*Sun Lovers*

It never ceases to amaze me when I see shriveled up old smokers who have sunburn on their wrinkled faces. I guess I should just be glad I haven't seen the "Free Body Culture" or nude sunbathers in the park yet.

People in Germany are lovers of the sun in an extreme that's not found in Utah even after a long winter. Either Germans ignore the bad effects of sun, or they have firmly decided (like many of their other opinions) that it can only be good for them. Young and old alike stay outside for hours at a time and get burned and don't mind it in the least. While putting on sunscreen, I heard the whole argument about getting vitamins from the sun. Yep. You can do that without damaging your skin and hugely multiplying your chances of cancer.

Now that the sun's out, people are too, and we're not just talking a few more people flying kites at the local elementary school. When the weather is good, people say things like, "We can't do that, we must go to the park." Everything is available outside. Restaurants put tables out on the street and there are ping pong and chess tables outside where people can play. Windows are left wide open for the remainder of the year as far as I can tell, to remind people for the short time they are inside that there is a beautiful outside they are missing.