Madame Tussauds now has a wax museum in Berlin, but with a twist. Adolph Hitler was decapitated by the second visitor to the museum on July 5. The exhibit has been controversial from the start and rules were set that people could not take photographs in the exhibit. While the exhibit displayed a rather forlorn looking Hitler sitting at a desk in a gray bunker, the exhibit itself has sparked controversy from the day of its announcement as perhaps not being in the best of taste.

Apparently at least one visitor thought it was not in good taste and jumped the rope barriers and tore off the head of the wax figure of Adolph Hitler. Germans are not fans of Hitler and there is still a great deal of sensitivity surrounding him. Even a production of "The Producers", which opened on June 30 in Vienna met with scepticism. My German friends and colleagues don't see the humor in "Springtime for Hitler", but then again, they haven't seen the play. Apparently, it is being as well received in Vienna as it was in the US.

Madame Tussauds in Berlin is located on Unter den Linden, not far from the Brandenburg Gate and has several other exhibits of famous Germans including Albert Einstein, Guenter Grass, Bertolt Brecht, Konrad Adenauer, Marlene Dietrich, Otto von Bismarck (Germany's first Chancellor) and today's Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as Heidi Klum.

Berlin is the latest of the Madame Tussauds museums, making it the 7th in the world.

I recently wrote an article about Germany, saying, tongue in cheek, that one of the reasons Germany is a great place to live is that it is still possible to smoke in the pubs. Of course, that is not a reason that Germany is a great place to live - there are many other more valid reasons. But as I got so many livid responses to that one line, I thought I would clarify.

Every German state has different laws, and yes, as of July 1, 2008, every state has banned smoking in public buildings, offices, restaurants and bars to one extent or the other. It is a topic in the news here on a regular basis, they show empty pubs and restaurants and the gastronomy business in Germany is suffering.

It is still possible to smoke in many pubs and restaurants though. Many states allow "smokers clubs", (pubs and restaurants that still allow smokers) or allow rooms to be set aside for smokers. Even Bavaria, which has the strictest non-smoking laws in Germany, has decided to allow smoking in the tents at Oktoberfest.

Over the past few years, anti-smoking groups have made great strides in Germany but the courts have several cases before them that still need to be decided. In a country where 1/3 of the adult population smokes, the smoking ban has created quite a stir and will undoubtedly continue to be an issue. Non-smokers can be pleased that most places are smoke-free and people that do smoke can still enjoy a cigarette after dinner or with their drink in smokers clubs or designated rooms.