Dresden

Arriving in Dresden's Neustadt Station on Sunday 23rd January 2011, Dave & Kate made their way along the to the hotel on the outskirts of the Neustadt area.

They were soon back in the world of takeaway Subway's for tea each night (they did try some chilli con carne from this place called Cafe Europa as it was only €4.40 but were reminded of why they don't bother going to these places usually - annoying music and table service).

Luckily they found a cool cafe for coffee, called Dreißig, early on which would become their resting place each day for an hour or two.

They had no idea what the hell they were doing here but it didn't feel wrong.  On their first full day they walked down Königsbrücker Straße onto Hauptstraße and crossed the River Elbe on Augustusbrücke and into the Altstadt.  It was Monday midday and the place was deserted but they liked this - being in the tourist part of Dresden without the tourists.

On their way back to the hotel that night they walked a slightly different way and accidently found themselves in the musical area of the Neustadt, passing by 3 musical instrument stores.  In the window of one they were taken by a Zoom Handy Digital Recorder.  They hadn't seen one of these before but it immediately struck a chord inside.

The following day they took a different route into the Altstadt crossing the River Elbe over Albertbrücke this time.  They carried on walking alongside a big park, Volkspark Großer Garten, and after a while Dave pulled out the map to check how to get to the Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) where there was an internet terminal.  The only road they could take to the station was Wiener Straße, where they were immediately greeted by a wee guy with some flowers...

Human Hibernation

In the run-up to Christmas Dave & Kate spent even more time inside, often only popping out to Kaisers nearby for food.  They were finding they were sleeping long into the afternoon and it was as if everything was shutting down.  At other times the same energy would leave them unable to sleep all night, especially hitting Dave hard as they entered the New Year.  This would lead them into a period of napping, sleeping for 3 - 4 hours at night and then taking 20 - 30 min naps throughout the day.

On Christmas Day they took the long walk to check out the Christmas markets at Alexanderplatz and came across some wallets for a good price.  They had been considering getting new ones for some time and this was the time.  On returning to the flat, Dave switched the radio on and was stopped in his tracks by the song playing:

"Right now I feel - just like a leaf on a breeze
Who knows where it's blowin'
Who knows where it's goin'
I find myself somewhere I - I never thought I'd be 

Following a star - has led to where you are
It feels so strong now - this can't be wrong now

Nothing I have ever known - has made me feel this way
Nothing I have ever seen - has made me want to stay
Here I am - ready for you
I'm torn an', I'm fallin' - I hear my home callin'
Hey - I've never felt something so strong - oh no
It's like nothing I've ever known
It's like nothing I've ever known

Right now I feel - just like a leaf on a breeze
Who knows where it's blowin'
Who knows where I'm goin'"

It felt like arriving in Barcelona all over again - another Bryan Adams song - only this time it was for these times. 

On Monday 27th December 2010, Dave & Kate took a walk into the Kreuzberg area and passing over the River Spree, Dave realised it was the perfect place to discard of his old wallet.

Europa Passage

Just round the corner from World Cafe was the shopping centre, Europa Passage.  On the floors were the names of various European cities.  This felt like the Paris Europe thing all over again.  Yet it was no joke.

Money was fast running out, time was ticking and they now had a train ticket to Berlin but with nowhere to stay there.  They played the lottery scratch cards and then put all hope on the Wednesday night lottery, knowing that on Thursday morning their train left for Berlin.

Was it a passage to Europe or a cruel joke?

With all this going on, they wandered around the markets, took a walk down the Reeperbahn and to the harbour area where the water at night really seemed significant and somehow necessary to be around again.

During this time the rainbow appeared for them again.  Going down the stairs in the hotel, one day Dave spotted a painting on the wall with a rainbow on it.  Then sitting at the computer at reception trying to find a place to stay in Berlin, the song 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' was playing on the radio in the background.  This song  would follow them around, appearing at auspicious occasions.

From Atlantis To Yo-Yo's

On the 4th night Dave & Kate felt the time was right to revisit an old friend, Kaya.  It was pouring down and as they walked the streets in the area not too far from their apartment they spotted a coffeeshop called Atlantis.  It seemed apt that they try and find Kaya in there.  They did and left, heading back to the apartment for a pleasant night.

