Catching Up on the "Blogging"

Welcome and Apologies

I apologize to all of my faithful readers for not keeping up over the past few days. You didn't really expect an entry every single day for the next three months, did you? The "Chez Jeff" post didn't really count...

Alas, English-Speaking Companionship!

So the past two days have been my best days yet here, as I finally have fellow North Americans to speak English with! Yesterday I met Emily, who attends the University of Georgia and is originally from somewhere near New Orleans in Louisiana. Today I met Teri, who is from Canada. Emily is experienced in the art of living in Germany, as she participated in a language program at the Technische Universitat Darmstradt last summer. She knows enough German to make me look like an idiot, which is quite helpful. Teri is as new to Germany as I am, which makes me feel comfortable that I'm not the only one who arrived here not knowing much about the language or culture.

Biergarten, the Elbe, and a Beautiful View of Dresden

Last night (Sunday 20 May), I had one of those vacationesque moments, with Emily and I sitting at a biergarten on the Elbe, drinking German beer, and taking in a gorgeous view of the scenic parts of Dresden. It was quite similar to one of those moments when you are on vacation, sitting on a beach or looking at something like the Grand Canyon, thinking, "Wow, this is surreal. Too bad this vacation is going to end soon and I'm going to have to go back to my crappy life." Of course, the main difference is that I actually do live here, and I don't have to go back to my crappy life. As I sit here and write this, I have the option of going back to said biergarten in ten minutes by bike, twenty minutes on foot, etc. This will be the case for the next three months as I write these to you.

Incidental Music Festival

Yesterday, as Emily and I walked from around where I live to the center of Altstadt entirely via pedestrian promenades, we walked through some archway and found ourselves in a crowded baroque square with a ~200 person choir singing religious music. For whatever reason it's just funny to randomly happen upon something like that. Apparently it was the beginning of the Dresden Music Festival. Unfortunately it's not the "cool" kind of music festival, but there will be some kind of music in the center of Altstadt every evening for the next week or so.

A New Favorite Food

As Emily and I were wandering around Altstadt yesterday evening, she stopped at one of those hole-in-the-wall counter-service food stands, and asked me if I have ever had dinner before. I stopped to think for a second, and told her that yes, I have indeed had dinner before, and I typically eat it every night. Actually it is spelled "Doner" with two little dots over the 'o', and is pronounced the same way we refer to our evening meal. It is a Turkish food, though it is very common in Germany (similar to how gyros are a Greek food but all the rage in America). It is quite like a gyro, actually. The meat is almost the same, though sliced a bit thinner, and the bread is a bit thicker than pita. The sauces are also very different. It is freaking delicious. Best of all, it's very cheap, and there are doner stands all around the city. I even managed to find one about a block away from where I live!

Bicycle Woes

First of all, I fell off my bike... AGAIN!!! I'm really starting to dislike tram tracks, as they leave a metal-walled gap in the street that is basically the exact width of road bike tires. This time, there was a large group of pedestrians gathered at the corner, and none of them said anything or approached me. Once again, quite a different experience than when I have had the pleasure of falling in Blacksburg. Also, I purchased a small hand pump, and as I was trying to use it ended up messing up one of my tubes and breaking the valve. Thus, I had to buy new tubes, a seemingly simple task which is of course complicated by the fact that I'm in Germany and I don't speak German. I just bought a floor pump when I bought the new tube.

Trip to Meissen

FAILED.

I tried to visit a neat-looking small town about 15 km up the Elbe, under the impression that I would just have to stay on a bike trail the whole way. Unfortunately, the trail ended only a few km outside of the main urban core of Dresden, and I was dumped out onto streets in the outskirts of the city. The area I was dumped into was pretty cool; it had something of a "small village" feel to it, but I really wasn't trying to get lost in an entire region and decided to turn around. The coolest part of my little journey was the approach back towards the center of Dresden. You definitely need to have read "The Slaughterhouse Five" to understand what I am talking about. I am referring to the scene when the main character, after being stuck on a P.O.W. train for an extended period of time, looks out the window of the train as they are approaching Dresden, and is convinced that he has died and awoken in a Baroque Heaven. Here is what he saw approaching via train, and what I saw approaching via bicycle:


Compared to what I see as I approach Christiansburg on the Huckleberry Trail:


Oh, America... When will you learn?

(Side note: Wal-Mart tried to ruin Germany, and failed miserably!!! There are now no Wal-Mart stores in the whole country. It's pretty interesting how and why they failed; I suggest you read into it if you are critical of Wal-Mart or otherwise interested.)

Beer and Soft Ice Cream

It's funny how the only knowledge I was given of German culture in school is seeing videos of Hitler shouting. In reality, Germany is a bunch of extremely nice people who walk around all day eating soft ice cream and drinking beer. Seriously. This is one of those quirky cultural things that you will probably only realize if you spend a good amount of time here, but they love soft ice cream and Italian Ice. All over the crowded parts of the city, in the parks, etc. there are carts that sell soft ice cream and Italian ice. For some reason it really seems to brighten up the general aura of the city when so many people are holding ice cream cones. My suggestions is that we not only take away Americans' guns, but replace them with ice cream cones.

The Park

Ah, that park. The Virginia Tech Duckpond finally gets a run for its money. First of all, it's absolutely massive for an urban park. There are countless dirt trails that go through forests and ponds, and some wider paved trails that make up the main thoroughfares of the park (cars are permitted Monday - Friday, but are still a rare sight). The park is very heavily used by city residents young and old alike. I counted no less than four soft ice cream and Italian ice carts on the weekend, and there was even one there in the middle of a weekday. There are a couple of beer gardens around the periphery of the park. There is also a zoo, and a little train that goes around the park. Here is a picture of a castle which is in the center of it all:


Conclusions and Farewell

I'm starting to feel much more comfortable here now that I've met some English speakers and know my way around a good chunk of the city. I no longer have to spend five hours getting lost just to go grocery shopping. I'm still a bit uncomfortable with the internship, but hopefully I will soon feel less stupid and worthless. Soon I will even venture onto the public transportation system, once I officially become enrolled as a temporary student at TU Dresden. Thanks again to anyone who is keeping up.