Yesterday I went to Saxon Switzerland with one of my classmates. We took the train to Kurort Rathen, arriving late in the morning. It was slightly foggy, but still beautiful. The weather was relatively mild and the trees were changing their colors from green to yellow and orange. We took a ferry across the Elbe River, then found a trail up and through the forest to the Bastei Bridge. Since it was a Sunday there were lots of other people out; we even crossed paths several times with three other Americans who live in my dorm. From vista points high up along the trail there were beautiful views of the river and the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. We saw some people climbing as well. The bridge itself was not as large as expected, but it was surrounded by unique peaks. We lingered at the top of the trail, enjoying the views, then descended and found another trail to a small man-made lake called the Amselsee. We stopped and had some sandwiches on a bench there, watching fish swimming in the lake. Despite my classmate's protests, I insisted we continue on to Amselfall, which I hoped, based on the name, was a waterfall. We asked a family heading in the same direction about it and they confirmed that indeed it was a waterfall, but warned us it was very small! It was another nice walk, along a small creek this time, to get there. At the waterfall, there was a cafe and a small nature center that we checked out. As we returned to the river, the sun finally broke through the clouds. We took the ferry back across the river, then I had some tea while we were waiting for the train back to Dresden. We made it home by early evening. It was one of my favorite days in Germany so far. If we have another weekend with nice weather it would be a nice place to return to - there are many more areas of Saxon Switzerland to see and it's free to get there by train with our student ids.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
One Month in Dresden
I've been living in Dresden for over a month now. Time is flying. Here are a few things I've come to appreciate about living here:
- Great public transportation
- Delicious, inexpensive beer
- Many different kinds of juice & jam
- Huge variety of inexpensive dairy products
- Excellent electric hot water kettles
- Rooibos tea everywhere
- German drivers use their signals
- Vegetarian food isn't too hard to find
- Germans are pretty quiet
- Beautiful gardens and flower boxes
- Can recycle almost everything
- Bread!
- Chocolate!
- People enjoy walking outside on the weekends
- Pretty birds and waterfowl, surprisingly tame
- Wildflowers along the road and in empty lots
- Funny kids - very cute and quite serious
- Kid-friendly environments
- Clean air & water
- Clean streets
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Military History Museum
Last Monday evening, the Erasmus Students Network in Dresden arranged an English tour of the Military History Museum in Dresden. To be honest, military history doesn't interest me much, so I wasn't planning on going. However, when I checked out the museum's website, I discovered that not only is it the largest museum in Dresden, unlike many military history museums, its goal is to explore what causes and results from war and violence. I'm glad I decided to go, because it turned out to be very interesting. Our tour guide was great as well. Unfortunately, my camera batteries died about halfway through the tour, so I don't have too many photos. I would like to return later to explore the museum further, as the entrance price is free.
The museum used to be a traditional military history museum, but was redesigned about six years ago with the help of architect Daniel Libeskind. Reconstruction was completed this year. The building is in the center of a military complex and used to be an armory. Libeskind pierced the building exterior with a sharp metal structure that points toward Dresden's city center.
As you enter the exhibits, first you go through a room with hundreds of copies of the words "love" and "hate" projected and moving over the walls. The words slowly mass into the form of a crouching soldier with a gun and break apart, again and again.
The first item we saw on display was a Pervitin pill. Pervitin is a methamphetamine that German soldiers were forced to take during World War II to keep them awake for days.
Walking down a corridor, we saw the world's oldest submarine:
Beside this was one of the first space shuttles, and next to it, the capsule in which the astronauts would fall back to earth. Because they weren't sure the capsule would land where they wanted it to, it was marked, in Russian and English: "Man in side! Help!" It made me feel very claustrophobic.
Many of these items were built by prisoners in the concentration camps. Around the corner, one of a prisoner's most precious items, a food bowl, was on display.
