What's up?

I 've been pretty lazy about writing lately - partly because I haven't had much to say, partly because I've been pretty busy, and partly because I've been intimitaded by the thought of finally starting my massive article about why I love Bavaria. What have I been busy with? Well, besides work and Anja, I've been investing time into physiotherapy for my left shoulder, which has been bothering me for a couple of months. A contributing factor for that may have been all the piano practicing I've been doing - the results of which may be heard here.

I will try and start my big Bavaria series before we head for Italy in early June, but after one concert is before the next concert. At least the physiotherapy is working pretty well. (Sigh) We're not getting any younger!

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Welcome...

As a native-born Seattleite who's been living in Germany since 1988 and in Munich since 2000, I plan on occasionally commenting on German and American culture and politics, from the perspective of one with a foot in each country.

Puglia

This was an amazing vacation. For us terra incognita, in our many Italian vacations we'd never gone farther south than Tuscany. How can I tell about this in a way that's not boring for the majority? I kept daily notes while there, I think I'll use them as a basis and tell the story day by day, making a new post for each day. This may also spawn some extra posts, for example about driving in southern Italy. Background For those not familiar with Italian geography, Puglia is the region in the extreme southeast of the country, the heel of the boot. The terrain is mostly flat, save for the last southern extension of the Appenines running down the middle of the region, the Murgia. It's bordered on the east by the Adriatic Sea; Albania is only about 60 miles away. It's a dry region, but not a desert. Along the coast vegetables are produced, and (as in much of Italy) olive trees and grapes seem to be growing everywhere. It's not a famous wine-growing region, but there...