A Night in the Parliament, A Day at the Marionette Theater

Tuesday night I headed back to the Members' Salon for a reception hosted by an MEP for some Christian organizations in town. It was in the same room in which I experienced "Mongolia Night." They served us a few nibbles but as it was dinnertime it did not sate my appetite. Saw a few Well friends there, such as Miika (the Finnish version of Steve Smallman, complete with rocking klavier skills, dimples, humor, and popularity) and Laura (a true British gal who works for a social services association). We met up with a Slovak friend who was coming out of his office and proceeded to scope out the other receptions going on in the ASP building that night. There was "Stateless Nation," a reception for an exhibit on Palestine. But there was no food, and no drinks left except champagne, water, and OJ. Next we tried to sneak in to the President's reception where there was actual, real FOOD, but we didn't stand a chance of getting in. (This kind of thing only happens in the movies.) Finally we went up elevators, down escalators, and up stairs to get to a little sandwich shop that was closed. Why, oh why, in a place where socialism and equality are so highly valued, could my poor little stomach not find sustenance? As Jerry Seinfeld said, "You see why communism didn't work."

This afternoon I accompanied two small children and their grandmother to a small Marionette (puppet) theater. Today's show was the life and music of Mozart. It was a bit campy but still a delight to watch. Every time Mozart's carriage would travel from Vienna to Paris or Paris to London, the kids would make clucking noises to signify the motion of the wheels over the rocky roads. It was sort of cute but got old after a while. I was hoping for a Tintin show, but Mozart was an adequate replacement. I did see Tintin puppets in the museum afterwards.