Day Four

Blau Haus















Sharyn goes to work and leaves me to my own devices. This is her tiny office at The Blue House, the historical site in Breisach that she went to Germany to work for. She was supposed to spend her days teaching about the history of Jews in Breisach and explain to young German kids how not to slaughter them. Instead though, she find herself sitting at this desk all day, talking to me on the internet. In between getting yelled at by her boss to scrub the floors and windows harder. She's just like Cinderella. If Cinderella were a dyke.

Breisach















I spend the day traveling around the little town of Breisach. This is the first time I am by myself in Germany. I tour the village via Sharyn's bicycle and got quite a workout. See, this church at the top of that mountain? I ride the bike to the top. It's a lot more steep than it looks from here. The bike seat causes me a lot of soreness by the end of the day. It's the most action I ever get on this trip.

Breisach















Here is the culprit now! This saucy little bicycle is my trusty sidekick for the day. I call him Speedy. Sharyn neglects to tell me that he had a flat tire the whole day, though. Germans point and shout at me all day long, trying to alert my to Speedy's problem. I just assume shouting and yelling is how they normally treat people.

France















I ride Speedy over the Rhine into France. The first sight that France offers me is these power lines. This is what French Cancer looks like. Much like the French themselves, the power lines stand high and mighty. They also smell pretty bad.

Gypsy Curse















Back in Freiburg, the gypsy curse visits Sharyn as in begins to rain. This is the third day in a row that it has rained just as we planned to head over to a beer garden. We are both disappointed. This is what happens to Sharyn's face when disappointment strikes. By this point I have tried German beer, but not yet in a garden venue. I don't want to miss the beer gardens, so I hope the sun comes out before I leave for America. And I hope Sharyn stops making that face.

Freiburg



















It's a beautiful German rainbow to match my beautiful German expression. At least that's as happy as ones expression is allowed to be in Germany. I reflect on how appropriate the rainbow is as we walk along to Freiburg's lone gay cafe, Jos Fritz. Judy Garland would be shining down on us from heaven if she weren't conditioned through years of propaganda to hate Nazis. So I bet she doesn't get over here much.

Jos Fritz















At the cafe, I meet Shayrn's friend Simon (pronounced ZEE-mone, cause German's are weird). He is the only person I've ever met who wears more bangle jewelry and gaudy beads than Sharyn. To his credit, just like Sharyn, he pulls it off.