Ducks and Monkey Butts

Marcel's visit came and went quicker than I would have liked.  Even though we got a late start our trip to the zoo was a success.  We missed the elephants and giraffes which was a huge disappointment, but the orangutan and other primate exhibits more than made up for it.  We easily spent 75% of our time laughing at their funny antics and human like behavior.  The chimpanzees were so animated and despite the  masturbating creeper in the corner they were all so cute.  I kid you not, this chimp took a pile of hay and placed it in front of himself to hide his shameful activities.  After a few moments the hay fell to the side and then we were certain of his motives.  It wasn't until he turned and stared at me for several minutes while he continued that we were weirded out.  Seconds later the female dominant chimp caught her poop and ate it.  After that it was time to move on.  Of course, all of the animals were great and we would have stayed many more hours if it weren't for the frigid conditions and the setting sun.  After that we made our way to a pub off of the marienplatz to watch soccer and drink a beer to warm up.

One of the many fun perks of spending time with Marcel is when we get to share things about our culture with each other.  For instance, on Saturday morning he had his first bite of french toast.  His reaction was something along the lines of "Americans eat this every morning....?".  Despite his initial reaction of how heavy and sweet it was I think he enjoyed it and is looking forward to more taste tests.  Making the breakfast treat for him was a stroll down memory lane for me.  It reminded me of the special occasions when Ed would make it for Bret and I.  Ed was always the best when it came to making food fun.  Whether it was a smiley face in ketchup on your plate or butterfly shaped grilled cheese.  To give Marcel another dose of America we visited the commissary where he noted that every snack we have involves cheese in some form.  I made sure he left with a sampling of goodies to take back to Freiburg with him.  After base we made a pit stop at the resort where we had a couple drinks at the bar and then made our way to Bollywood for some of my favorite Indian food.  The night ended with us stopping in Zirbels for one beer which inevitably turned into three.... 

I am certain that the train station goodbyes will only get more difficult as time passes.  Sunday was no exception to this and I spent the remainder of the evening watching Sopranos, drinking hot chocolate, and feeling sorry for myself.  I did manage to finish my latest book, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.  I've decided to attempt to go back and read some of the novels I didn't give the time of day in high school.  I not only enjoyed the book, but found it very informational and it inspired me to do some additional research on that era, so hopefully this little project will broaden both my literary and historical knowledge.

Oh, and did I tell you that I will be coming back to the states in June for approximately 9 days?  Because I am.  I will also be bringing along the aforementioned Marcel.  Wish him luck and we'll see you then :)