It was the longest of times. It was the shortest of times. The first 2 days without luggage seemed to last forever... I had developed a bit of a phobia about putting the same clothes on every day; I was certain there were yet-to-be-classified micro organisms developing new colonies in them, just waiting for me to slip back into them so they could feed and multiply. That's admittedly a little over-dramatized, but after a full day's travel and then another day and a half in the same clothes (sans washing), they were starting to take on a life of their own. The last 3 days went by in the proverbial blink of an eye and are a little blurry. One thing is certain, though - there were Kodak moments just waiting to be created that I simply ran out of time for and never got to. Sorry, Kodak moments... I'll find in you in Berlin again and document you some day. Hang in there. I'm happy to be back home where I can sleep in my own bed, and if my luggage doesn't show up, no biggie - I'll just pull something else outta the drawer. Maybe one of those t-shirts I've ben hanging on to for no other reason than "but I can't throw this one out... I might wear it someday if one of my friends buys a new house and has a painting party". Who doesn't have clothes taking up space in the closet or drawer for just that occasion? Okay, put your hands down... it was a rhetorical question. How did I get so far off course, here? Where was I? Oh, right... leaving Berlin. So here's some of my favorite images from the last day. Enjoy!

Too funny... looks like it was changing time in the department store window. Cover the little one's eyes for this PG-13 image.

Lotsa Smart cars in Berlin. They looked like a lotta fun to drive, and I think I heard someone say they did as well or better than most cars in their class in regards to crash impact performance. Huh? What else is in that class of vehicles? Mopeds & tricycles??

Souvenirs! Okay, seriously, how could I not buy these? 1, they're chocolate. 2, it's practically my logo on them - it was meant to be. 3, they're chocolate.

Let's see, what else is Germany famous for? More souvenirs. I won't use this that much, but I love the detail work, and it's just plain cool.

I loves me some old world architecture. There were some really cool churches in Berlin.

The ceilings rocked!