Dessau

Sachsen-Anhalt (the Bundesland that Magdeburg is in) is very tame. Not a whole lot to do but the other CBYX participant that lives in Magdeburg with me had the idea to go to Dessau for the day. My first questions was "What's in Dessau?" He said he didn't really know but that there must be something since it was one of the other "big" cities in Sachsen-Anhalt. Being a big city in Sachsen-Anhalt really isn't saying too much but I was willing to give it a try. Dessau is only one hour away from Magdeburg but all the other train stations on the way were really creepy looking. I'm talking run down and returning to earth. They all had broken windows and looked like they were no longer being used to contain people seeking warmth. They just looked abandoned. Upon mentioning this to my host sister, she said "Yeah...don't get off at those stops." I was a little scared after hearing this. So we went to this city...and, it turns out, it, indeed, does not have that much to do. We found a nice mall and a pretty neat town square. We also popped our heads into this neat looking restaurant in the town square. The door was open but no one was in it. We yelled "hallo" but no one answered so we left. Haha it was so weird and sketchy all at once. We were told to go to this place called the Bauhaus by people who we told we were going. It turns out this place is kind of a museum for architecture. I have no interest in architecture and neither did the other participant so we quickly left. Feeling pretty defeated we sluggishly made our way back to the main part of the city. On the way, however, we crossed paths with a sign for a Tiergarten (zoo). I immediately became very excited. I love animals and I love them even more when the are contained and can't run away from me. So we had stumbled upon this little gem in this seemingly boring city. I love finding gems. The Tiergarten was actually very beautiful and it was strange to think it was hidden away in this city that seemed so bland at first glance. The pictures below are from the photo shoot that followed the discovery of the Tiergarten.

Oh ya know, just putting some wood on the fire and making a meal. 

Creepiest/most beautiful face ever

"Here lives Teddy and Eika"

I love lichen (symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae) almost as much as I love Kate Winslet and Germany has the largest specimens I have ever seen.

Is this the road to my future? One way to find out.