Amsterdam with all its canals was also continuing this strange water-related theme that seemed to be significant.  Pretty soon they discovered their luxury bathroom with its two sinks only had one in working order - the other was leaking water at the base.  Chris and his Dutch friend Ron arrived but couldn't fix it so one sink it was.

As Dave & Kate walked into Atlantis the girl at the counter misheard Dave and thought he was asking for "Jamaican", a strain of their friend Kaya.  Bob was certainly around.  The next day in a headshop for papers and any old lighter, the middle-aged lady specifically pulled one with Bob Marley on it from the shelf for them.  They would find him looking down on them from above in La Terturia, the only coffeeshop they sat in at other than Yo-Yo's.

They had heard Yo-Yo's produce was organically grown and since it was out of the city centre, was much more relaxed, for the locals rather than tourists.  It sounded like their kind of place.  La Terturia was more well-known, but still relaxed, run by two elderly women, a mother and daughter team.

The Truffaut Days

Dave & Kate arrived at the apartment on Rue Truffaut on Saturday afternoon and were soon met by David and his little boy, who they learnt had never heard his dad speaking English before and had never been to the apartment before, hence his shyness.

After showing them around he surprised them by saying he had decided he didn't need a desposit from them as he trusted them and wouldn't be around on the Thursday when they checked out anyway.  They recognised this as another little bit of help coming their way and were able to use that cash now for groceries for the week.

The apartment itself was great, with everything they needed, but at this stage they would have felt grateful for pretty much any apartment.  The fact it had a PC with internet, was close to the Europe area they had been in, and had all amenities close by was amazing.  Still they were faced with returning to Edinburgh on the Thursday if money didn't arrive from somewhere.

They weren't even sure where they'd go after this if it did come.  Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands seemed the most likely destinations, although they had no reason to go to any of them.

The weather responded to their movements too.  The previous 2 weeks in Paris it had remained dry, while they were in hotels and out for much of the day.  The day they moved into the apartment it began raining heavily and did so for most of the days they were there.  They had seen most of Paris anyway and didn't need to go too far. 

Instead a lot of time was spent utilising the free internet and writing emails.

During this time help now came in the form of Will & Georgie, who kindly stepped in and provided new funds for them to remain in Europe.  Dave & Kate had been more more confident it would come this time than the previous week but they didn't know from where.  They felt blessed yet again still not really knowing what the hell was going on.

3 Hotels In 3 Nights

It felt like Jah had delivered a real treat for them that night.  They were so grateful. 

Although it looked increasingly certain they'd have no choice but to book a flight back to Edinburgh the following day, it didn't matter, for now they were fine.

That night as Dave brushed his teeth he saw he was staring at a rainbow in the sink.  The light was reflecting off the running water in such a way it had created a rainbow.  He began to laugh.  They had also noticed that there were three random tiles in the bathroom each with a butterfly on them.

Yet again they checked out in the morning with nowhere to stay that night.  They managed to book a Best Western hotel on Rue de Moscou after another internet trip.  The internet rates in Paris were really swallowing up their finances.

That afternoon Dave sent an email to the folks back in Edinburgh to let them know they'd almost certainly be on a flight there in a day or two.  Dave & Kate felt they weren't to ask for money from anyone, no matter how strongly they felt about remaining in Europe.  They had to put all their trust in Jah.

Europe In Paris

On Monday 1st November 2010 they checked out the Ibis.  They were surprised to be offered another free breakfast for all the trouble from the smirking guy in the background.  Pity they'd already eaten out that morning.  Still, they took up the offer and sat and had a coffee before leaving.  They wondered why it was so busy so close to check-out time in the breakfast room.  They found out later the clocks had went back so it was 10.45 when they thought it was 11.45.

Nearby was a launderette they stopped off at.  They'd been once already but this time they chose the wrong (or right?) machine.  The water got blocked and the machine kept on spinning.  Kate asked the few people in there if anyone spoke English and a very kind French guy saved the day by offering to call the caretaker on his mobile.

While they waited a little girl in with her mum wanted to play with Kate.  They were noticing a pattern of having lots of these kind of encounters with children.

Eventually they got to leave the launderette and discovered the only metro stop they could get off at on their route to the new hotel was called Europe.  This seemed significant.

