I'm back

I've spent the last two weeks in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. Strangely, I feel less like I had two weeks vacation and more like I went to sleep at the end of March and woke up Mid-April. Good thing I did my taxes early.

Some highlights from the trip:

• Stepping in a puddle of beer in the Munich airport upon arrival. A local had brought his bottle of beer when he came to retrieve his friend, who was also on my flight. The friend quipped, by way of greeting: "Someone can't hold their liquor."

• The Life of Pi. Great literature defying genre and masquerading as a novel. Great plane reading. Even jet-lagged, I found some time before bed for "just one more chapter."

• Radler. It sounds disgusting, but it's really quite good. Carbonated lemonade-like beer, something you order when you're riding your bike home later.

• Five trains, seven hours and 37 Euro from Munich to Prague. The first train within the Czech Republic was straight outta Indiana Jones ... wood panels, bare lightbulbs, and copper seat springs.

• Prague. All of it, from the amazing Charles Bridge and castle, to the swanky bars and quality ethnic (Afghani, Icelandic, you name it) restaurants.

• Staying in a bed-and-breakfast that was once a prison.

• Finding a new favorite artist.

• Hiking with a view of the Alps in Salzburg.

• Drinking beer while watching "Big Fish" at the English-language cinema. Meghan dropped her beer, and it rolled to the front of the theater. Someone can't hold her liquor. (Sorry for that embarrassing blog debut, Meg.)

• Hard rolls, salami and cheese.

• German chocolate and coffee.

• A British English copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.