I spent the lovely afternoon in the Rathausplatz today, sitting on a bench near the fountain and trying to read but really just watching the adorable small children and occasional tour groups, and keeping an eye on the thirteen billion pigeons roaming the ground. One of said pigeons sitting under a bench a little ways away somehow managed to get itself flipped on its back. It rolled around a bit, trying to right itself, but no luck. So it waited a few minutes, lying still as though it had shuffled off its mortal coil and joined the choir invisible. This is where I got a little uncomfortable. It gathered enough energy to try again, this time beating its wings against the ground so hard that it rolled right out from underneath the bench, making a horrible thumping noise that I couldn't tune out when I looked away. After awhile it lay still again. Everybody ignored it, people and pigeons alike. At this point I considered leaving, but really didn't want to; it was such a beautiful day, and I had nowhere to go, so I figured I could just hide my face behind my book and ignore the rather dead-looking bird twenty feet away. Well, it kind of worked. About two more of the pigeon's attempts at rolling over later, I left. I wonder if it's still there. I don't believe I'll check.
