September 24, DRESDEN
This morning, we left Berlin. Four days in such a large and historic city does not begin to scracth the surface. There is so much to see, we would have needed another few weeks. The two hour train ride to Dresden took quite the planning. We are six adults and one baby that needs a lot of clothes and diapers and we also have a fair size carriage. Jorg, our chief organizer, organized our entrance. First, he goes in as quickly as possible and we pass him all the luggage which he promptly hikes up on the baggage shelf. Then we all get in and we start looking for our reserved seats. All this time, Maria is outside with the baby and stroller. Jorg then goes back out and gets them in, once all the passengers have boarded so he can leave the baby carriage in the entrance. Only then, do we reunite. To his surprise, we are still in the isle when he arrives, making his way as best as he can since the isle is packed with people looking for a seat. We don't speak German and our seats are occupied. Again, our chief organizer comes to the rescue. A lot of people board the trains with a valid ticket but not with reserved seating.
In Dresden, our accommodations are different. We could not find an apartment so we are in a hotel. The walk from the train is an eventful one, on cobble stones with rolling luggage. Let's see what our wheels are like after this trip. It was the same situation in Berlin and so far, they are holding up.
We had a quick bite and got ready to go exploring. Jorg, it turns out has a cousin in town Zaida, who came to meet us. She is delightful, very pretty and a student in Dresden. If I remember correctly, she is working on her doctorate in International Relations. She volunteered at the university to help the refugees settle in. The person in charge was so impressed with her, he hired her as an organizer. This talent is genetic, it seems. She has worked all night, managed a three hour nap before coming to meet us. She was with us until 11 o'clock that night.
DRESDEN: To say Dresden is a beautiful city is like saying the Taj Mahal is a nice monument. This city is fabulous and so very impressive. It does not matter which way you look, the beauty is breathtaking. The buildings all around, on both side of the river, are immense, with all kinds of carvings, be it flowers, animals, vegetation, people. I really am in awe surrounded by so much beautiful architecture. We are meandering through an outdoor market/fair with many rows of little shops, many of them offering delicious things to eat. Of course, true to our generous nature, we feel the need to boost the local economy and many different snacks are purchased and shared among all 7 of us. Valerie stares at us probably wishing she could also taste this authentic and delicious food. Keep in mind that we are still planning to go to dinner.
After walking for over 5 hours and taking in the sights, darkness descends on us. It is time to call it quits and go to a restaurant. Here the beer and wine are cheaper than the water or the juice. The restaurant is full of very happy people, drinking beer by the litre. The food is delicious and everyone is enjoying the rest with large beers and noisy conversation. Our little angel is still happy, feeding every couple of hours, always in a different place, with different noises and smells. Nothing seems to distract her from the task at hand. - feeding. As we only have one night in Dresden we have checked into a small hotel the Ibis, instead of our preferred airbnb. The advantage is that as soon as we have done dinner all we have to do is check into our respective rooms and fall asleep. Tomorrow we leave for Prague.
This morning, we left Berlin. Four days in such a large and historic city does not begin to scracth the surface. There is so much to see, we would have needed another few weeks. The two hour train ride to Dresden took quite the planning. We are six adults and one baby that needs a lot of clothes and diapers and we also have a fair size carriage. Jorg, our chief organizer, organized our entrance. First, he goes in as quickly as possible and we pass him all the luggage which he promptly hikes up on the baggage shelf. Then we all get in and we start looking for our reserved seats. All this time, Maria is outside with the baby and stroller. Jorg then goes back out and gets them in, once all the passengers have boarded so he can leave the baby carriage in the entrance. Only then, do we reunite. To his surprise, we are still in the isle when he arrives, making his way as best as he can since the isle is packed with people looking for a seat. We don't speak German and our seats are occupied. Again, our chief organizer comes to the rescue. A lot of people board the trains with a valid ticket but not with reserved seating.
In Dresden, our accommodations are different. We could not find an apartment so we are in a hotel. The walk from the train is an eventful one, on cobble stones with rolling luggage. Let's see what our wheels are like after this trip. It was the same situation in Berlin and so far, they are holding up.
We had a quick bite and got ready to go exploring. Jorg, it turns out has a cousin in town Zaida, who came to meet us. She is delightful, very pretty and a student in Dresden. If I remember correctly, she is working on her doctorate in International Relations. She volunteered at the university to help the refugees settle in. The person in charge was so impressed with her, he hired her as an organizer. This talent is genetic, it seems. She has worked all night, managed a three hour nap before coming to meet us. She was with us until 11 o'clock that night.
DRESDEN: To say Dresden is a beautiful city is like saying the Taj Mahal is a nice monument. This city is fabulous and so very impressive. It does not matter which way you look, the beauty is breathtaking. The buildings all around, on both side of the river, are immense, with all kinds of carvings, be it flowers, animals, vegetation, people. I really am in awe surrounded by so much beautiful architecture. We are meandering through an outdoor market/fair with many rows of little shops, many of them offering delicious things to eat. Of course, true to our generous nature, we feel the need to boost the local economy and many different snacks are purchased and shared among all 7 of us. Valerie stares at us probably wishing she could also taste this authentic and delicious food. Keep in mind that we are still planning to go to dinner.
After walking for over 5 hours and taking in the sights, darkness descends on us. It is time to call it quits and go to a restaurant. Here the beer and wine are cheaper than the water or the juice. The restaurant is full of very happy people, drinking beer by the litre. The food is delicious and everyone is enjoying the rest with large beers and noisy conversation. Our little angel is still happy, feeding every couple of hours, always in a different place, with different noises and smells. Nothing seems to distract her from the task at hand. - feeding. As we only have one night in Dresden we have checked into a small hotel the Ibis, instead of our preferred airbnb. The advantage is that as soon as we have done dinner all we have to do is check into our respective rooms and fall asleep. Tomorrow we leave for Prague.
This is so much fun reading about your day and your adventure I wish I was with you guys!!! Prague what can one say it is to me the most beautiful city in the eastern part of Europe we spent 4 days there and we still haven't see all of it hope you have more than 1day you will fall in love with It as for the people well!!!!!! Enjoy love you Take carexxx
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