Happy VE Day

OK, so I need to close the loop in an upcoming post. I am back in Germany ... have been for two weeks, although I came back via three days in Montreux. Scenic. Definitely a different world from Asia. More on that later.

One of my French colleagues came into our larger common office waving his French flag, leaving the Germans somewhat baffled. So, I did the American thing and took charge of the situation:

"You know, Monsieur, the French are the only people on the earth who do more flag-waving than the Americans." Snickers around the room. "So, what are we celebrating?"

"Ah, you know what day it is?" he responds.

"Indeed. You know, one of my Russian friends asked me one time why we do not celebrate on May 9th, the day the Germans ended hostilities with the Russians, and I told her 'Because, silly girl, everyone knows the Americans won the war on May 8th.'"

French guy gets an annoyed look on his face. A couple Germans laugh, because someone has finally gotten the goat of Monsieur flag-waver.

"Yes, but you did not do it alone," he continues the game a little less smugly.

"You could have fooled us." This pisses off one of the Brit colleagues, but that's his problem, not mine. "You know, the last Army to march in victory under the Arc de Triomphe was the American army. Before that it was the Germans. When exactly was the last time the French had occasion to celebrate a real triumph?"

"Ja, it certainly wasn't 1871," one of the Germans chimes in. This has become a blood sport.

So, Happy VE Day, y'all. Take a few prisoners, if only to torture ... I mean interrogate them.