, too, just around the corner.

Photo: A piece of paradise in Berlin, taken in the area of our hotel.