I woke up to what sounded like a consistent farting noise. Yes, I said farting. (Not farht.. as in aus farht, which in german means to “exit”). Knowing that women do not pass gas, I knew it was not my lovely bride. I looked over her and nestled up next to her on the couch was our second German dog Lemmy and thus the mystery of the “fart” was uncovered. Lemmy, a French Bulldog, is quite the cuddler. This is welcomed news to us as Abby is also a cuddler and we miss being with her. We believe that Lemmy may have had a past life as a pig as he spends much of his time snorting and sniffing things around the apartment. We woke up late and didn’t leave the house until 15:30. This is unfortunate because Diana had graciously given us directions for a walking tour through old Dresden and we did not have much time to see it. But, we left the house with Lemmy to meet Diana when she got off work and went to the big sites.
We walked along the main river through Dresden, the Elbe, and took photos of many of the beautiful buildings along the shore. We found a tree covered area where a group of 10-15 trees created one consistent canopy that had been cut into a cube around it’s perimeter. One day when we have a house… we want to have a replica of this tree cube. We took some photos and video and Diana met us to take us to go and get food. It was 16:00 now and we had not eaten yet. She took us to Turkish food and we got a Doner and a durum, very tasty and very spicy. It hit the spot. If I have learned anything from Germany it is that Germans don’t often eat German food. Diana said mainly on special occasions such as Easter and Christmas. Michelle thinks it may be because while Italy and France were perfecting their culinary skills Germany was rebuilding their country. Whatever the reason German Turkish food is great. Though I will say, Freddi & Daniel both love their sausage and potatoes.
As we continued walking we stopped at The Church of Our Lady. This is a very nice ornate church in the middle of the city center. Inside you have beautiful sculptures and artwork covered in Gold. To the right side of the entrance lies an old metal cross burnt and melted from the war. Many of the structures in Dresden and Cologne have been rebuilt since the war and are a mixture of dark (old) and light (new) stones. The Gold is a striking contrast to the dark structures. Also throughout the city there are memorials of the holocaust so Germans do not forget the horrors that happened in WW2. Every year on November 9th, many people leave flowers at one such memorial topped with a Menorah, out of respect for those killed in the war. Finally we visited a palace located in the city center that originally was a summer home of a king. If this was his summer home I wonder how large his normal home was. Though it was raining hard, it was nice to see the fountains and the open courtyard in the middle of the palace. Unfortunately people were getting in my shots and ruining them so i did not get so many good ones. Darn tourists…
We took Lemmy home and relaxed for a moment while we prepared for the evenings adventure.
Rosi’s bar is located in the newer alternative part of Dresden. It is a cool rock n’ roll themed bar inside of an old Chinese restaurant. With a unique blend of oriental and rock and roll atmosphere it is easily one of the more unique restaurants/bar/pool halls we have been to so far. When we arrived Diana and Freddi’s friend Michael was already there to meet us. Diana and Freddi met Michael in Vancouver, but came to find the lived just down the street from each other back home in Dresden. Small World. Soon after that we met some of their other good friends, Guido and Denise. They were a fun German couple who had spent a year in New Zealand- so they spoke English with a Kiwi-esque accent. We had a great time sharing stories and getting to know one another while eating great burgers. They are the “best in Dresden” I told Freddi . Bethany ordered a pitcher of Heffenweizen for the table to share, which caused our waiter to say, “A pitcher!? Do you want a glass?” We were told it is unusual to buy a pitcher of beer and share it with friends in Germany so for a moment he thought she would drink straight from the pitcher.
After Dinner we headed upstairs to continue our friend date over a game of pool. Did I ever tell you I was good at pool? If so, I lied. I am not good at pool and in this battle of the sexes I was the weakest link. Freddi said “don’t worry, there is something wrong with the table.” I think he is right “It is not level” I said. That must be why the girls won 2 out of 3 games… Located on the opposite side of the bar was an Adams Family flipper (pinball) machine. Bethany grew up in Rhode Island playing this particular machine at a local pizza place, so we had to play a few games. Michael told me Germans do not play flipper machines. Luckily we’re tourists! We played several games until Freddi got the ball stuck in the machine. Thanks Freddi… Maybe this is why German’s don’t play flipper ;).
Michael, who works as a grocery store manager in a prison, gave us a ride home after a long night and we stayed up chatting for a while before our gracious hosts went to bed. It was hard to say goodnight because for Diana it also meant “goodbye” as she would leave before we awoke. So we chose to say “until we see you again” which is a much more hopeful departure. But… now we have to pack, time for another late night and early morning. Luckily, Freddi will drive us to the airport tomorrow morning and save us from multiple tram switching and bus rides. He is very nice! Thank you, Freddi!
Cheers,
B&B
