Translation of Zeitvertreib

Instead of focusing on the meeting between Clinton and Mubarak, the media prefered to talk about the birthday cake that Hillary Clinton received and about the visit of pyramids and other attractions.
Did you hear about the earthquake this morning in Greece. This is really terrible, I think that quite a few viligars lost their lifes and many more lost their homes. I am really sad for all of them.
We considered staying a little longer in this region but the weather forecast foresaw heavy winds and lots of rain. We therefore decided to move on to our next destination which was the Peninsula Valdes.