Why not take a boat ride along the river when in Germany? 

Does not matter where you are in Germany, whether it is Berlin, Leipzig, Hamburg or Dresden. You can find a boat tour nearby with heaps of people on a summer day. 

For Dresdners: 

Luckily, we have the beautiful Elbe river that runs through the middle of the city. Giving you the best view on both sides. There are many cruise and steam boat tours that goes along the river with various stops along the way. One of which is the amazing Sächsische Schweiz. A hiker's dream location.  

 

As a fellow Dresdner, one of the big festival is known as the:

 

A city festival. In other words, another reason for people to come together to drink beers, eat delicious food at various food stands and dance!

I definitely did not.... I felt it the next morning, that's for sure. Thank god for the greasy breakfast, bacon and eggs along with the good company and care. 

Stadtfest is an equivalent to Bunte Republik Neustadt (BRN). Something you shouldn't miss out if you're living or visiting Dresden. It has more of a carnival feel to it instead of the hippie-feel of BRN but nonetheless, it was a good time with good company despite the massive downpour. & to believe that London rains a lot, I have never been caught in the rain so many times in my life till my move here. Guess I'll take rain over snow any day.

Can't say I remember much of my first night but the magical Ferris wheel ride has to be my favorite, worth the 6€.

 

Stadtfest had to end with a bang, FIREWORKS! The most amazing firework show I have seen to this day, it may have just topped Canada day at the parliament hill. With hundreds of people gathered together by the Elbe in front of the beautiful view of Altstadt. It took me by surprise when the sky lit up in colours, it was absolutely breathtaking. Pictures doesn't do its justice.

Thank you Dresden for making me fall in love with you all over again.

 

After many months of hearing about the promised land of Western Germany, I had to experience it and see it for myself. It was as if I entered a different country, rooftops changed in colour from bright orange to dark grey. People became more liberal and there were heaps of international people.

Maybe it was the weather, but Köln just looked a little dark and depressing. I really expected Köln to be a city as beautiful as Dresden but instead it was full of buildings of the 70s. Architectural wise, I was not impressed but fashion-wise, that is a whole different story. Everyone was so well dressed, definitely the European style I was anticipating for before my big move. Thumbs up for the party scene though! Köln people definitely knows how to party even if most of the time they are playing 'Schlager' music, which I do wish I understood more. For brief, it is basically top hits of German music. Everyone sings along and dance like crazy people... my cup of tea. After all, Köln is known for its fifth season, carnival season which commences Nov 11th @ 11am annually. Maybe I will join in the mayhem this year.

Oh, Düsseldorf. This city definitely has more of a charm to it. The most beautiful people I have ever seen are walking the streets of Düsseldorf along with its beautiful nature space right in the center of the city. It has a good mixture of the old and the new city. Exactly what I imagined the European lifestyle to be like. Thankfully, I am not living in this city though otherwise I will be one broke ass chick with all the shopping I will be doing. I should move here next!

Cutest little town otherwise known as Julia's hometown. Who is the one reason why I made my journey out to the west of Germany. In such a short time, she has been one of my best girlfriend here in Germany and now she is off to start her own adventure in Australia. I can not express how much I will miss you girl. Safe travels and I will see you in the future wherever we both are.

 

Moritzburg, a beautiful castle and one of the most romantic place I have been to yet in the area of Saxony. The bright yellow castle is surrounded by a cute little lake, where there is a beautiful bridge leading to the doors of the castle. We were lucky enough to catch the sunset off of the bridge. The overall setting of Moritzburg was breathtaking. Behind the castle was a massive garden, with cute little house-like sheds.

Berliner for the weekend, nothing but excitement for this adventure in the capital. You never know where it will take you and who you will meet along the way. In my case, an amazing person I have met takes me all the way to Berlin.

Started off with a very German breakfast consisting of bread rolls, slices of cheese and deli meats, and hard boiled eggs. Then off to venture in the city. First stop: Alexanderplatz!

Home to one of Berlin's landmark TV tower (Fernsehturm) which stands at 365m tall. A sight that can not be missed, despite how far or close you are from this central hub of Berlin Mitte.

Entering Lustgarten, this is where I truly fell in love with Berlin. Prior to this, Berlin was just a big city with lots of people and traffic nothing special. In the middle of Lustgarten, you find yourself surrounded with beautiful architectural buildings. One of which, is the Berliner Dom the largest cathedral in the city with it's highly detailed design. Along with many museums such as the Altes museum. Even if you do not go inside, it is worth just sitting in front of the fountain on the grass and taking it all in or sitting on the steps between the highly design pillars.

Second stop: Brandenburger Tor. Meters away from Lustgarten, you find yourself entering Unter den Linden. A boulevard lined on both sides of the pedestrian pathways are 'linden' trees giving it its name 'under the linden trees'. Leading you from lustgarten to the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate), a breathtaking and famous landmark of Germany. With its neoclassical architectural design, it is beautiful in person.  

 

A walk away from the Brandenburg Tor is the Reichstag building, central meeting for the German parliament. With a big field of green space directly in front of it, you can relax and embrace its beauty under the summer sun.

Third stop: Siegesäule. Walking away from the Brandenburg Tor, I find myself walking along the Victory Avenue (Siegesallee) towards what I have only seen in media, the Siegesäule (Victory column). With its on-going traffic circling the base, one can find it hard to simply cross the street to the center and for this reason, there are tunnels that runs underneath of it all leading you to the Siegesäule. Where you can enjoy the busy traffic from the steps of Siegesäule and be glad you are not part of the honking and beeping of cars. & for 3Euros you can climb the stairs to the two view points of the Siegesäule. Climbing the stairs to the top of what I thought was never going to end was very tiring but was worth it! The panoramic view of Berlin from the top of Siegesäule was absolutely phenomenal. You can see the many streets that intersect at the base of the column and surrounding it is the massive green space of Tiergarten. Of course, by the end of this I was too exhausted to continue onwards and just needed to relax with a beer, Berliner Kindl.

On the hunt for what is left of the Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall), that once separated Germany East and West. Along the way, found myself getting lost within the Holocaust Denkmal made up of numerous concrete slabs. A memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe during the Holocaust. Located only a block away from the Brandenburg Gate and another block over you enter the business district, Potsdamer Platz. This is where you can find the Sony center, made up of glass and steel. It is a central hub for various entertainments such as film premiers, sporting events, etc.

It was a fail attempt to find the Berlin wall, however there were pieces of the wall scattered throughout the city so gives you a rough idea of it. Some covered in colorful graffiti, while others covered in chewing gum. Instead, made it to Checkpoint Charlie. This is the crossing point of East Berlin and West Berlin. With signs stating whether you are entering the 'American Sector' or the 'Non-profit Sector'. Entering to what was the 'American Sector' was as if you step backed into history during the cold war due to its well kept buildings. It was different to the rest of Berlin.

After a journey back into history of Germany, had a relaxing evening at Capital beach located in front of Berlin Hauptbahnhof and the Sprewith some great company. Of course, had to eat currywurst while in Berlin its like going to Montreal, Canada for its poutine.