Old with New

Today we took a trip to Dresden, Germany. It was only an hour by train to get there. Weird thing that happened on the train: some lady cackled like a witch just as we passed Frankenstein, Germany...and yes, there is a Frankenstein, Germany! Dresden happens to be the city Grandmama's parents lived before they moved to Bratislava. We didn't get to see their old home, but exploring the city and seeing the different buildings was surreal. Sophomore year of college, I read Extremely loud, and Incredibly close for a class and it described the Dresden bombings. You could see the difference in the old buildings and the ones that were rebuilt. The old ones were coated in black, the residue from the smoke from the bombs, and the new ones were pristine and clean. They were right next to each other too, so it was really interesting to see the comparison and how the city rebuilt itself after the war.

At the train station, Grandpapa told me the story of his dad leaving. He told me how one night he was arrested for no reason. His elementary school friend happened to be a Gestapo and told him, "You have 24 hours to get out or we'll send you away with everyone else." Grandpapa described what it was like for him to leave and how he felt on the exact platform he saw his dad leave. He didn't know when he'd see his dad again. We were standing in the exact spot.

Tonight, we saw Turandot at the Chemnitz Opera. The opera was in Italian with German subtitles, so I really understood nothing. Grandpapa loved the show and the music was incredible. It was very moving and dramatic and I really enjoyed it. Doing the things Grandpapa enjoys makes me feel closer to him and Grandmama.