The caption said the aluminum food bowl was from the Mittelbau-Dora
concentration camp, Nordhausen, during the German Reich ca. 1943-1945.
Three prisoners had carved their name or number into the pot. Presumably
the pot had been taken each time after the previous owner
had died of exhaustion or had been murdered. It was very sad.
We then saw an exhibit of how armor had changed over time, as weapons had become more and more deadly. It was bizarre to see early armor next to modern armor.
I thought the Saxon breast-plate (upper-right) was rather beautiful.
Next, we entered a room devoted to nuclear weapons. There were various concrete and metal shelters on one side of the room and nuclear missiles hanging from the ceiling. Every few minutes, there would be a flash, and if you were standing close to one of the walls, your shadow would be left on the wall for several seconds. I felt uncomfortable and was glad to leave the room.
We then walked down a narrow corridor in which a transport helicopter was attached to the wall. Standing below it you could feel what it would be like to have a helicopter (in this case, a relatively small helicopter) bearing down on you. Not good!
Going upstairs, we saw a ship peeking out from around a corner, which intrigued me, but we didn't investigate it, and quickly moved on.
Our next stop dealt with the role of animals in war. We saw, in a long line, different animals that had been used for transport, as mascots, and as weapons. The craziest things on display were a small horse wearing a burlap gas mask, and a dog with a wooden stick on its back, to trigger a bomb strapped to its chest when it ran under an enemy's horse. Poor animals. At this point, my camera died.
The next area was about the rise to power of Adolf Hitler. Our tour guide told us that when Hitler became the head of Germany's military forces, every soldier swore an oath of loyalty to him. She said this made a huge difference, and is why the soldiers did not surrender until after Hitler had killed himself.
There was also a section about life in the trenches. It was awful, basically. It also smelled terrible, as we discovered when we opened a small door in the wall behind which there was a machine emitting the smell of the trenches. Human waste and dead bodies, ugh. However, as we learned on the third floor, the trenches did give rise to that fashion staple, the trench coat. Speaking of military-inspired fashion, apparently underwear has its origins in the military. Soldiers didn't start wearing it until they were ordered to do so!
On the top floor of the museum, there were stones from the streets of three different cities in three different countries that were bombed during World War II. We walked out on a platform inside the metal wedge extending from the building. Through the metal screening, we could see the lights of Dresden's city center. It was kind of beautiful but also very cold. It was meant to be a hopeful scene, as Dresden has almost finished reconstructing its landmark buildings that were destroyed during the bombing of Dresden around Valentine's Day in 1945. This is where our tour ended.
The museum used to be a traditional military history museum, but was redesigned about six years ago with the help of architect Daniel Libeskind. Reconstruction was completed this year. The building is in the center of a military complex and used to be an armory. Libeskind pierced the building exterior with a sharp metal structure that points toward Dresden's city center.
As you enter the exhibits, first you go through a room with hundreds of copies of the words "love" and "hate" projected and moving over the walls. The words slowly mass into the form of a crouching soldier with a gun and break apart, again and again.
The first item we saw on display was a Pervitin pill. Pervitin is a methamphetamine that German soldiers were forced to take during World War II to keep them awake for days.
Walking down a corridor, we saw the world's oldest submarine:
Beside this was one of the first space shuttles, and next to it, the capsule in which the astronauts would fall back to earth. Because they weren't sure the capsule would land where they wanted it to, it was marked, in Russian and English: "Man in side! Help!" It made me feel very claustrophobic.
We then saw an exhibit of how armor had changed over time, as weapons had become more and more deadly. It was bizarre to see early armor next to modern armor.
I thought the Saxon breast-plate (upper-right) was rather beautiful.
Next, we entered a room devoted to nuclear weapons. There were various concrete and metal shelters on one side of the room and nuclear missiles hanging from the ceiling. Every few minutes, there would be a flash, and if you were standing close to one of the walls, your shadow would be left on the wall for several seconds. I felt uncomfortable and was glad to leave the room. We then walked down a narrow corridor in which a transport helicopter was attached to the wall. Standing below it you could feel what it would be like to have a helicopter (in this case, a relatively small helicopter) bearing down on you. Not good!
