The Taylor's First Day in Germany

8/24/2010 - We had been awake for almost 24 hours and it was the first thing in the morning in Dresden, Germany. Naps are a danger to successful navigation to a new time zone, so we went off in search of something to keep us awake.



Jacoba and Ruby were already starting school a week late, so that was one stress point. It was a new school and they didn’t know anyone - more stress. In a totally different country – yet more stress. My colleague, Judson Graham, and his family offered to help Jackie and the girls slide into life in Germany by meeting us on our first day and letting our girls meet their girls (twin 11 year olds – Taylor and Tyler). They seemed to have gotten along just fine, judging from the fact that we didn’t see them again until they got hungry.

We went to a BierGarten (naturally) and it was a marvelous summer day. This BierGarten was beside the Elbe River which runs through Dresden. The first photo shows a contemplative Judson with a river tour boat in the background. At this BierGarten is also a ferry across the river, and the other pictures are of the ferry. It was a delightful day with delightful new friends in a delightful new place.





The kids played along the riverbank and the Graham adults and the Taylor adults enjoyed a few beers, had some food and watched the world go by. Before too long, the sun was going down and we needed to get back to the hotel to get ready for the next day. It would be the first day of school for the jet-lagged girls, but at least they would have a pair of friends.

This picture shows the ferry heading for the other side of the Elbe River.








This is a picture of the ferry about to dock on the far side. There are several ways to get across the Elbe River in Dresden. There are 6 or 7 bridges across and a ferry or two.

On the river can be seen an occasional motorboat, rowing shells, canoes, kayaks and swimmers. There is a bike path on each side of the river, and the bicyclist and walkers are out enjoying the nice weather on a good day.

Bicycling is a terrific way to get around in Dresden. Bicycles have the same rights (and responsibilities) as automobiles on the roads and at intersections, and there are plenty of bike paths in the woods and along the roads. There are even specific crosswalk signs that include a logo for bicycles. It is a very bicycle-friendly city. Luckily, we brought out bikes with us.

The first day of school was not as traumatic as expected for the girls. Their school is the Dresden International School and it has 500 students from over 50 countries. It is a great experience for the girls.

The ride to the school was about 25 minutes by tram from the hotel. They even met some school buddies riding the tram. Jackie took them to school on the tram every day we were at the hotel.

By the way, public transportation in Dresden is also nothing short of spectacular. The primary modes of transportation are the trams and the busses, but a pass can include rides on a ferry, one of a couple of inclined railways and one of several trains. Jackie has become quite adept at negotiating the transit system to get where she needs to go. This is good, because she chose not to drive over here. Driving is intimidating – there are zillions of new and different road signs and some very alien rules for Americans (at unmarked intersections and in parking lots, cars on the right have the right-of-way).


Next - A castle or two...

Playing Blog Catch Up

Hello everyone out there in Blog Land. Things have been a little hectic lately and the blog has suffered. Now I will attempt to get it back in shape. Thanks for your patience.

At the end of August, Ron went back to Richmond to collect Jackie, Jacoba and Ruby and bring them to Germany. It was supposed to be a relaxing week visiting friends and sleeping late, but it didn't turn out completely that way. We did have a good time with our friends, but forget the relaxing part and the sleeping late part...

Our awesome neighbors threw us a cul-de-sac party as a going away, since we were leaving somewhat abruptly. It was terrific to get to see some of our Richmond friends before we left.

Since we were bringing our pets with us (Frosty, the dog, and Poncho, the parrot), there was some paperwork to deal with. It ends up that the dog was no trouble (no quarantine - just verification of rabies and a vet's clean bill of health), but the bird continued to be a nightmare.

The bird's visit to the vet was to get the final paperwork signed within two weeks of departure. This is the paperwork that Jackie had been on the phone for two hours with the German consolate to obtain. The vet signed off the paperwork because they had been to our house to observe Poncho's living conditions and to verify that there were no other birds living close enough to pass off bird diseases like avian flu. We're not going to even mention the gender determination test, the microchip implantation and the bird flu testing that were required to allow the bird to travel to Germany. After having this companion animal for almost 25 years, we now know that he is a she!

After the vet signed the paper, we were off to the USDA to get an export certificate. This is where the fun started. Not only had the German consulate given us the wrong form to complete, but there was another government form - USDA - that needed to be completed - and it normally takes 6 weeks to get it through the bureaucracy. Somehow we got all the paperwork completed with only hours to spare - thanks to our terrific vet and a very sympathetic USDA team.

Then Ron had to drive him (her) to DC to get an inspection on Friday, because we were leaving on a Saturday and the USDA doesn't work on Saturday, but the animal must be inspected by a USDA agent prior to departure.

