And so, as I promised, some photos from Saturday...

The plaza outside the Staatsoper, during intermission. The weird bears are "friendship bears" or some such and were each decorated by an artist from every UN member nation. The sculpture of books is a WM special, for the Germany: Land of Ideas exhibit strewn throughout Berlin. But here, more relevant, because this particular plaza, just near the Humboldt Universitat, is also where Nazi students burned books in 1933. The "Denkmal" (literally, think-time) in the middle is a glass square which looks down into a white room that has only empty, white bookshelves.



Seats in the opera were easy to get because the Germany game was still on...but by intermission, the kids were all celebrating.



Taken earlier in the afternoon on Ku'damm, during the game - this is what happens when Germany plays on a Saturday afternoon. Probably a wicked power surge here, too. Policemen here wear green; their van was parked at the closest intersection, a few feet away.



And I'm never sure quite what Jon Stewart means when he gives us the "moment of zen" at the end of each Daily Show broadcast, but from the land of the garden gnomes, folks, here is your moment of zen:



And speaking of the power surge, I also give you this - good for so many reasons, even if I am a brand-loyal Typhoo drinker...