Going upstairs, we saw a ship peeking out from around a corner, which intrigued me, but we didn't investigate it, and quickly moved on.
Our next stop dealt with the role of animals in war. We saw, in a long line, different animals that had been used for transport, as mascots, and as weapons. The craziest things on display were a small horse wearing a burlap gas mask, and a dog with a wooden stick on its back, to trigger a bomb strapped to its chest when it ran under an enemy's horse. Poor animals. At this point, my camera died.
The next area was about the rise to power of Adolf Hitler. Our tour guide told us that when Hitler became the head of Germany's military forces, every soldier swore an oath of loyalty to him. She said this made a huge difference, and is why the soldiers did not surrender until after Hitler had killed himself.
There was also a section about life in the trenches. It was awful, basically. It also smelled terrible, as we discovered when we opened a small door in the wall behind which there was a machine emitting the smell of the trenches. Human waste and dead bodies, ugh. However, as we learned on the third floor, the trenches did give rise to that fashion staple, the trench coat. Speaking of military-inspired fashion, apparently underwear has its origins in the military. Soldiers didn't start wearing it until they were ordered to do so!
On the top floor of the museum, there were stones from the streets of three different cities in three different countries that were bombed during World War II. We walked out on a platform inside the metal wedge extending from the building. Through the metal screening, we could see the lights of Dresden's city center. It was kind of beautiful but also very cold. It was meant to be a hopeful scene, as Dresden has almost finished reconstructing its landmark buildings that were destroyed during the bombing of Dresden around Valentine's Day in 1945. This is where our tour ended.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Hanging Out in Neustadt
Two of my classmates live in Neustadt, the "New City" neighborhood of Dresden. Neustadt is north of the Dresden city center, on the other side of the Elbe River. With its cobblestone streets, old building facades, graffiti, and plentiful restaurants and bars, it feels like a completely different city from Dresden. I've been there a few times at night as well as during the day and there are always lots of people on the streets.
Last night my classmates and I met our GIS teacher there, at Reise-Kneipe, the travel bar. They have a great selection of unusual drinks. Last night I had some fresh mint tea and mango juice, and last weekend I tried a bottle of Müller's Malz, a strange slightly sweet, alcohol-free, organic malt drink.
The first time I visited Neustadt my classmates took me to see a place called Kunsthof-Passage. Through a passage from one of the main streets, you enter a network of courtyards with different themes. The courtyard that attracts the most visitors is the Hof der Elemente. One wall has storm drains in the shape of trumpets that funnel water into each other. I've heard rumors that the drains make music when it rains. Facing this wall is a golden wall with curved metal ribbons.
The next courtyard over, the Hof der Tierre, has a giraffe and monkeys on the wall, as well as rattan-like balconies. The other three courtyards are the Hof des Lichts, which has cornflower blue walls and bright red window and door frames, the Hof der Fabelwesen, and the Hof der Metamorphosen. We were in a bit of a rush the day we visited; I hope to return later to explore the courtyards a little more.
Another one of the landmarks in Neustadt is Martin Luther Platz, a square that contains a tall, dark church built in the late 1800s. It's a surprisingly quiet area for being just off one of the main drags. There's a comfortable pub just around the corner from it called Bottoms Up. I discovered it with my Spanish and Italian classmates when we were tired and hungry after a long walk across town. It turned out to have great food; their vegetarian lasagna, which is made with different vegetables every day, really hits the spot.
Last night we went to Bottoms Up after leaving the travel bar. The waitress recommended for me and I tried an extremely potent (11% alcohol!) and sweet Belgian beer called Kasteel. It was served in a special glass with a small glass castle on the stem. After drinking half of it I could barely keep my eyes open and had to switch glasses with my Irish classmate, who was drinking a tall glass of Erdinger Weißbier. I slept well last night.
