Well, today, I crossed off yet another first. I stepped onto the soil of the father/mother land of one side of my family. Remember when I wrote yesterday that we would be traveling to Dresden? Well, this trip shocked me almost as much as my telling of it will to you. Honestly, I was expecting some sort of Holocaust-related theme to this trip, but that is not what it was at all, although it did have to do with the second world war. We hopped on a train early this morning, and we headed for Germany. And yes, it was another Harry Potter style train, with which I was very well pleased. It gave me a good opportunity to catch some "z"s. After two and a half hours, we landed in Dresden. From the train, I knew we passed the border from the Czech to Germany after the first hour and a half or so. The layout of the land was different, the streets were different, and, I don't know, it just seemed different. Yes, after living in the Czech for only a couple of weeks, I seem to be an expert on this. The scenery was just beautiful. The land seemed every bit as bipolar as Nebraska's weather. One moment, there were soft, fluffy rolling hills, and, in a second, that soft skin mutated into a craggy, imposing structure. What really made it a sight, though, was the fog that rolled along the base. It might have been fog, or it might have been a smoggish mixture. I'm not sure, but whatever it was, it really made the land come alive. I was almost living an actual Bob Ross episode. Anyway, when we stepped out of the station, we walked the streets to the main square, where a statue of Martin Luther was standing guard over his sector. This became our meeting place for the day, as we did split up more than once. We were given a few choices-we could either go to an art museum to see some amazing works of art, or we could visit the castle and see the jewels, the architecture, and the armory. Of course, I chose the castle, but many did choose the art museum. I'm sure they had a grand experience since they said that it was similar to The Louvre. The castle was pretty remarkable as well. They had everything that could be found around a castle on display. Old clocks, cabinets, dishes, jewels, and portraits were but a few categories of items, but what really caught my attention was the armory. They had every weapon on display, and that included swords, bows, axes, shields, etc. Armor was another prominent featured item, and they displayed it in stages of development. They also put out ancient looking guns and rifles. That was really cool. Unfortunately, throughout the castle, we were prevented from taking pictures by the Nazis that governed the grounds. (I'm sure they weren't actual Nazis, but they were the closest I've ever seen to one.) I snuck two pictures before one caught me. But that armory really was cool. Jewels adorned the armor, the blacksmith's signature could be found on the blades he commissioned, and from what the displays showed, many people, back then, were incredibly short. When we asked, we were told that many of the displayed items belonged to children, or dwarves. They even put up a display that showed two men, on horseback, jousting. This display was massive. The weapons were long, sharp, and barbed. It looked legitimately dangerous! After we, painstakingly, left the armory, we went to a display about the Greek God, Dionysus. That consisted of paintings and sculptures that portrayed the God, his characteristics, scenes from his story, and his gifts to man. After reading a book about The Bachae/Dionysus, it was cool to see art about a subject that I, actually, knew about. So many times, people go to see these displays and never really understand what the art is saying, or what the art is about. It, definitely, helps to have some background knowledge prior to exposing oneself to such a cultural pleasure. After the castle, the group, I was with, split off and went to a cafe on the street. It was good food, and it would have been an all-around good experience had the waiter not kept us waiting so much. But that is neither here nor there. Once we regrouped at Martin Luther, we went to the top of the Cathedral to see the view of Dresden. It was so breathtaking to see the city in all its splendor. Toward the end of the second world war, the town was, almost, entirely obliterated by bombers. While the residents still regard that attack as an act of terrorism by the western-allies, it was within the context of war. The Cathedral was almost entirely destroyed, and it had only finished reconstruction about a year ago. To see, from that world view, the areas that were preserved and the areas that were added on later was a sad sight. This town had so much beauty, and now, the beauty is flawed by modern hands. The Cathedral, itself, consists of multiple colored bricks. The darker bricks are original, and the lighter bricks are new. I do have to admit that the height was a bit unsettling. Thankfully, my father was not up there. Then again, he wouldn't have moved past the second story. But, as I looked out over the city, I had to stop and imagine my ancestry and how they came from a lifestyle such as this, and how they had to adjust going to America. Times have changed; life was not as cavalier then as it is now. Still, wherever I went today, I thought of my grandparents and great-grandparents from my father's side, and I thought of them in those paintings, wearing those jewels, dressed in fine armor, swinging a two-handed sword, etc. It may sound crazy, but it is what it is. If you think that was a lot to do in a day, just wait, there is more. On our walk back, we realized that our train was leaving in, like, five minutes, and we were still a good fifteen minutes away while walking. A few of us just looked at each other and took off running. We didn't even check to see who was following. We just knew we had to get there before that train left the station. We ran, we dodged through crowds, we hopped over benches and obstructions, and I even ran right through a dance battle on the street. I jumped over his stereo. I'm sure they were extremely pissed, but, at that moment, we could care less. We had to get to that station in time. We ran into the station, asked for our platform, and got to the top of the stairs just as the train was taking off. I kid you not, it was just starting to roll away when we got to the top. We ran all that way, we were huffing and puffing so hard, and for what? We missed the train by a second! As it turned out, it was a good thing we did because we didn't have the right tickets. Had we gotten on board, we might have been fined. Heaven does open to spread its light on Earth every now and then. So, as a result, we hung out around Dresden for another hour. I walked up and down the streets looking for cool shops. In a way, I was glad we missed that train. I didn't want to leave Germany quite yet. I mean, how many more times will I get to come back here? But, the time came, the train arrived, and we boarded and departed, leaving Germany behind. Now, we are back at our hostel in Prague, and I feel the same. I mean, today, my heart was filled with a sense of understanding. I had accomplished something I have always wanted to do, but now, I might never see it again. I realize that I may set the bar pretty low as compared to the standards of others, but I don't care. This is my life. That is what I want. I'm sure I have fastened your eyes to the screen long enough. I should probably let you get back to your lives, as I know you are just so busy. Anyway, tomorrow, we return to Olomouc in the evening. During the morning hours, I do believe we are to explore more of Prague. I will, hopefully, regain some communication when I return to a more stable wifi source. Until then, take care and keep your wits about yee. "May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor!"
                                                                                    -Anthony-