My Own Time in Dresden and my overnight in Lipezig

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So its been just over a week since I have been alone traveling in Germany.

The rest of the day of the 6th was an easy day. Pepe (from Spain/Cataluna, Barcilona) from the work camp came back to Dresden for the evening and stayed at Stephans. We hung out in the park and had a beer before we ran into Stephan on the walk home. He gave us a lift the rest of the way and the rest of the evening we spent hanging out at the flat, talking with his house mates. Pepe had to get up at 05:30 to make sure he got to the airport at 08:00. There was a museum that I wanted to see so I woke up early as well and got a good spot in line to see if I could get tickets to see the "green vault" of August the strong.

So I, to my suprise woke up with Pepe (who I was also suprised woke up), and made it to the historical city around 07:00. It was really nice to walk around the historical city (which isnt very big) with out all the tourists. I spoke to a gardener in broken Germanenglish and was told that people start lining up around 08:00. So I walked around, bought breakfast, took some photos and went back to the museum at 08:30. There was already a line but I was albe to buy a ticket to the exhibit at 10:00 when the museum opened. I also bought a ticket to see the green vault and then a evaporate ticket for the rest of the museum. ....

Okay, so I am embarrassingly, hugely, inexcusable behind on these travel journals. As i write this on September 9th from a friends apartment in New York (Astoria). I am glad I will be bringing my labtop back to Italy with me so I dont have to deal with the same problem I encountered on this trip, mainly, I write really slowly and I never had time when I was staying with friends and using their computers (the amount of time it would take me to write would, I feel be a littel too long and too much of an inconvenience to do during the day, it would have to be a up in the middle of the night thing or nothing at all. Well you all know how it turned out). And when I was paying for computer time at internet cafes I certainly didnt want to pay for as much time as I would need. So as, well someone in my family who was wise once said, "Don't say your sorry 1,000 times, say it once and then dont do it agian". So to those of you who have been "following" this blog. I am sorry. Now I've said it, and now I must do the hard part which is to refrain from doing it again.

So here is the abridged completion of this entry. Its funny how details get lost in such a short time.

so August 7th. Did see the Green Vault and some other very cool exhibits. Met up with Phil, one of Stephans house mates, who showed me alot of things I already saw down town but told me their names in German and told me what he knew about them. Walked up to the top of an old church. Went to get coffee at a cool, organic fairtrade cafe. Walked around on my own for a little while (phil had to go to the library, he is working on his thesis). Found a place to take a nap for an hour and then met Sun at 6pm to go see a show at the Zwinger. It was a dance show with three parts. The first two were good, last was kind of blah. After we went to a cafe and got desert and drinks. Said goodbye to Sun and walked back to Stephans flat.

Aug 8
While out with Sun after the show I had told Sun I was getting board in Dresden and wondered if she had suggestions of what to do as I was waiting till the 10th for my ride to Bonn. She suggested the Lipezig zoo. Meantioned this the Stephan when I got back to the flat and he called his friend in Lipezig the morning of the 8th. Spoke to her boyfriend Alex who said it would be fine if I came and spent the night in their flat. So off I went. Slept (disappointed to have, I always, ALWAYS, fall asleep on trains and miss all the good sensory, I think its a side affect from my parents driving me around to get me to fall asleep when I was an infant). Anyway arrived in Lipezig and found my lostish way to the flat. Katia and Alex were SO nice. Giving me maps and suggestions of where to go and just generally really nice warm people. Katia gave me her mobile incase I need to get in touch or vice versa. Just really sweet people. Both working on their PhD's. Walked around the main shopping area, the alternative neighborhood. It was funny because I saw most of the same stores I saw in Neoistad in Lipezig, just bigger versions. Later found out alot of people in Dresden use to travel to Lipezig for the shopping so these stores like Ms. Hippy just opened smaller versions in Dresden. Eat dinner at a cafe that Alex and Katia insisted I go to. Stayed at the cafe chatting with a guy and listing to the old Ukrainian guy (some expat who use to be a concert pianist) playing piano, and drank free beer from the sweet little french waiter who worked there. The cafe had a boat in the back garden, really good food, lots of old book and cool art inside.

Aug 9
Saw Alex and Katia in the morning. They were off to a friends birthday and were, again, SUPER nice. Left the flat with them and stet off for my second day in Leipzig. Decided I was tired of looking like Rogue from X-Men so I died my hair red. Went to a HUGE old monument that was comunist times. It was very big and not so beautiful. Walked the very narrow staircase up to the top. There are alot of sites in Europe that you walk to the top of for a small fee. Walked through a weird market where people were selling whole baskets of food in an auctioneer style. Went to the zoo as Sun had recommended it and I had several hours until the last train left for Dresden. It just so happened that there was a HUGE party at the zoo that night. Open till midnight, lots of live music, fire eaters, dancers, zoo exhibits etc. Ended up with a little blue and purple braid in my hair and finally found the frapachino/frozen coffee drink I had been craving since I left Israel. Listened to some really good bands from Africa and walked around the zoo, which is a really nice zoo all on its own. Headed back to Dresden on the last train, just bairly making it- did the whole run through the train station thing and all. Made a thank you card for Stephan on the ride home and arrived back in Dresden around 11pm. Was feeling nostalgic and cold so I decided to stop back into a bar in Neoistad one more time while I was walking by it anyway. Went to a bar I remembered was really warm, bough a Becks, chatted with some Germans out on a "were free from our girlfriends" night, and happened to run into Stephan, who, of all places, was at the same bar. Went home in a few hours and stayed up late with Stephan drinking champagne and talking about changing the world.

Aug 10
Woke up late and said good bye to Stephan and the house mates. Found my way to the meeting point for the long awaited ride to Bonn. Wrote alot in my journal on the ride over. Dirk (the driver) and the other two riders didnt speak a lot of English but seemed nice enough. Made it to Bonn around 9:30 and Judith picked me up at the train station around 10pm. I met Judith in London last winter while I was studying at BADA. She was over there as an aupair. We went out together in London some and kept intouch. She is such a lovely person, kind, cultured, very intelligent - she is going to university in September for photography and advertizing or media comunications (I cant remember which). Stayed at her moms house with her two brothers. They are a really lovely family. Mom is a teacher. Brothers are 16 and 13ish. Everyone speaks very good English. Funny story: Her older brother was wearing a Abercrombie and Fitch TShirt that said "save a cherry, pop a collar" and had no clue what it meant. He bought it in London and just wanted a shirt from the company. Spent the evening hanging out with Judith, catching up and such.

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Photos

Zwinger
went to go see a dance piece with Sun

Downtown
in Dresden

Zwinger
early morning

Feet
waiting early in the morning to see the greenvault

Bombs
if you put your elbows on the railing you can listen to a sound recording of Dresden being bombed

Phil
Stephans housemate listing to the bombs

Bar
went to this bar a few times, good music, dancing and very very warm

Town Hall
in Lipezig

Pinweel Wall
In Lipezig

Shopping street
in Lipezig

Boat
in the back of the cafe I eat dinner at

Monument
big comunist monument

its big
very big, view from balcony while walking to the top

View from the top
note castle and old GDR buildings in the same shot, they want to keep both buildings as they are all part of their history

Zoo Party
African band

Zoo
Leaping Leamer

Zoo
savanna part

Comments

[abalada]

big communist monument
This "big communist monument" is the Völkerschlachtdenkmal (Monument of the Battle of the Nations) celebrating the victory over Napolen in 1813.