Ogres do eat children....

My dad came to visit me last week end. On saturday, we took a day trip to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. The old city sits on the top of hill in the curve of the river. It is very pretty and the architecture is outstanding. Also there are a lot of statues around the city - unfortunately I don't really know what they represent but I will do some research and keep you posted.

Here's the link to all the photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/sabine123/BernJune2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCJD4w-7Wp-KTOw#

Enjoy!

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak

I came across this book totally ramdomly - yo kow one of those Amazon recommendations that only cost you $ 4 and you think "why not, if it sucks I only lost $ 4".

This book does not suck - it is one of the best book I have read in a long time. It is supposed to be written for young adult (I am still young, right?), but it does address some pretty heavy stuff. It is the story of Liesel, a 10-year old girl, who stays with foster parents in Nazi Germany in a little town near Munich. She sees the rise of Hitler and experience the war. She gets hooked on books and words. For me, it is always interesting to read about Nazi Germany from the German point of view.

Growing up in the north of France, the war was never talked about, and if it were, there was never good things said about the Germans - I was raised to "hate" them. School teaches you how bad they are without even considering that they were humans too.

As with "Suite Francaise", The Book Thief shows that that not all Germans were Nazi, that many risk their lives for the Jews, and many of them paid the price. It shows that choices were made for them.

I think the best line in the book is: "If words didn't exist, Hitler would have not happened". I think it is important to remember the atrocities of that war, as much as it is important to remember that a lot of Germans died too for standing up and speaking out.

A few photos of Damon...

Pajamae is Damon's cat.

She looks pretty good for a little old lady!

5 days in California

It feels good to be home, even going to a baseball game when I don't understand the rules! Most importantly it is good to be with friends (and boyfriend of course!) .

Wednesday was a busy day: landed at 1pm, went straight to baseball game with Cynthia and her kid Nicholas, then Ocean Beach, on to dinner with my best friend Misha at Weird Fish (veggie and fish lover you SO need to go there - thanks Reilly for introducing me to that place a year ago or so), then Gosta Berling concert at El Rio (Damon, DG, Carter and Greg - it was so nice to see you perform) and thank you to the friends who came to give their support.

Thursday, met with a mortgage broker (woohoo - yes I do want to buy a place i can call mine in the SF or East Bay), then lunch with Courtney, Reilly and Erik (always great to hang out with you - I miss you so much), then afternoon at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (catching up, catching up!), and met with Delice for a few (mmm, many glasses of wine) at EO5 in Cole Valley (Delice - I do miss our talks, our laughs and our cries!). Then back to Damon's cabin for the night - he made me a very nice dinner. (his own recipe!)

Friday, breakfast with David at Saul's in Berkeley (one of my favorite places). Took Pajamae (Damon's wonderful cat) to the vet (this little one is nearly 10 years old and in perfect health!). Mid-afternoon at the cabin while Damon worked, weather was beautiful - I love reading in the garden...Took a few photos (see somewhere in this post)...We watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show (I so need to get that DVD with the sing-along version).

Saturday - sleep in...then Damon and I headed to San Francisco for some shopping, sushi, more shopping, went to see Star Trek in IMAX (highly recommend it), wonderfully casted, storyline in the star trek tradition, a great move all around...then Thai food and back to the cabin at midnight.

Sunday - Damon just made me breakfast, called dad and brother (both being the most wonderful dads I know). Watching soccer (Italy vs Brazil), then a little shopping at Berkerley Bowl before heading back to SFO to catch a flight to Geneva.

Madera Latina

Last sunday, I went to an outdoor concert - it was free, the place was overlooking the lake. I offered the band to take photos (since I have started a photography class) - it you are interested, here is the link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/sabine123/MadrinaLatina?authkey=Gv1sRgCLTD2vyyhcjlNw#