Light Rain

I no longer trust weather reports. What kind of profession lets you guess at something all of the time? Would we elect a president if he got up there and said, "today we have a fifteen percent chance of invading Canada." Then we invade Canada, lock, stock, and barrel, and everyone is ok with that because the president said, "we had a fifteen percent chance?" Well, today was the last straw between Seth, me, and the meteroligists of the world. A "reliable" internet weather source told us to expect "light rain." That was the exact quote, "light rain." We can handle "light rain," but today we got "torrential down pour." As we were walking through the unbelievable sights of Berlin, we got wet. We had to wait outside to go into the Reichstagg, which is the German Parliament building, and it really started to come down. Seth, being the forward thinker that he is, brought an umbrella. I, being the eterneal optimist, did not. Somehow I thought that if I packed expecting rain, there would be rain. Superstition be damned. Anyway, as we were wating to get into the Reichstagg, the heavens opened up and gave us a small dose of what the apocolypse would be like. Seth got out his umbrella, which is big enough for him, and I tried to crouch under it. I quickly realized that Seth's umbrella was not going to keep both of us dry so I ditched Seth for higher ground and sought cover under the overhang that projected from the Reichstagg. I felt bad, but Seth had an umbrella, which I thought would keep him dry. As the rain subsided some fifteen minutes later I walked back to Seth, who was soaked. Our astonishment with the ridiculous weather was palpable. "My shoes are soaked," was all Seth needed to tell me. We both feel that if our feet get wet, than that is just about as miserable as you can get.

We toughed it out, though, and we were both thankful that we did. The view from the Reichstagg is incredible. Visitors are only allowed on the top of the building and the view is amazing. The Reichstagg is one of the taller buildings in Berlin so you get to see nearly all of the city. The important buildings in the distance stick out with their pointy steeples. The rain did subside long enough for us to get a spectacular panorama.

The rest of the day we spent dodging thunderstorms, seeking shelter in the forest and in museums. Berlin is a very interesting city. Seth's friend that we are staying with is an architect and loves Berlin. I can see why. The older, gothic architecture stands right next to ultra-modern buildings, both with their own unique charm.

Tomorrow the weather forecast tells us that there will be "light rain" in the morning, then clearing up in the afternoon. Yeah, right. We shall see...