May 24, 2009
On Sunday I had to go to Dresden Germany to take care of some visa business. The other times I was driven by one of my bosses, but this time I was to go by myself by train. No problem, right? Wrong! I don’t know why but I seem to have major issues with taking trains in the Czech Republic. First of all, I went to the wrong train station. With only 15 minutes to spare I managed to get to the correct station. It was only 3 metro stops away from the wrong stations, luckily. The stressful part was that it was a Sunday, and on Sundays the metro runs every 6 minutes (weekdays every 3 minutes). I literally ran to the train and bought my ticket with just minutes to spare. The train was fully packed, so I had to sit on the floor for the 2-hour ride, and I was next to the bathroom. Stinky!
Once I arrived in Dresden I realized that I hadn’t arrived at the station I’d expected to. No problem, I could take another train to get there- except I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to buy a ticket! It was in English, but wanted to charge me 90euro, and it shoulda been like 2euro. Hmm, so I figured I would just walk…how far could it be…? Next problem, my map wasn’t big enough to include the train station I was at. I knew I needed to walk toward the river, however there were 3 exits going in different directions out of the station. I found a map, that was slightly helpful and picked an exit. I searched for another map, but found nothing. I was at that point that I was so frustrated I was about to cry. This is a decent size city, why were there no maps?! (There are maps all over in Prague). After about 5 minutes I found a map and I was in deed walking in the right direction. After a few more minutes I could find my place on my stupid little “Rough Guides” (like Lonely Planet) map. I walked for about 40 minutes before I got to my hostel, which was relatively easy to find. I asked about the Czech Embassy and was hoping that it wasn’t another 40 minutes in the opposite direction! Amazingly it was just a 10-minute walk in the direction of the train station. I walked around Dresden and enjoyed laying by the river the rest of the evening.
Monday
Everything went smoothly at the embassy- though I was fully prepared for everything to go wrong and to go home empty handed. I had some time, so I leisurely walked back to the train station. I successfully purchased my return ticket with no problems. The train was practically empty for most of the ride, so I got a nice seat next to the window where I had a perfect view of the River Elbe. The other times I went to Dresden were by car, and the road is on the other side of the river. In a week I’ll be going down the River Elbe by boat, so I’ll have seen the river from all angles. The view through the mountains and valleys is beautiful and the pictures really don’t do it justice.
The train took us back to the station I’d left from, which is not the main train station (and the cause of my confusion on the way there). I heard some American tourists talking and they seemed confused, because they were expecting to arrive at the main station. All I thought is “god, I know how you feel”, and I even live in the country! So, I decided to do my good deed of the day and help them out.
Since I arrived around 1pm and had time, I went in search of the “dancing building,” this crazy modern building surrounded by historical buildings. It’s completely out of place, but very cool looking, nonetheless. When walking back I noticed a bridge going to one of the small islands called “Slovansky Ostrov”. It’s small and quiet, and lacking tourists. So, I read, wrote, and worked on my tan for a while before heading back to Mlada Boleslav.
On Sunday I had to go to Dresden Germany to take care of some visa business. The other times I was driven by one of my bosses, but this time I was to go by myself by train. No problem, right? Wrong! I don’t know why but I seem to have major issues with taking trains in the Czech Republic. First of all, I went to the wrong train station. With only 15 minutes to spare I managed to get to the correct station. It was only 3 metro stops away from the wrong stations, luckily. The stressful part was that it was a Sunday, and on Sundays the metro runs every 6 minutes (weekdays every 3 minutes). I literally ran to the train and bought my ticket with just minutes to spare. The train was fully packed, so I had to sit on the floor for the 2-hour ride, and I was next to the bathroom. Stinky!
Once I arrived in Dresden I realized that I hadn’t arrived at the station I’d expected to. No problem, I could take another train to get there- except I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to buy a ticket! It was in English, but wanted to charge me 90euro, and it shoulda been like 2euro. Hmm, so I figured I would just walk…how far could it be…? Next problem, my map wasn’t big enough to include the train station I was at. I knew I needed to walk toward the river, however there were 3 exits going in different directions out of the station. I found a map, that was slightly helpful and picked an exit. I searched for another map, but found nothing. I was at that point that I was so frustrated I was about to cry. This is a decent size city, why were there no maps?! (There are maps all over in Prague). After about 5 minutes I found a map and I was in deed walking in the right direction. After a few more minutes I could find my place on my stupid little “Rough Guides” (like Lonely Planet) map. I walked for about 40 minutes before I got to my hostel, which was relatively easy to find. I asked about the Czech Embassy and was hoping that it wasn’t another 40 minutes in the opposite direction! Amazingly it was just a 10-minute walk in the direction of the train station. I walked around Dresden and enjoyed laying by the river the rest of the evening.
Monday
Everything went smoothly at the embassy- though I was fully prepared for everything to go wrong and to go home empty handed. I had some time, so I leisurely walked back to the train station. I successfully purchased my return ticket with no problems. The train was practically empty for most of the ride, so I got a nice seat next to the window where I had a perfect view of the River Elbe. The other times I went to Dresden were by car, and the road is on the other side of the river. In a week I’ll be going down the River Elbe by boat, so I’ll have seen the river from all angles. The view through the mountains and valleys is beautiful and the pictures really don’t do it justice.
The train took us back to the station I’d left from, which is not the main train station (and the cause of my confusion on the way there). I heard some American tourists talking and they seemed confused, because they were expecting to arrive at the main station. All I thought is “god, I know how you feel”, and I even live in the country! So, I decided to do my good deed of the day and help them out.
Since I arrived around 1pm and had time, I went in search of the “dancing building,” this crazy modern building surrounded by historical buildings. It’s completely out of place, but very cool looking, nonetheless. When walking back I noticed a bridge going to one of the small islands called “Slovansky Ostrov”. It’s small and quiet, and lacking tourists. So, I read, wrote, and worked on my tan for a while before heading back to Mlada Boleslav.
I still can't get enough of the pretty buildings in Prague
The Fred & Ginger Dancing Building (I don't think any dancing goes on inside)
I love the "dancing lady" she makes me happy just watching her. I'll have to take a video next time.
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