04.28.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:34 pm by Melissa
Happy 30th Birthday, Jason! Today, Jason caught up with me, and we are now in our 30’s. Sounds exciting, huh? I guess for us, it is. What a great way to celebrate your birthday – in another country! I think I’ve become more comfortable entering another decade – mainly because the older you get, the more you’ve experienced…the more mature you are. We’ve accomplished a lot and seen a ton of neat places since we met each other 10 years ago! Wow…10 years. Our 7 year wedding anniversary is this August. Time really does fly!
On to Jason’s celebration. After work, Jason and I (joined by our friends Carrie and Asuka) went to the Neustadt for dinner. We were originally going to the Spitz Haus, but there was a wedding reception going on. So, we ventured to downtown to where Carrie and Asuka will be living. We ended up eating Spanish tapas which I have to say has been one of the best meals we’ve eaten here. It’s a fun place. I can’t recall the name right now. I’ll update this entry with the name once I find the business card. I avoided the sangria, so this was the first time in all my experience with eating tapas that I didn’t get sick. I did take a sip of the sangria, and it was of a high quality.
We also got some yummy desserts at the Eiscafe Venezia. We all shared. Jason got a yummy ice cream dessert. The rest of us indulged in cakes and pastries. Ahhhh…what a life.
To end the night, we took a glimpse of the Neustadt Festival. Lots of great music. It was really cold, and we weren’t dressed for the weather, so we didn’t stay too long.
One funny story to end with. I had ordered a Radler to drink which is half a Radeberger beer and half Sprite. It’s nice because it isn’t strong. As Jason was telling a story, I caught myself staring at the bubbles in my glass and for some reason just started laughing. I kept trying to fight it, but I couldn’t help it. We all had a good laugh. Asuka took a picture. I’ll post it later. I have a very low alcohol tolerance. I guess I’d rather be happy than an angry drunk. Tschuss for now!
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04.26.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:29 am by Melissa
Carrie and I tried another bakery this morning and brought our goodies back to her apartment to have bread and jam (I added butter) and tea. We worked on a few things for their apartment, and then we decided to head downtown.
Carrie took me to the Old Altstadt near Albertplatz. You know you’re there because there is a lot of graffiti. It’s really strange that you can walk from the Old Alstadt to the New Neustadt and see a completely different view of Dresden. You can feel that you’re in the “bad” part of town.
Carrie wanted to show me this place so that I would know where to be extra careful. I don’t think I’ll venture out alone to this area by myself. She said that at night, the drunk college students can be pretty scary – especially if you’re a woman by yourself. Since I never did this in college, I don’t think this place will be an issue because I don’t plan on being out after dark unless Jason is with me. Plus, the place gave me the creeps.
We then ventured to the nicer part of town, but we noticed that the rain clouds were following us, so we made it back to our hotel before the rain came.
We were going to go for a swim, but we decided to work out instead. I did Pilates for the first time, and I had fun learning it. Carrie’s a great teacher. I need to work a lot on my abs to get the exercises right, but I feel that I did well for my first try. I feel great, but I can tell that I’m going to hurt tomorrow. That’s okay though. Gotta look decent for the cruise in July. Got a lot of work to do.
Plus, I decided that I am not giving up pastries, breads, chocolate, cheese or potatoes while I’m here. They’re just too good. So, I have to consistently work out. You just can’t get stuff like this in America. Carrie pointed out that the Kinder brand of chocolate candies that I love so much are actually fortified for the kids! So, I don’t feel as guilty eating those chocolates as much as I used to.
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04.25.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:06 am by Melissa
Carrie and I had to run errands today, but we started off at a Backerie (bakery) down the street from our hotel. Carrie hadn’t tried this one before, so we gave it a shot.
The people were really friendly, and we did our best with what German we know so far. I had a pastry donut (very light – not heavy like in America), and Carrie had a sandwich. We also had tea. Very yummy.
After that, we took the tram to Elbe Park where all the shops are (grocery, etc.).
Carrie had to square away some things for their apartment, so we did some window shopping. I was good and didn’t buy anything. Things are just so expensive here.We also did a grocery run at the Kaufmart which is a large grocery store. Now I can see how Jason got lost in there. It’s just hard when you don’t know the translations yet, so you end up walking up and down every aisle. The Kaufmart also carries other things – I equate it to a Super Target or Super Wal-Mart.
What’s great is that we bought a ton of groceries and only spent 33 EUR. Sadly, if I went to Albertsons in California, I would have spent at least $60 on what we bought!
We lugged our groceries on the tram, unloaded them at the apartment, and then walked back to the Backerei for ice cream. It was the perfect portion. I wish we ate like this (portion control) in the U.S.A. This will be good training. Smaller portions – less waste.
What a day. We were both so tired that I went back and took a nap. I also did laundry and cleaned up our apartment.
We later went out to the Frog House for dinner. Silly me, I decided to try and be good and order fish while everyone else ordered some sort of pork and potatoes. Once again, I should have ordered what Jason ordered. He had the wienerschnitzel with sautéed mushrooms and potatoes. My fish was bland, but it was good and light.
