Since my last post...I have become German. Well, almost. I ate blood sausage, sampled the German brew, and purchased some very expensive, very well-made German shoes.

Everything here is so pretty, I really don't understand why the whole world wouldn't live in Europe if they could. I guess the whole language barrier might be a reason I wouldn't move here, but that's why I'm going to London. And having the majority of my friends and family all the way across the ocean would be less than perfect, but if I could hike through vineyards and then have pastry and wine for lunch like I did two days ago everyday, I think it would make up for most of that distance. Hmm, that sentence just before this one is less than perfect; being around people who speak broken English all the time is affecting my own command of the language in a humorous but kind of disturbing way.

So, some highlights from the last few days.

There is this beautiful forest at the end of the street I'm staying on, and I've been going for runs through the trees and flowers and bushes. And eventually I run past a blackberry bush with lots of ripe berries and I have to stop to eat some.

This is the cutest town I have ever been to. I visited it the same day I went walking through beautiful hills terraced with grapes and had pastry and wine for lunch. It was a perfect day, it even rained on and off.