Because of a domestic embargo on airline transportation of pets, we had to hire a limo to take Poncho and Frosty to DC again on Saturday (departure day). Ron rode in the limo and Jackie and the girls flew from Richmond and we met at Dulles. The pets were on Jackie's airline ticket and it was fun trying to get them onto the plane in DC when Jackie originated in Richmond and the pets were originating in DC.




The pets in Dulles airport in Washington DC waiting for our flight.

Our "stuff" in the hotel room - 16 bags plus a dog crate and a bird cage.

The flight took off on time, the pets were on board and we landed many hours later in Frankfurt. From the gate area in Frankfurt, we saw Frosty in his crate under the plane. Then we flew to Dresden - had a somewhat stressful few minutes while the German customs agents looked over the 16 suitcases, laptop bags, carry-ons and activity bags we brought along - as well as the papers for the pets - but we were cleared for arrival (PHEW!) and we walked through the customs gates to begin the next phase of our life adventure.

Next...GERMANY!

The Dresden Hauptbahnhof

...to the trains

This is the facade of the Dresden train station

This was the interior of the train station.

Very modern and new.

Here is one of the trains that we saw arrive.

...and here is the empty station.

There is a shopping area/pedestrian mall near the train station.
There are usually NO stores open on Sunday in
Germany, but the train station has some stores that are open
for some reason.

Some bird brains getting a bird bath.

My colleague, David Gray, in front of one of the many fountains.

A scene from the pedestrian mall near the train station.

Guess what this is? Yup - a fountain. They are all over.

This is one of the buildings near the train station. There are buildings around that have

not been remodeled or rebuilt. The design is from the East Germany era. Many of

the buildings in Dresden have been remodeled and are in terrific shape, but occasionally

you run across one that is in disrepair like this.

Our new place - Leubnitzer Strasse 7

To possibly view a Wiki description and to see some additional photographs

and a little history of the place type this into a google search:

Villa Haniel Dresden

Here are some photos - the descriptions are under the photo:

Entry way stair

Entry way stair

1st bathroom includes tub


1st bathroom shower



Kids bedroom?

Half bath

Painted walls and ceilings throughout

More painted walls and ceilings

Marvelous kitchen, but the tenants are taking it with them.

The landlord will provide us with another.

More kitchen photos

Ceiling shot (living room?)

Out-of-focus shot of the fireplace. The tenants put it in, but it stays.

Terrace shot

Another terrace shot - very big terrace overlooking the street.

Master bedroom ceiling detail

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom ceiling corner detail

More ceiling detail

Original stained glass window in hallway

Guest bedroom - very small. Being used as a walk-in closet by the current tenants.

Bathroom detail showing some furniture pieces the tenants would be willing to sell us. They are the marble topped sink and table in this room and a small table in the next room (next photos)

A Small Tour of the Center of Dresden

I had about a two hour break between apartment appointments

while I was near downtown, so I took the camera and did a little

looking around the center of Dresden. The are a couple of main tram transfer

stations and one of them is the Postplatz and this is near what is called the

Alt-stadt (old city). There are an impressive

number of beautiful buildings that seem to have survived the

Allied bombing that destroyed much of Dresden during WWII.

Here are some images that caught my eye.

This statue/fountain was unique from a distance.

But then I got closer and looked a the detail in the metalwork.

These next pictures show a couple of the features of the fountain.

I'm not sure what this building is or was, but it was very nice.

The Semper Opera House below is a fantastically ornate large building.

A version of Evita is playing there now. I heard that some of the

people in the opera are staying at my hotel. Just a rumor.

Below is closeup of the chariot at the top of the OperaHouse.


Some more of the old buildings.

I walked across the bridge over the Elbe River and took this

picture looking back. The tall building on the right is the Frauenkirche.

It was destroyed as a result of the bombing of Dresden in WWII

and was rebuilt from some of the rubble.

There are other pictures of it below.

This is from the bridge looking at the north side of the river

just across the Elbe River from the Alt-stadt.

The public viewing grounds can be seen - this is where

many people watched Germany compete during the World Cup.

It was getting very hot in the sun. I think the temperature has been around

90 degrees F several of the days. As I came up a wide set of stairs,

I found these little places of respite from the heat and sun.

Walking under them was marvelously refreshing.

One of them had two young girls playing music (violin and cello).

Kunst



This easel was setup and it was obvious (from the smell) that someone was
painting with oil. But I never saw that artist. Maybe it was break-time.

This neat little alleyway was filled with sidewalk cafes and street vendors.

Archway to the River Elbe.

Here is another picture of the Frauenkirche.

This area is the site of the very famous Christmas Markt

the month of December. In the summer, it is used by people who are

cooling off by playing in the fountain.