theotherlex

Written last night:

I have made it to Dresden. It is much wetter than I was planning, and sadly not any warmer. It is really cold. Luckily I have enough clothes to wear several layers as well a coat and gloves that I got in New York when it was similarly very cold. Inside it is not cold; they are good at heating things. I also have a proper hat, but I think I will have to go back to the woollen beanie if this keeps up, as it covers my ears. My proper hat is from the menswear department of Marks & Spencer. It is not green. They did not have the green one that I had previous admired, but I figured that I own enough green things (beanie, jumper, leather jacket, gloves, long sleeved top) that a dark grey and red and gold hat would do better.

There is free wireless in the Goethe Institute building, which is very cool. You can get internet for your room if you pay a deposit for the mobile internet stick, but I have decided not to have internet in my room. This will mean that I will have do non-internet things in the evenings, like drawing or writing or reading books from the media library or practising my juggling.

I had a bratwurst at the station when I got into Dresden. This made me happy, because I had tried and failed to get a bratwurst when I got in to Berlin. It was 11.30 pm by the time I got the hostel (having gotten directions at the transport info booth at the airport in German) and got out again. I found several late night food places open. One of them did do sausages, but only currywurst, which is brockwurst (fatter than a bratwurst) smothered in ketchup and curry powder. Odd.

We'll continue the food theme, because Sunday lunch was tapas. Mmm. Accompanied by strong sangria. Mmm. This was on S and her brother who drove me out to the airport. And put me up (and put up with me) from Thursday. S and I went to see Tim Minchin on Saturday night, dressed up. Not quite for Halloween, as we were in clothes that would be comfortable for everyday if the UK did not look so conservative.

Tim Minchin was fabulous. Funny and provocative and moving.

I can't remember when my last update was and I can't check from my room. It's Monday night now and I'm debating whether I should have my apple before my tiramisu or just skip the apple altogether. I plan to post this in the break tomorrow (maybe when I eat my apple). Classes finish at 1pm, so I'll come back here and cook lunch then. There's a tour of the old city at 2pm that I might go on, if I'm back in time for it. The Cultural Programme is extensive, so I will be able to do other things. Like the pub night on Wednesday!


Have had first bit of class. It is awesome. I don't have very much vocab, but the rhythm of German is still familiar. (Which can be a bit of problem because I'll understand the sentence structure without actually being able to translate the meaning.) Will eat apple at second break. Have bottle of Apple juice mixed with soda water from the vending machine.

I'm in Dresden now, and I kind of regret leaving Weimar, even though there's nothing to do there. Dresden's fab. It's big, though. They have a medieval market and a Christmas market, and I hot apple juice and a roll thing baked with cheese and ham in it for lunch.

It's very cold though. We're right on the end of the mountains here, so it's not a good sing for Bayreuth, which is actually in them (but at least doesn't have a river).

Weimar castle is more a palace, really. And it has a great, eclectic collection of art. 16th and 17th century Russian religious art and temple murals, late 19th century German and Dutch art (which is getting towards Impressionism, and is fabulous), and some actual Impressionism, including one of Monet's Rouen Cathedrals.

The grounds are between the city and the river, which has been English-park-ified. I finished with the art at about 1, which is the middle of the afternoon, and was able to wader along the river, to the folly and fake roman ruins and enjoy the shadows. There's an underground tunnel to Liszt street, but it's closed on Mondays (also damp and dark).

Everywhere seems to have a Liszt street, but Weimar also has a Abraham Lincon street, a Goethe square, Schiller street, Luther alley and Hummel street (after the painter Carl Maria Nicolaus Hummel, but I took a photo of the sign).

I did the lonely plantet guide walk of Dresden, it's much nicer now than last night when I was cold, lost and still didn't know where I was going to stay. I found a hotel not too far from the train station, and not too far from the centre of town. But it was quite hard to find. A bit expensive, but you get breakfast, and it's, you know, there. My Rough Guide map didn't extend as far as the hostel that's near the station, and although the Lonely Guide does, I didn't have it then, and the is hostel a German Youth Hostel, so wouldn't be as comfortable, or as quiet, and it's on the far side of the station. I'm certainly not moving. The thing is, through, that I'm used to maps with a much larger scale, so I can't really tell where things are or how to get to them. I got lost in both Dresden, and on the way to the Palace (called a residential castle) in Weimar.

I bought a book in Weimar. So I'm going to read it twice at least. I bought About A Boy, because I haven't seen the film. It has advantages on Harry Potter; It's in English, it sets out to make actually jokes, and I hadn't read it (and have still only read it once).

I saw the transport museum in Dresden today. It's kind of like the technology museum in Berlin (which was fun) but I actually got to sit on a Penny farthing. In summer you can hire them. There hard enough to mount where they're on a stand so they can't roll away.

I've also decided what I'm going to do when I get back to Melbourne. (I had had to sit down in the Transport musuem and plan out the rest of my trip because I was getting worried about missing out on things because I have too much time (believe me, that makes sense). If I don't just watch four and half years of the West Wing, I'm going to pretend to be a German tourist (with a transport concession card, experience with the weather and a very good grasp of English). I'll see what Melbourne has to offer.

I can't cross the road anymore, at least not safelty. I used to just look in opposite direction to the one I wanted to look in, because I wanted to look in the 'wrong' direction. But I've lost that instinct now, and still haven't gained the one I need. (I also can't walk along streets, because the cars come from behind you when you don't think they will.)

Yesterday, before I left Weimar I bought a large bottle of Apple-juice-and-soda-water (Apfelschörle, best drink (after hot apple juice)) and four little yoghurts. I ate one for dinner last night, and tonight I'll eat another one with my piece of strudel. (I just can't face another bratwurst.) No German Youth Hostel Association Hostels have kitchens, and all the private hostels were full, except possibly the one Cindy (who was at the hostel in Berlin) told me about. But it's futher away, doesn't do breakfast, not much cheaper than the hotel, and also not where I'm staying.

I've done enough justifying of the hotel, except to saw that it's only for three nights, and there are much better communal showers (even if they are too heated, what's with all the heating, aren't you used to the cold?).

I'm catching the train to Bayreuth on Friday. It takes about four and half hours, because you have to keep changing. So far I leave at five and get in at 9:30. But I'll go back tomorrow and see if there's one that gets in before then.

Till later, then,
Lex.