Martin Luther Platz is beautiful and somewhat eerie at night. Last Monday I rushed past it on my way to try out a yoga class with my Russian classmate. That class was quite an experience. The instruction was mostly in German, with a little English. This was ok for the poses, because I could try to mimic what the teacher and the other students were doing, but I missed a lot during the lengthy meditation and laying-down times. I realized my lungs are quite weak when the teacher instructed us to do rapid breathing while holding certain poses, as well as during the several times we chanted "Om..." I wanted to laugh a few times, especially near the end of the class when the teacher led us through different squatting tip toe poses. One of them was especially difficult - we had to squat on our tip toes, extend one leg straight out, and put our hands in prayer position (samatvam asana?). I struggled to maintain my concentration as people thudded to the floor all around me. I was quite relieved when the class ended! There's nothing like yoga to point out where you're weak - I was sore in unusual places like my shins and upper back for the next two days at least!
Last night my classmates and I met our GIS teacher there, at Reise-Kneipe, the travel bar. They have a great selection of unusual drinks. Last night I had some fresh mint tea and mango juice, and last weekend I tried a bottle of Müller's Malz, a strange slightly sweet, alcohol-free, organic malt drink.
The first time I visited Neustadt my classmates took me to see a place called Kunsthof-Passage. Through a passage from one of the main streets, you enter a network of courtyards with different themes. The courtyard that attracts the most visitors is the Hof der Elemente. One wall has storm drains in the shape of trumpets that funnel water into each other. I've heard rumors that the drains make music when it rains. Facing this wall is a golden wall with curved metal ribbons.
The next courtyard over, the Hof der Tierre, has a giraffe and monkeys on the wall, as well as rattan-like balconies. The other three courtyards are the Hof des Lichts, which has cornflower blue walls and bright red window and door frames, the Hof der Fabelwesen, and the Hof der Metamorphosen. We were in a bit of a rush the day we visited; I hope to return later to explore the courtyards a little more.
Another one of the landmarks in Neustadt is Martin Luther Platz, a square that contains a tall, dark church built in the late 1800s. It's a surprisingly quiet area for being just off one of the main drags. There's a comfortable pub just around the corner from it called Bottoms Up. I discovered it with my Spanish and Italian classmates when we were tired and hungry after a long walk across town. It turned out to have great food; their vegetarian lasagna, which is made with different vegetables every day, really hits the spot.
Last night we went to Bottoms Up after leaving the travel bar. The waitress recommended for me and I tried an extremely potent (11% alcohol!) and sweet Belgian beer called Kasteel. It was served in a special glass with a small glass castle on the stem. After drinking half of it I could barely keep my eyes open and had to switch glasses with my Irish classmate, who was drinking a tall glass of Erdinger Weißbier. I slept well last night.
Martin Luther Platz is beautiful and somewhat eerie at night. Last Monday I rushed past it on my way to try out a yoga class with my Russian classmate. That class was quite an experience. The instruction was mostly in German, with a little English. This was ok for the poses, because I could try to mimic what the teacher and the other students were doing, but I missed a lot during the lengthy meditation and laying-down times. I realized my lungs are quite weak when the teacher instructed us to do rapid breathing while holding certain poses, as well as during the several times we chanted "Om..." I wanted to laugh a few times, especially near the end of the class when the teacher led us through different squatting tip toe poses. One of them was especially difficult - we had to squat on our tip toes, extend one leg straight out, and put our hands in prayer position (samatvam asana?). I struggled to maintain my concentration as people thudded to the floor all around me. I was quite relieved when the class ended! There's nothing like yoga to point out where you're weak - I was sore in unusual places like my shins and upper back for the next two days at least!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Biometric Photos
A couple of weeks ago I had an appointment with the Foreign Resident's Office in Dresden, to obtain a residence permit required to stay here longer than three months. I had to bring several documents with me. The requirement that gave me the most grief was a biometric photo. I didn't bring any passport photos from the States with me, but those wouldn't have been the right size anyway. Plus our German fellow-student advisor ("tutor") told me that I wasn't allowed to smile in the photo. My face had to be "neutral." There are photo booth-type machines that take biometric photos around Dresden, but they aren't cheap - four photos cost 5 euros. I spoke to my young American suitemate about them, and he advised against using them, because not only could you not smile in the photos, you had to hold your head perfectly straight. He and his fellow students had all gone to a professional photographer, who had to retake each photo multiple times because no one held their head just right. Unfortunately, my suitemate could not remember the exact address of the studio, and his R.A. was gone on vacation. I tracked her down once she got back and got the address from her, but short on time before my appointment, I decided to try one of the machines.
