Day Zwei

My Familiar Dream

I often have some strange and striking dreams
about an unknown girl, of love we share, 
each time the same, each time a different air
about her swirls, who understands it seems.

She loves and understands me, from her beams
a crystal pure dismissing strife and care.
She, only, eases heart-ache and despair, 
soothing pain with tears’ refreshing streams.

She’s blond, brunette, reflecting russet gleams? 
I know not, nor her name and voice though fair
and sounding-soft if feels, far off I swear, 
like loved ones Life has banished from its schemes.

A statue’s sightless stare, the look she gave.
Voice, - still echo of friends in the grave. 

Paul Verlane

Rain has come to our cultural retreat, but not to worry. We have plenty of books to read and pools to visit. The above is the view from my bed...but picture the stunning mountain range of the Wetterstein behind the fog. It's really beautiful. 

Every night there is a poem on our bed; (see last night's above) and a book recommendation for the following day. Today's book is Honoré de Balzac's Lost Illusions. This is what they said about it: 

"Balzac's bitterly angry satire on Mankind's endeavors-one of the most beautiful novels in world literature in a new translation!" Now if tackling that bad boy doesn't sound like a fun summer afternoon, I don't know what will. Oh sure, summer can be about golf and tennis in the sun. But that can lead to subversive thoughts or worse: simple mindedness. A little rain and a little Balzac will do you good. Like losing the Euro Cup, which, according to Thomas' mother, was "good for the German's character". 

The French think so too.

Below is a photo I got of the type of guest I will not be seeing in my "Vegan for fun" seminar this afternoon. He has likely been here for generations, with his pack of children and now their children; none of whom he particularly likes but whom he will leave the widget company because the little darlings don't have the brains to start their own widget company much less study physics like he did. 

And don't even get him started on the collective sins of air conditioning, soft mattresses, miscegenation, or heated toilets. 

Speaking of heated toilets, they have them here and frankly I look froward to going to the loo. It's the highlight of my day. Not so Thomas- he actually calls out a sort of play by play/rant on the unseemliness of warm bums. 

I don't get it-what could be nicer? I have tried vainly to find out what the offense is, but I never get any clarity.