Axis Invasion 2003:

There's a lot of talk lately about the "Axis of Evil"... have we forgotten the good ol' Axis?  You know, the one with those crazy Europeans?  Steve makes a single-handed attack on fascism 60 years too late, and here's what he's got to show for it:

Erice, Sicily
 

It all sounded like it would be a good start... a physics conference at a pagan monastery on a mountaintop in Sicily.  I figure we'd start with a few virgin sacrifices and I might even learn kung-fu.  Unfortunately, Alitalia lost my luggage on the way there, and my Mom always told me you can't execute an invasion without clean underwear.

Oh, and I'm sure somewhere in there, I did some physics...

 

 

Munich (and the German nationalisation of the Grim Rapher)
 

It's really nice of Rapher, you know.  He finds out that I have to work in Munich for a couple of weeks, so he (i) gives up his job and apartment in NYC and moves to Munich, (ii) secures a swank pad in downtown with a spare bedroom for me, (iii) gets MARRIED so that there'll be someone in the house to cook for me, and (iv) shmoozes up to Uncle Hans from the Lowenbrau brewery, securing us free tickets to some drunken Bavarian orgy of beer as soon as I arrive.  Rapher, I gotta say:  top drawer performance!

Here's Rapher and BigAl on Leopoldstrasse, and BigAl vs the Big Pretzel

Here's my lean selection of the 116 photos I took at the Lowenbrau Keller for "Kraut Trinkenfest 2003" or whatever the hell it's called.  I have no idea what order they're supposed to go in.  And trust me... you don't want to see the other 105...

And the evening ends with me getting raped by a giant dog...

Now Munich isn't ALL about drinking... it's also about driving 185 kph on the autobahn.  We rented an Audi A4 (hell yeah) and fled to the mountains:

One final picture in Munich of Melanie, Steve, BigAl and Rapher drinking the Isarplop!

Oh, and I'm sure somewhere in there, I did some physics...

Berlin
 

The only reason I made it out of Munich alive is 'cause Rapher had to go to Philly.  And if you're wondering why I haven't got so many photos of Berlin, it's because it was FREAKIN' SNOWING IN THE MIDDLE OF APRIL.  (Maybe I've been living in Australia too long, but that just ain't right.)  Jens tells me that it's the coldest April they've had in recorded history... and they've been recording things for a LONG time...

 Oh, and I'm sure somewhere in there, I did some physics...
 

STEVE: 1, ITALIA-DEUTSCHLAND: 0 !!!  NEXT!