I used the photo booth in the basement of Dresden's main train station. On the outside of the booth - on the outside of all the biometric photo booths - there is a photo of a beautiful woman who looks just great in her photo. I wish they had a photo of a normal person on them instead, because then you wouldn't be as disappointed with the results! I went into the booth and inserted my 5 euros. A voice came on with instructions and the screen showed samples of what your photo should not look like. It was all in German, of course. Some of my classmates were outside, trying not to make me laugh. I had to stick my head out of the curtain and shoo them away. Eventually the instructions ended and it was time to take the photo. An outline of a face and eyes appeared, with a camera showing my face. Because I am not tall I had to squat with my rear raised an inch or so above the seat to get my face in the right position. I then pressed a button, and tried not to blink or smile. I waited, and waited, my eyes straining and thighs burning. Finally a voice said something like, "Ready, set, go!" and there was a shutter closing sound. The screen went black, and some seconds later my photo was displayed.
On the screen was probably the worst photo I've ever taken. My head was most definitely not straight, and I had "goo-goo" eyes, a look my mother perfected in all the passport photos of her I've seen from when she was my age. She was scared to blink too, I think. Thank God, it turned out I could retake the photo. I retook the photo about five times before I realized I wouldn't get good results as long as I was squatting. I tried sitting on my backpack instead and that helped significantly. The final result? Not great, but acceptable. "Um, it's ok," one of my more honest classmates concluded while shrugging, after scrutinizing it for some seconds.
The man who processed my residence permit looked a little skeptical when I first handed my photo to him, but he accepted it, so apparently it was good enough!
Update: In case anyone ends up here looking for a place to take biometric photos in Dresden, there are at least two machines in Hauptbahnhof and one on the first floor of the Foreigner's Office. The machines cost 5 euros for 4 photos. If you are short and decide to use one of the machines I suggest you bring a book to sit on. There is also a photo studio in the basement of the Altmarkt-Galerie, across from Rewe, where someone will take your photo for about 12 euros. There is also a photo studio near Wasaplatz called Foto-Atelier Diebel. Good luck!
 |
| One of the photo booths in Dresden Hbf |
Update: In case anyone ends up here looking for a place to take biometric photos in Dresden, there are at least two machines in Hauptbahnhof and one on the first floor of the Foreigner's Office. The machines cost 5 euros for 4 photos. If you are short and decide to use one of the machines I suggest you bring a book to sit on. There is also a photo studio in the basement of the Altmarkt-Galerie, across from Rewe, where someone will take your photo for about 12 euros. There is also a photo studio near Wasaplatz called Foto-Atelier Diebel. Good luck!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Intro to German Class
Last week I had an introductory German class with my coursemates at TUDIAS, a language-learning center in Dresden. Our class went from about 9:00 am to 2:00 pm everyday. It was a pretty good class - I liked the teacher and the pace was good for absolute beginners. We used a book with an amusing story about a Ukrainian guy, Nikolai, trying to communicate with a German family who had a young daughter, Sara. She had two stuffed animals named Poppel and Schnuffi and was very concerned when Nikolai got their names wrong. He also had to evade a lady trying to promote a sports drink at a supermarket; the poor guy just wanted to buy some salt.
