http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Germany , Saxony en-us Fri, 11 Dec 09 14:54:24 +0000 Fri, 11 Dec 09 14:54:24 +0000 5th March '09Namibian never a picture of athleticism has taken a turn for the worse. With sunken eyes and clutching a bottle of cough mixture he looks like a Peruvian spectacled bear. His nose runs as he asks how far it is to the shopping centre. My reply ' a fifteenminute walk' has him wincing and coughing rather than attempt such an undertaking he shuffles despondently round his tra http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/blog-452949.html Here are a mix of photos from Malm Copenhagen Dresden and Prague hope you all like them http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Dresden/blog-448414.html So a white guy a black guy and a Polock were on an airplane that was about to crash.................. and that was about all we knew about Poland when we crossed the border out of Slovakia. Growing up in the States most of us were exposed to a wealth of jokes where the unlucky Polish bloke always ends up doing the stupidest thing possible. After travelling for just ten days in the country it s http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Dresden/blog-446627.html Perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of working on farms is the meeting of various and sundry characters along the way that you wouldn't have otherwise met. Traveling in cities can be nice but when you stay in a hostel then more than likely you'll be meeting fellow travelers. Most of the folks I've met in hostels have been British Canadian or Australian. If on the other hand you get http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Gro-enhain/blog-436503.html How shocking it is that autumn in Europe seems to arrive overnight. Just the other day Angelika was commenting on how hot it was in the loft. Today she asked me if we were freezing up here because the weather had taken a chilly turn. I suppose it's a bit funny for me to be walking around in August wearing a fleece while Sara is riding the Hotter Than Hell bike tour back in Texas. But one of http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Gro-enhain/blog-436500.html Loyal readers I must confess something I hate my birthday. Never have liked celebrating it could really do without any of the hullaballoo that usually surrounds it and honestly would prefer to have money spent on my presents spent on people who need it more than I do. I know that sounds a bit selfrighteous but honestly I could do without the birthday. So this year one of my nefarious goa http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Gro-enhain/blog-436494.html Through north Germany and south to Berlin and DresdenAs I thought it has been difficult to catch wifi whilst touring in Germany but we have it now at our campsite just north of Dresden.So we are fine and still finding this very interesting. Especially as since Lubeck a couple of weeks ago we are in former East Germany. Some of the roads are terrible for cycling with large cobblestones the whole http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Dresden/blog-432410.html Well it has been 4 days now and this is my third attempt at a blog the last two got wiped each time before saving...sux oh well maybe this one will be better. We spent 18 hours on 10 different trains to get from Amsterdam central to Groenhain. it was horrible but we got here and we got here cheapish. we left at 1236pm on the 18th and arrived at 530am on the 19th. We are settling here quite goo http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Gro-enhain/blog-430411.html Saturday 15th AugustInto southern GermanyIt has been a very good three daysfour nights in Berlin see the sights and not having to drive ourselves around with the problems of city traffic and finding a car park.The day has dawned beautifully fine and with small amount of breeze coming from the south the temperature should be warm.A problem in not understanding German is that you tend to avoid the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/blog-429770.html What was old is new. What was new is old. But hip. I think the first time Dresden entered my consciousness was while I was suffering in ninthgrade at DeKalb High School. A visiting orchestra was giving a free performance to the student body one that largely could have cared less about classical music. The main piece was Symphony No. 1 by David Bukvich a memorial to the 1945 Allied firebo http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Dresden/blog-422328.html Once upon a time there was a beauty and a beast...I. BeautyBeauty did not seem concerned by the kids sporting mohawks and wearing ripped fishnet stockings. Beauty didn't even seem concerned with the pet rat. Beauty knew that they wouldn't detract from her beauty.I am told Leipzig looked a little worn around the edges during the GDR era with the heavy industry that dominated the region and w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Leipzig/blog-421048.html The heartwrenching elegy reverberated from the pink columns and the candycolored vault somehow evincing sorrow and hope at the same time. The soaring notes of the chamber orchestra and the rich tones of the choir and soloists rendered the score of Norwegian composer Stle Kleibergrsquos ldquoRequiem for the Victims of Nazi Persecutionrdquo a prayer in a minor key. The lyrics told of t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Leipzig/blog-421041.html Bir skdar balkonunda guruba kar351305 demlenir gibi Bir ak351amst Laypzigrsquote tramvay dura287305ndaTad305n305 305kara 305kara yudum yudum kederleniyorum. Naz305m Hikmet 22 June 1958One of my favorite poems by the Turkish poet Naz305m Hikmet is a short pang of longing for his home in skdar on the Asian shore of Istanbul a longing evoked by http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Leipzig/blog-421035.html 13 hours left...and we are packed. bought some mud flaps for our bikes so we don't get wet and dirty. just need to install them...confusing. lucky Andre should be able to do it...my little handy man. our bike bags are so full. but not too heavy. it is good they are not too big cause l know l would over do it. the bags go on the sides of our bike at the back tires evenly weighted. so it is now http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Gro-enhain/blog-417136.html 33 hours and 27 minutes left......till we leave Germany and head to Sweden which will be our first destination on our adventure through some of Europe. Apparently we will be wanting to leave by 5am in the morning...going to be soooooo tired. Anyway it all starts with Andres dad driving us from Germany to Sweden. we are hopefully also going to go to the borders of Sweden so l can get a stamp and s http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Gro-enhain/blog-416884.html Hi EveryoneThanks so much for your awesome comments. Jonathan REALLY enjoyed reading them and they made both of us laugh. Andreas and I are having such a great time with Jonathan. He is such a sweet spirited good natured funny kid. Jonathan and Andreas have developed several inside jokes for which I'm either too dense or not cool enough to understand Jonathan just assured me that it's a litt http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Dresden/blog-416380.html Jonathan and I have really been enjoying the museums here. There are so many fun interactive creative museums to visit. We wandered into the Technische Sammlung yesterday literally within walking distance of our house an added bonus and stayed for over 3 hours playing with things experimenting and trying to solve logic puzzles quicker than the other or quicker than the other museum gues http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Dresden/blog-414350.html Jonathan and I decided to take it easier yesterday after a very full weekend and many more activities in store for this week and next week. We hit the old part of the city Altstadt again revisited the palace and the Zwinger and spent some time in my favorite church in Dresden the Kreuzkirche The Church of the Cross loosely translated. The Kreuzkirche has been completely destroyed and rebu http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Dresden/blog-413715.html The day after Alex's graduation we had a sort of family day around the house. Christoph and Steffi were still here from Frankfurt and Alex's grandparents also came over. I then experienced the German version of a hot tub they call it a hot pot. However I feel it should be renamed. Perhaps a lukeward tub or a pretty damn cold tub. It was effing freezing. Anyway all 8 of us were in it. We http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/Leipzig/blog-413703.html Jonathan surprised us yesterday morning by being the first one up. He had gone to bed later than us the night before so we were still fearing that we might have to peel him out of bed again. Fortunately for us he was up and at 'em and never looked back. He woke up before me again this morning so I feel pretty confident that his jetlag is gone. Hooray Jonathan is going to eat the floorboards http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Saxony/blog-413259.html