When we got back to the hotel, Asuka hung out with his colleagues who were in town from New York, and Carrie taught us how to play the card game Cribbage. It was a lot of fun! Carrie won.
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04.24.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:54 am by Melissa
After being confined to our apartment for nearly a week, the cold weather has finally left us. It is so nice and warm.
We discovered that our new friends have arrived safely in Dresden. One of my best college buddies, Becky Brady, has a twin sister, Carrie. I haven’t seen Carrie in nearly 10 years. She is married to a guy who works for the same company as Jason.
Amazingly, Asuka (Carrie’s husband) started an expat contract only a month after Jason started his. I found out about this a few months ago because originally (before we found out we would also be coming here), I told Becky that we should plan a trip to Europe while Carrie and Asuka are living here. Never did I know that I would also be living here temporarily!
Carrie and I decided to take the tram to downtown Dresden today. It was so nice to learn new things. Carrie had been here several times before, so she knows the area pretty well.
First, Asuka drove us to the Markthalle to grab some lunch. Seeing as I had been eating terribly last week, I jumped at the opportunity to eat any form of protein I could find. I ended up eating Chinese food just to be sure to get as many food groups as possible. Asuka went back to work, and Carrie and I hit the town.
She and I went all over the place – the Neustadt and Altstadt. I couldn’t believe how much we had covered until we went out for dinner with the guys and was telling Jason all that I saw today.
I feel better going around town. I also learned about the Tram Police. Carrie pointed out that you must have a tram ticket that has been time and date stamped, otherwise, the tram police will kick you off and fine you 65 EUR on the spot. The Tram Police don’t always check for tickets, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Carrie and Asuka are here longer than we are, so they are actually moving into an apartment in the New Neustadt. It is such a nice area. There is a café right next to their apartment building. Ahhh…Europe.
I now sense that I really am in Europe. I’m so glad to have a friend here.
Today also marks our son’s 9 month death anniversary. I cannot believe how quickly time flies and what a turn our lives have taken. We miss him so much. It was nice to get out today. I am in a better place now and can talk about it freely.
It’s also my nephew’s one month birthday. Happy Birthday, Christian!
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04.11.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:43 pm by Melissa
I woke up early to have breakfast in our apartment with Jason. For those of you who have never eaten European yogurt, you’ve got to put it on your list of things to do one day. Even the low fat ones taste yummy. I had yogurt & some Cornflakes (which are also tastier).
After Jason left for work, I went to the lobby to check out the internet access. I spent the rest of the day unpacking and organizing our apartment. With all our stuff, we still have room to spare!
When Jason got home, we drove to Downtown Dresden. There are many things to explore in this city alone. We are actually living in Radebeul which is just outside of Dresden.
We passed many Doner stands and restaurants (shaved meat), and plenty of other eateries we’ll have to try.
The light was dimming, so we headed back to Radebeul to eat a Big Schnitz.
There is a lot of flooding, but the river is starting to recede.
For dinner, I had my first German beer in a long time. I’m not a big beer drinker (or alcohol drinker for that matter), but I figure I’m in the mother country of beer. I had a Radeberger, split the Big Schnitz with Jason, and a yummy Apfelstreudel. The Big Schnitz is essentially the largest weinerschnitzel I’ve ever seen. Jason and I split it, and I didn’t even finish it! It was served on a bed of potatoes and salad.The people here are very nice. I’m glad that we’re in Germany. It’s going to be a great adventure…a new chapter in our lives.
Hopefully, we can learn some German. My question is, once we learn it, will we understand the person’s response? Here I am with my Radeberger…I actually finished the whole thing! It took me eating a lot though. Jason felt awkward taking my picture, but we weren’t the only ones taking pictures. Thanks for the training, Dad!
Here I am in front of the restaurant – Loessnitztal-Schaenke.
I thought it would be funny to take my picture in front of this statue. You know how I was never quite tall enough for rides…this guy (who has a bandage wrapped around his thumb) is giving me the thumbs up.
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04.10.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:37 pm by Melissa
I arrived safely in Dresden on Monday, April 10. It’s great to finally be here. I’ve missed Jason so much.
My travels were pretty seamless. I was just extremely tired after not getting enough sleep the night before. I was so excited about my trip that I didn’t go to bed until 5:30 a.m. the “night” before!
Lufthansa is a great airline. I highly recommend it. There is a lot of leg room and good food. The woman seated next to me was traveling to New Delhi. She ordered the Vegetarian Hindu meal which smelled so good.
Jason wasn’t allowed to go into the baggage claim in Dresden, but he could see me through the glass doors struggling with my luggage. The people on my flight were mainly businessmen, so they didn’t have any luggage. I tried to ask for help, but by the time all my luggage got there, I was the last one there. I was careful, but it was hard. The funny thing is that the inspectors sized me up, looked at the amount of luggage I had and asked me if I had anything to declare since I went to the “Nothing to Declare” line. I guess they thought a petite girl like shouldn’t have so much luggage. Jason dropped me off at our apartment. I love our apartment. It’s just right. We ended up staying in that night since I was so tired. I didn’t even unpack!
Well, day that’s the end of day one.
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