HI there!

Hi everyone!
I am hoping that people are still checking. Dad, where are you? I have not seen you post anything since you invited everyone. Are you still here?
Does anyone know where Will is? I got a message on Facebook that he was racing through the streets of Afghanistan or some strange place. Any ideas?
I just returned from Berlin last week and I was so impressed with the city and the people. I managed a tour on the first morning I was there (although this was a work trip), and nearly everything we saw was either brand new or re built. It turns out that in East Germany, nothing was rebuilt by the Russians. It all lay in ruins until 1991 or so. It has taken the Germans only 15 year to rebuild the city that the carpet bombing of the Allied forces took away. It is a beautiful city today with historical monuments perfectly rebuilt and modern architecture that blends and compliments the historic buildings. I was most impressed with memorialization of the holocaust. After livingin Japan - a country that is in complete denial of its WWII history - I have such respect for the grace and speed with which Germany is moving forward while wearing the weight of such a profound and dark modern history. The Holocaust Memorial was just behind my hotel. On the streets, embedded in the sidewalks are brass plaques in which are listed the naes of the Jewish families that were taken from the site, and how old they were when they died. It was very sad. I have incredible respect for them for the level of acknowledgement of it all. It was a wonderful trip and I plan to go back soon on an invitatation from the Minister of Defense and his wife. I am very excited to go.
I miss you. See you soon, I hope!