Sunday morning, we had brunch at Tom’s Diner in Denver. I fell in love in an instant.

We drove around and saw the city, then headed to Pepsi Center to see the Dalai Lama.

It’s hard to explain what it’s like being in the same building with him. I started crying the second he walked out on stage. He’s such an amazing combination of absolute serenity and goofiness. I loved him. It was over way too soon, but I feel like his insights and just the memory of being there are going to stick with me forever.

After the event, we wandered downtown and found ourselves in the middle of Oktoberfest in Larimer Square. There were shots of Jagermeister, polkaing, and a tshirt that reads polka like you’ve got a pair. I intend to wear it to Gasthof’s.

We walked around downtown Denver, checking out the shops and local sights. There was a huge hispanic festival going on in a park, but we didn’t know what it was about. We walked back down towards Pepsi center and encountered the halfway-to-St-Patrick’s-Day party at the Pour House. We met a bunch of dudes from Wisconsin and ended up having a singalong to Don’t Stop Believin’ with the entire bar. It was perfect.

Afterwards, we had a very late dinner downtown, and had a very sleepy return to our hotel.