you take it on the run, baby

the last month has been a busy one... as evidenced by the lack of posts. I've been here now going on 8 weeks. I finally have my own place: a 2-floor or "masionette" style apartment with an amazing view in the Neustadt, the bohemian-bar-cafe-shopping area that became the heart of Dresden after the bombings destroyed most of the rest of the city. It's great to be in walking distance to so many different distractions. My street, Görlitzer, features among other things, a art house movie theater and a bar named Lebowski. Yes, that sort of Lebowski... are you thinking white Russians? I have yet to venture in, but there's always a crowd and the drinks are purported to be stiff. The Cohen Bros would approve.

View of Görlitzer Str. from the top floor of my apartment

another event occupied several nights in July... the Scheune Schaubuden Sommer festival. I have never experienced anything quite like it. 10 days of theater, dance, cabaret, comedy, music, film... I saw American and Austrailian comics, a Swiss troupe whose finale featured an Elephant singing "Personal Jesus" accompanied by baritone and electric ukulele, a cast of clowns as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse performing songs about death, and a lizard puppet act that included one of the best pick-up lines I've heard. obviously, it was auf Deutsch, but it went a little something like this:

Die Echse: (to a girl in the audience) According to my watch, you're not wearing any underwear. Is this true?
Girl: No, sorry.
Die Echse: Hmm. Maybe I should tell you that my watch is two hours fast...

Buff Papier at Schaubuden Sommer

finally, as I've been deprived of long road rides (so missing that and my cycling friends from the StL...), I've been running a lot instead. actually, I've decided to run the Dresden Marathon in October. 6 weeks into training now and I've already clocked 86 miles total. running has given me a way to explore the city - it's definitely the most scenic place I've ever lived. whether I am running along the Elbe or through the historic buildings of Altstadt, it makes the miles pass faster... though, I should be thinking in kilometers now!

until 2014...

Hard to believe that I am starting my 4th week here in Dresden. Thankfully, my arrival coincided with the World Cup. One makes fast friends when one enjoys sports and rooting for the home team, not to mention beer drinking...

Some documentation of the many Deutschland matches I've attended:

Watching the Group of 16 match against England

The crowd celebrates the first goal in the quarterfinal against Argentina

Many a frei bier at Waldschlösschen - 8 in all over 2 matches

The only picture I took the night of the loss to Spain at the Red Rooster...

The crowd at Fähregarten celebrates the small final victory over Uruguay

the CBG and me

Here's a little tour around my new work digs. The building, designed by Finish and German architects, has housed about 400 scientists from over 30 countries comprising 25 research groups since 2001 in its unique space. The MPI-CBG also brought about the "Dresden Model" - a research institution that limits hierarchy of resources for the better pursuit of science.

The Germans call the ground floor the Eingang or entrance, not level 1 - which means working on the 4th floor means I climb up 4 flights of stairs to get to lab.

Can't do the science without the caffeine!

Or something to eat. Our canteen serves pretty good food. And it's subsidized, so it's a bargain!

long, hot Dresden summer

Priessnitz Str 35. Maybe my future apartmet?

What with a major move, it's time to brush the cobwebs off and start blogging again. I arrived in Dresden on Monday for my postdoc stint here (1-3 years) and am busy settling in. Getting to know my new lab, making friends, looking for apartments and a bike, and lots of paperwork. Seems that a summer is the best time to be in Dresden. The days are long and the temps are a good 20 degrees cooler than in the Lou. Highs of 75 everyday? Don't mind if I do... Festivals, encouraged outdoor drinking, and the World Cup seem to fuel the fire. I was told over my umpteenth grosse Hefeweizen last night (omg, so so so good and I am not a Hefe drinker, usually) that Dresdeners party all summer, only waking up from their bacchanal in September to find their flats (in daylight) dirty and smelling of stale beer. I think I'm going to like it here.

On Louisenstrasse in Neustadt

Flea market along the Elbe

Biergarten overlooking the Elbe

USA World Cuppage, er Steinage