Hello friends and family. I have arrived in Germany safely. I am a little bit sleepy, but I am already starting to feel comfortable in my new time zone. I slept so well last night in my quiet room at the kangaroo stop youth hostel. It was a long trip without much glamour involved! I packed lightly which was a very smart move. I brought Luis' small black rolling suitcase and my Panama bag from Luis' Uncle Miguel with four birds on the front. Even with this small amount of luggage it was a slight hassle at the airport. The smiling lady at the Air Canada counter in Montreal explained to me that my two carry ons were only allowed to be ten kilo each and the black suitcase was 13. Luis and I tried to fix it by moving things around into the little bag, but it was a tight squeeze for the poor Panama bag. In the end I asked the lady what she would do and she suggested I buy something at an airport store because as a woman I was allowed to carry two carry on and a small purse. (Does any of this make sense to you?) I bought an extra pair of black panty hose and Luis and I put some items into the extra plastic bag. Then I went through security and the men there told me I was not allowed to bring 3 bags, so I must please step aside and cram everything back into the black rolling suitcase and Panama bag. So I took a deep breath and followed his orders. Well, the poor Panama bag could not take so much cramming and uncramming and the zipper finally broke in the Frankfurt airport
. I missed my first Dresden connection because of a delay coming out of Montreal, but it was easy to be rescheduled on a later flight. I spent a couple of peaceful hours at a sunny table soaking up rays in my new time zone. When I arrived in Dresden a nice lady helped me figure out how to take the train downtown for 1.80 Euro. It was very quick and easy. I situated myself on the lower level of the train out of sleepiness, but after watching everyone else go upstairs, I gathered my strength and climbed up to the top level thinking there must be something better about being up there. I found more comfortable seats and a better view.
There is snow here in Dresden, but it is not as cold as in Montreal. I have been looking forward to leaving my super warm coat in Montreal, so that I could be free of bulk and feel lighter and more fashionable. The truth is I would really appreciate my super warm coat here or at least my funny hat with the hearts all over it from Luis. My scarf works well as a hat when I wind it over my head. On the ride into down town Dresden I saw some gatherings of trees which reminded me of a walk I had with my friend Susan up to the top of the Mountain in Montreal. We came across a clearing that felt magical somehow, like a place where fairies and elves might gather for some kind of mischief. I feel like the older I get the more I start to pick up on the energy of certain places. I also saw tall houses with many windows from the train. Many of the buildings are still in disrepair from the bombings that occured here where 75% of the town was destroyed. The abandoned houses looked as if they were shedding tears. I felt sad imagining the deep ruin and chaos and complication.
I found my hostel easilly from the train station and a young German girl showed me to my room and explained how to find the grocery store and how to get to the old part of town for my audition on Saturday. I got groceries this morning at the store housed in the train station. I stopped for a cup of milchkaffee. I was feeling a bit disoriented and still sleepy even though I slept so well last night. A cup of coffee made it all better. I sat in the train station and listened to the bells and train announcements and people's voices echoing and bouncing around the grand station. A few pigeons walked delicately around with small soft steps. There is definitely something dreamlike about knowing that your family and friends are on another continent sleeping while you are awake and sitting in a train station. The station is simply beautiful. The ceiling is glass and the walls and border of the ceiling are decorated with art nouveau climbing plants and white flowers.
I hope you are all doing well. I will update this website when I can. It is comforting to imagine all of you reading it. I'd like to put pictures up, but without Luis here it is a bit awkward to get as many good ones. Although it is tempting to go cozy up in my room and go back to sleep I will probably go out for another nice walk and maybe explore the old city. It is definitely an off season for tourists here and I am one of a very few people currently staying at this youth hostel.
Take care and have a great day! Keep the emails coming!