Saturday, September 5, 2015

Dresden, Prague, and one happy family!

On thursday when Jeff got home from work we loaded up the car and we were off to Dresden, Germany. We arrived at our hotel at around 8. Jeff and I still get so giddy about staying in hotels. We hopped across the street to McDonalds for dinner. (gross, but didn't want to spend $60 on dinner at the other closest restaurant.)

The night went off without a hitch! Wow I was surprised at how well both girls slept. Looks like my anxiety over longer trips with both of them will be kept at bay. However, I have to mention how much I entirely LOATHE european pillows. They are like fluffy cardboard. Just realllllly bad.

We woke up and realized we forgot our baby carrier. SMOOTH MOVE. I had planned to go to this really cool famous natural bridge but due to poor planning, we realized we wouldn't be able to make it happen this day. (Another time, I desperately hope). I am not well traveled so trip planning is not yet my forte. I hope that changes by the end of these 3 years.

After a very satisfying hotel breakfast, we drove to Downtown Dresden and walked around The Zwinger- Just a big square of famous buildings and museums. A lot of these buildings are black because of the bombings during World War 2- they weren't originally black. It is sobering to think about how much these buildings were able to withstand, and that they have remained through all the tumult this country has been through. We walked around for a few hours and really enjoyed the unique ambiance of that place. I can still never anticipate how much cooler it is to go to a place than it is to see pictures. I'm SOLD on travelling and seeing and learning as much as I can.

We didn't pay for any tours or anything. Truth be told, I married a man who is basically a walking thesaurus/history book/tour guide. I love his commentary more than any other random tour guide, that's for sure.
 (My favorite view of Dresden, they had a biking/running path all the way down the side of the river Elbe. Perfection.)


Yeah Lyla- my little european baby who will get to tell people one day that she was born in Germany and has been all over Europe but doesn't remember a lick of it. So these pictures will at least allow her to see all the cool things she got to do :) Lyla probably enjoyed this day more than anyone because she was in my arms all day, which is her version of heaven. (mine too :)


We decided to stop in Prague on the way home from Dresden. After the GPS sent us on a weavy little excursion through a tiny, self-sustained town- and in my head I was thinking that the lady on the GPS had lost her marbles and we would be lost forever- we made it to the place that Jeff called home for two years while he served his mission. It was a long awaited, joyous reunion that I felt so excited to be a part of.

 I quickly realized that the sight of Prague is the best instigator of the Jeffrey Perma-smile. Can't say I hate it.

We walked around while jeff told story after story and ended up at one of his favorite restaurants. I have to say that it was my favorite eating out experience since we have moved here. I ordered a meal that didn't have any "european surprise" ingredients, and Jeff was re-acquainted with that big slab of fried cheese that he has always told me about.

After dinner we went to a park that has the most breath-taking look out point. For the first time ever, we asked strangers to take our picture. We both HATE doing that, but made an exception because this view was just unspeakably beautiful. Well turns out the picture does it ZERO justice and the lighting was horrible. But oh well, at least that memory is captured- and I know I'll never forget the feeling I had looking over the city with my beaming husband and two sweet girls. And Prague, lest you think you've gotten rid of us, we WILL be back. :)
 Prague castle peaking through the trees.
(Chotkovy Sady)

One of those days that ended in unanimous happy sighs. What a privilege it is to get to share my life, and the adventures that come with it, with these 3 people. In Jane's words: "I'm just happy!"

2 comments:

  1. Dresden looks beautiful!! And Prague too. Wow. I love all these European adventures you're having!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nate is so jealous right now! How fun!

    ReplyDelete

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