Hallo! And greetings from the capital of Germany: Berlin! I have safely made it to my host mother's apartment and am currently sitting in my very own room! Wahoo! I finally have some peace and quiet!
So, let me first give a bit of an overview of the past couple of days so you can get a feel for our travels. Well, yesterday we drove from Prague to Dresden. Dresden or "Dre's Den," was absolutely amazing! I loved the city's character, it's architecture, and the spring festival that was going on (across the street from the anarchist's rally, of course). To give a little background on Dresden, it was (basically) completely destroyed by the Allies at the very end of WWII. The bombing of Dresden is viewed by many as completely unnecessary because it was evident that a Nazi loss was preeminent and it appeared as if the Allies just wanted to get rid of the last of their weapons supplies/seek revenge on Germany. So, since the 1945, Dresden has seen a complete transformation. It is now a modern city with historical personality. It was sad, yet interesting to see how the main church in the city was rebuilt and how it's weathered foundations serve as a reminder of the past. I very much enjoyed our own little "Springfest," although the weather was a bit more overcast in Dresden than in Schenectady!
After visiting the festival, we made our way to a currywurst stand. Currywurst is a type of sausage that is very popular in Germany, the sauce it is dipped in is favored with the spice, curry! So, this currywurst stand is very well known for its extremely spicy sausages. And so, a contest ensued amongst our group. Almost all of us decided to try the hottest possible wurst (it burned like no other food I have had in my life!). But since our van driver was paying, we could not refuse to finish the wurst. So, it ended up that it became a contest between Paula and Professor Nelson to see who could eat the most currywust. They both had 5 pieces (not 5 full wursts!) and tied. After our explorations of the city, we headed back to the hotel to rest up a bit before dinner. We then walked along the other side of the river and found an interesting "Tex-Mex" restaurant. I thoroughly enjoyed the food and the conversation! After dinner, some of the group headed out to other adventures, while the rest of us rested up at the hotel. And that was that!
So, this morning we woke up pretty early and got ready for our journey to Berlin. WE drove for a bit and came to the capital of Germany: Berlin! It was sad to say goodbye to our driver, Andy, but it was nice also to finally be here in the city. We toured the Goethe Institut and they contacted my host mother, so I was able to go to her apartment. And that is where I am now! I actually have reliable internet for once! And it's nice! So, tonight we are headed to the "Three Penny Opera" to see a supposedly interesting musical number. Hopefully, I will be able to make my way there on the subway without any problems! Well, I hope that all is well at home! 'Til next time...Tschuess!
