Where did the summer go?

All of sudden there is only ten days to go. Not quite sure where the summer has gone, but now real excitement is brewing. It also seems that going to Berlin is catching. Amongst us we know of seven people (including my dear Father) who will now be in either Berlin or France while we are there - so much for having illicit affairs.
The big question now really is the baggage allowance and how exactly you transport, paint, wire, glue, copper, scissors, awls and other such things without being mistaken for a terrorist?
It would be great if you could get an artist license. Kind of like James Bonds' License to Kill.
I guess we could buy all the supplies there - but travel language books tend to cover things like - "I need hot water in my hotel " not "do you sell silicone".
Sadly the German lessons are going terrible, instead of learning enough German to walk into a hardware store and confidently order items - I routinely made it to page sixteen of the lesson book and then fell sound asleep. My new strategy is a ten hour crash course over the Atlantic on route with a German translation of the Canadian Tire catalouge.