Their hotel was on Rue d'Amsterdam and they soon discovered why the metro was called Europe... all the streets in the area were named after European cities - Moscou, Liege, Naples, Berne, Vienne, Madrid, etc...

Immediately they felt much lighter in this area.  For the first time in Paris they felt they had found The Place.

It wasn't just because of the Europe connection.  They liked the buildings, could see themselves living there, and the general ambience of the place.  It felt much more relaxed than some parts and not as arty-farty or pretentious as say Montmartre.

That afternoon after they checked into their hotel they felt a strong energy shift within themselves and could only lay there on the bed unable to move for a few hours until they 'came round' again.

Fawlty Towers

Their stay at the Ibis was a bit like Fawlty Towers. 

In the 7 nights they were there, they stayed in 4 different rooms.  The first one, a non-smoking room, had a stench of cigarette smoke coming through the air vents and so they asked to move.  They were moved to a room with dampness in it and asked to be moved again.  The 3rd room was fine as far as they were concerned but arriving home one night their keycard wouldn't let them in.  They went to the desk and were informed work was going to be carried out on the room in the morning and there would be no hot water (water problems again!).  By this time the hotel was almost full and there was a bit of drama and tension as the hotel staff tried to find them a suitable room to move to (2 vacant rooms were stinking of smoke again). 

The little French-Morrocan guy at reception was sweating as they sent him into a panic trying to find a suitable room.  His buddy in the background would just offer a wry smile at proceedings.  Dave & Kate were given a free breakfast the following morning for all the trouble. 

Then there was the typically French Jean-Pierre, who remained snooty and aloof whenever they dealt with him.  All these characters amused Dave & Kate and it seemed they amused, bemused, confused and caused havoc wherever they went and whoever they dealt with.  This amused them further.  The Upsetters upsetting the Babylon System without effort.

One guy working at the Ibis hotel was different.  He was a tall, slender, black man and each time he encountered Dave he would just break into a big grin and start nodding his head.  Few words were ever spoken between them but something seemed to be understood.

Paris - The First 7 Nights

As far as Dave & Kate could see, they were in Paris for 7 nights and then who knows after that... if something kept them there longer they would remain, otherwise they were certain they'd move on - or back to Edinburgh if money ran out - as they had no desire to be there any longer than necessary.

Each morning they'd be up and out of their hotel around 10 or 11am and breakfast would be a baguette to share and a pain au chocolat each, which they'd buy from a local patisserie and eat as they made the long walk into the centre of Paris.  They never knew where they were going, they would just walk and see where they ended up.  It was usually different ways of arriving somewhere along the River Seine.

These walks would last up to 10 hours a day with very few breaks.  First of all, their hotel was so far from the centre that they couldn't go back throughout the day.  Secondly, they were running out of cash and forgot how expensive Paris can be and how difficult to get cheap food. 

So during these walks, they'd stop off for a seat at various spots around the city, try the different pastries for lunch when they could afford them and then usually without fail find themselves sitting in a Subway for their main meal (it was better than McDonalds!).  They would also use Brioche Doree.  In between all of this they would try to locate internet cafes to arrange their next move after the Ibis stay was over. 

Paris seemed to be having them walking all over the city, draining them of money and wearing them out and yet the aliveness remained throughout.  They never felt hard done by and enjoyed all of it with no regrets.  They visited Montmartre, the artistic area near Sacre Coeur and were unimpressed by it.  They went by all the main tourist attractions without feeling like tourists.  At the Eiffel Tower, they sat on a bench and while all the tourists were doing what tourists do, Dave & Kate found themselves watching a rat scuttling about in the bushes behind them. 

They had been to these places before and so this time they also found themselves discovering parts of Paris the tourists don't usually see.  This all happened by default of them having to wander around to find basic essentials, not through their own will.  They were literally like leaves being blown around this city and it certainly was grinding them down.

Winter was also approaching and they still had their summer clothes with them.  Even there, life took care of it's own as it never produced really bad weather during the days while they were forced to be out all day.

Every night they would get the metro back to the hotel, usually about 10 or 11pm, or sometimes if they had a fresh burst of energy come upon them, they'd walk all the way back.