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Published: March 24th 2013
I have to say that while I enjoyed the breakfast at Hotel Aron, this one is better. It has everything Hotel Aron had, but also has amazing croissants, fresh mozzarella cheese, tomato slices, fresh basil, cucumber slices, and fruit salad. Also, there were various types of yogurt and the coffee was really good. Like Hotel Aron, there was light lunch meats, cheeses, breads, muesli, and other things. We definitely started our day off right with that breakfast! Then we headed into Old Town, Dresden on the tram without a hitch. When we got to Old Town, we were hit with a chilling wind that was rough on all of us except Ava. I knew it would be cold and put long johns under her clothes to keep her warm.
We decided to see Zwinger Palace before finding a warm place to thaw out. It was really pretty with lots of statues. I think it would be prettier in the summer with the fountains working, but I got the point. It was obvious which parts had been added after WWII. Many parts of the palace were still black from the bombing and it shows how devastating it must have been for
this city. I’m sure the whole world regrets the events surrounding every aspect of that war. I didn’t get a chance to visit Hiroshima or Nagasaki while in Japan, so this is my first experience seeing the aftermath first hand.
After the palace, we got on a very long (and warm) boat tour that was completely in German. It was a nice way to see part of Dresden though and we all enjoyed some hot chocolate. I was surprised by size and beauty of the estates by the river. I wish that it were warmer so we could see them in person. Since we were thawed, we decided to have some lunch in Old Town at a nice bistro. Mom and I both had roast beef and potato dumplings while Ava ordered pasta. I say she ordered it because she ate half of my roast beef and not much of her pasta. We also walked into a random church, which was quite pretty, though not as ornate as the churches in Prague. We visited a museum that discussed the history of transportation. That was pretty cool, and I really enjoyed looking at all the old cars and bicycles. By
4 p.m., mom and Ava were obviously done for the day. So, we caught our tram back and made the short journey to our lovely room. Ava watched American cartoons in German, mom rested, and I typed this blog. I’m annoyed because I cannot get the WI-FI connection to work, but plan to post all of this on the bus ride back to Prague on Sunday. I have also added a video of Ava saying hello to a few of her friends while we were on the boat. I know she didn’t mention everyone, but we will fill in the gaps in Vienna next weekend. J
Alright, I will admit that when I reread this, it was pretty boring. I obviously had an exciting breakfast and the day went downhill from there. So, let me tell you a few details about this part of Europe that I have noticed. First of all, the toilet paper in the Czech is more like brown paper towel than the soft Charmin at home. If I use more than 2 squares, it won’t flush down the toilet. Mom bought Hello Kitty toilet paper, which is the softest toilet paper I’ve experienced since coming
here, but still no match to my beloved Charmin Extra Soft.
Another difference here is the PDA situation. At home, I might see young boys steal an occasional kiss from their girlfriends and people hold hands and hug. I’m cool with it. However, last night at the coffee shop, a couple basically had a full make-out session in between bits of strudel. Gross! Another couple kissed and carried on with some intense groping in the Old Town Square today. The couple in front of me on the bus (the ones that needed alcohol before 10 a.m.) were kissing a lot too. Maybe this is common in Europe and completely acceptable, but I’m not really in favor of it. The occasional kiss in public is one thing, but I’d prefer if the rest is left to the privacy of our homes or hotel rooms.
Now, it’s important to also note that we don’t have that many beautiful, historic buildings like they do here. We don’t preserve things or seem to value our history and our culture like they do here. Even cool places like Philadelphia that are rich with American history and ruined the authenticity by adding tacky laser
Mom and Ava
Entering the Old Citylight shows and neon signs to what could be restored to resemble the original colonial city. In Europe, they don’t need to cover up historical beauty with new technology and I appreciate that.
I hope that makes this post a bit more interesting. Keep warm!
Ava says hello to some of her friends:
Christina Johnson
non-member comment
HAHA
Great way to start your day with a good breakfast!!! Hahahah little Ava taking over breakfast. Shoot I wonder if its too late, meaning have you left Dresden already? I wanted to see if you could find me a good recipe for a German Chocolate Cake, lol right before reading this blog I was googling some recipes. Well it sounds like You, Ava and Mom are having the time of you life. I am so proud of you girlie!!!! Enjoy yourself. I will say this many years ago when I went to Hawaii, I visited Pearl Harbor...and being there I felt like it had just happened!!!! I wanted to cry. Everyone was sooo silent and the mood completely changed. It was tension in the air...there were a few blacks but mainly whites and asians and it was a strange feeling. Luckily the tour only lasted about 30 mins cause I swear there was animosity in the air and a fight was about to break out. LOL...anyway once again enjoy yourself and I will tune in when I can!! :)