TUDIAS is in a beautiful building, Dresden's World Trade Center. The center has a great bakery, some other restaurants, an all-purpose store, two grocery stores, and offices all facing into a beautiful courtyard with a glass ceiling, big windows, and water features. I definitely enjoyed the breaks. On Wednesday there was a fitness fair in the courtyard. We watched four girls doing a Zumba demonstration and later, out the window of our classroom, I saw older women sitting in a circle, doing wrist exercises in time to soothing music. On Thursday, there was a farmer's market. I got a delicious grilled flatbread sandwich filled with olives, feta cheese, and peppers from one of the stands.
I wish I could say I spoke much better German now, but the reality is that it will take a lot of studying and practice to make progress. We have the option to take free German classes through the university's German Department while we're here, but I'm not sure I'll have the time to make it worthwhile. At any rate, I do understand more now, which is good. And I can say "Excuse me" and "Sorry!"
One of my classmates who has more advanced German skills than I do told me that the accent in Saxony is quite different from other parts of Germany. For instance, "ich" sounds more like "eesh" than the "Ic" in Icabod Crane here. I don't know, but the Saxon accent is definitely easier for me! I have a hard time with the guttural sounds.
On Thursday night, our teacher invited us to attend a party to celebrate the end of the summer language courses. It was held at a student club (i.e., pub) called Bärenzwinger. That club is near the river and is in the side of a hill. It has three distinct areas - first, after you pass through a large stone archway, an enclosed stone-cobbled courtyard with a skylight, then, through another stone archway, a bar, and, through a short tunnel next to the bar, a dance floor. I enjoyed some so-so snacks, conversation, and very tasty beer with my classmates. I also danced to my heart's content, though my classmates and I had some quibbles with the music - the DJ seemed to be stuck in another era. I can't believe how late I stayed up that night - or that I made it to class on time the next morning (unlike half of my classmates)!
TUDIAS is in a beautiful building, Dresden's World Trade Center. The center has a great bakery, some other restaurants, an all-purpose store, two grocery stores, and offices all facing into a beautiful courtyard with a glass ceiling, big windows, and water features. I definitely enjoyed the breaks. On Wednesday there was a fitness fair in the courtyard. We watched four girls doing a Zumba demonstration and later, out the window of our classroom, I saw older women sitting in a circle, doing wrist exercises in time to soothing music. On Thursday, there was a farmer's market. I got a delicious grilled flatbread sandwich filled with olives, feta cheese, and peppers from one of the stands.
 |
| Inside Dresden's World Trade Center |
I wish I could say I spoke much better German now, but the reality is that it will take a lot of studying and practice to make progress. We have the option to take free German classes through the university's German Department while we're here, but I'm not sure I'll have the time to make it worthwhile. At any rate, I do understand more now, which is good. And I can say "Excuse me" and "Sorry!"
One of my classmates who has more advanced German skills than I do told me that the accent in Saxony is quite different from other parts of Germany. For instance, "ich" sounds more like "eesh" than the "Ic" in Icabod Crane here. I don't know, but the Saxon accent is definitely easier for me! I have a hard time with the guttural sounds.
On Thursday night, our teacher invited us to attend a party to celebrate the end of the summer language courses. It was held at a student club (i.e., pub) called Bärenzwinger. That club is near the river and is in the side of a hill. It has three distinct areas - first, after you pass through a large stone archway, an enclosed stone-cobbled courtyard with a skylight, then, through another stone archway, a bar, and, through a short tunnel next to the bar, a dance floor. I enjoyed some so-so snacks, conversation, and very tasty beer with my classmates. I also danced to my heart's content, though my classmates and I had some quibbles with the music - the DJ seemed to be stuck in another era. I can't believe how late I stayed up that night - or that I made it to class on time the next morning (unlike half of my classmates)!
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