The Da Vinci close...

Last night the Mrs. and I stepped out on the town. At around 20:00, we jumped on a strassenbahn (streetcar or tram) in the direction of downtown Heidelberg. It was a gorgeous night -- light jacket weather. We still haven't completely figured out the schedule, so we managed to get on at one of the few times that it takes you to the train station rather than the central plaza downtown.

As luck would have it, the tram stopped very close to the restaurant where we wanted to have dinner. The driver got out with a big stick and manually switched the tracks to make the curve toward the train station! We though it was pretty funny. We did not however, see any signs of a pile of coal and/or shovel. The other passengers were slightly amused when we made an abrupt exit through the door he had had left open. Germans are fastidious rule followers; Brazilians (and this American) not so much.

We walked about 5 minutes to a little street that has several bars and restaurants. Last Saturday, we stumbled into a great Italian restaurant called Da Vinci. It's a bit upscale with great ambiance and better than average food. On both occasions, the place was full with a good mix of ages/types. One of the most amazing things about this place is that you can get a decent pasta dish for under 10 Euros. Last night we split a pizza with cherry tomatoes and Gorgonzola. B then had spaghetti with sea food. I, as is my custom, downed a few Hefeweitzens. I wonder how Homer Simpson says "Ummm, beer" in German.

B has started to appreciate wine more since we moved here. Last night she had a nice Chianti. I resisted the urge to order fava beans and liver (a shame I didn't resist the urge to include this obscure reference). I've sworn off wine since I got blitzed at a restaurant with coworkers in San Diego in February. Based on my extensive (and painful) experience, there's no hangover line a wine hangover. B showed much more restraint and now seems much more willing to drink wine that doesn't taste like it was bottled by Bartles and James.

By 10:00 or so we were ready to head back to the ranch. The kids have had chest colds and have been waking us up multiple times each night so we were slightly toasted and generally beat. As an inveterate lush that has always refused to drink and drive, I LOVE THE GERMAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM!

As most who know me have heard ad nauseum, I'm a city kind of guy. It was great to see groups of teenagers out on the town in a city (and country) so safe that I can't imagine their parents think twice about letting them out the door. We came back to our tram stop with a group of three very cute and chatty 15 year old (or so) girls that made us think about what Emily and Sophia will be up to in a decade or so. It also made me think about what Robert will be up to as a teenager here and in Brazil. My two word sign-off for today? Lucky kid!