Yesterday, we went to Berlin again. My neighbor's friend was visiting from Denmark, so we did largely the same things, but with some slight changes.
We started off the day visiting the East Side Gallery. In 1990 artists painted things on the Wall, and they remain to this day. I assumed that it would be a fairly small piece remaining, but I would estimate that it is about a mile or so long, maybe longer.
After that, we went to the Fernsehturm (Television Tower). It is the tallest structure in Germany and is used to broadcast all kinds of signals. One can somehow get up to the ball, which slowly revolves. I didn't bother to do that because it costs €10.50 (About $13, at this point). After that, we went to the Pergamon Museum. Due to the late 19th century and early 20th century being what they were, Germany came into the possession of a lot of stuff that you would assume would be in a museum somewhere else.
For instance, this is the Ishtar Gate, once a part of ancient Babylon. The entire gate is far too large to be displayed inside of a gigantic building like the Pergamon, so the rest of it is stored in boxes somewhere. This is just the inside, smaller part of it, and it is about 50ft tall. The constraints of the building and a camera's ability to take pictures make it nearly impossible to get it in one photo. I suppose that you will just have to go there and see it yourself.
In addition to the Ishtar Gate, this museum also has the former market gate of Miletus.
and the Pergamon Altar
After that, we went down to see Checkpoint Charlie. To get there, you need to go on Unter den Linden. I seem to recall mentioning that I would take a picture of the street when the trees didn't look dead, so here it is.
I didn't notice the McDonald's in the background until I put the pictures on my computer. I feel that it is somewhat fitting for the American sector's most famous attraction to have a McDonald's at it.
Instead of being at the Brandenburg Gate at sunrise, this time we were there at sunset. I figured the time change deserved another picture. After that, we were all pretty dead, so we took a quick stop over to Potsdamer Platz and then home. I thought that I took some pictures of buildings at Potsdamer Platz, but I seem not to have done so. It is more impressive than pictures can display, so I suppose that it doesn't matter a whole lot anyway. I will just try to explain it, so that you can imagine the effect. There are a lot of really tall, new buildings in a fairly small area. We were also there after sunset, so maybe that makes it more impressive. There is also the Sony center, which is basically a circle lined with stores and restaurants and stuff and a big courtyard in the middle. There is a big fancy looking roof on top of it, on which they had bright colors displayed. After that, we took the next train home, and went to bed. 1:30 isn't a terribly pleasant time to go to sleep at when you have woken up at 5:30, but it works.
In other news, life is going pretty well. One of the bad parts of primarily having one teacher, is that you get bored of always going to class with them. One of the good parts is that, when the professor is sick, you get to miss all of your classes. As a result of that (and a holiday last week) I only had class on Thursday last week. This week, I will have basically the same schedule, but with one class tomorrow morning, since she is still sick. I feel bad for her that she is so sick that she needs to miss two weeks of school, but, at the same time, that is not stopping me from enjoying my time off. This doesn't really mean that I am doing anything important with my free time. My goal this week is to both start and finish my presentation that I will have to give on the U.S. Congress for English class. Since I don't actually present that until the middle of July, I feel that the odds of it getting finished are slim, but I am going to try. Also, I intend to continue my jogging regimen that I have started (going for about half an hour two or three times a week. Maybe I can use my free time to improve that.) Prior to beginning that, I definitely felt that I was much less active here than I have been in the past. Hopefully that will help. I don't feel that I am forgetting anything, but I probably am. Let me know if I forgot something important and I will try to change that. Gute Nacht Euch. Marc.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Lübeck
The end of our whirlwind tour last week took us to Lübeck. Lübeck is in northern Germany, very near the Baltic Sea. It is part of what is called the Hanseatic League, meaning that it was a prominent port city for merchants during the middle ages. The old city of Lübeck is on an island, with access through two very old gates. One of my favorite parts of Lübeck is that they have plaques on every building of interesting explaining what it is in German and English at the very least, often adding in Danish and Swedish, and, rarely, other European languages. Why don't more cities have things like this (in any country. Plaques are cheap and it makes sightseeing a lot more interesting than when you have no idea about the history of a building)
This is the Holstentor (Holsten is just an abbreviated form of Holstein, the area of Germany that Lübeck is in. Tor means gate.). This is the gate on the west end of the island. The church on the right is the St. Petrikirche. Pretty much everything in Lübeck is made out of bricks like this. The upside of this that all of the buildings are very impressive and different from everything I have seen before. The downside of that, is that by the end of the day, everything was starting to look the same. That being said, it was pretty sweet to see something that was drastically different than everything I have ever seen. Also, it was the first city that I have visited that was in West Germany proper. West Berlin may have been part of the BRG, but it was still in the eastern part.
The St. Petrikirche. One problem with photographing the churches in Lübeck is that they are all really tall and surrounded by trees. Also, because this part of the city is on a small island (walking from the Burgtor at the north end to the cathedral at the south end took us less than twenty minutes and we stopped several times to look at stores and stuff) Anyway, you are allowed to take an elevator to the top (I assume that there must be stairs, but we didn't see any and I assume they are only available in case of an emergency.)
The western portions around the island. The Marienkirche.
The old market and Rathaus. Because Lübeck was the main merchant city on the Baltic, there is a large tradition of craftsman and artisans. These people still exist and were in the market at the time that we were there. If one wanted to buy some jewelery or medieval weapons of a sort, then one can buy them from someone who is making them in front of you. Not the kind of thing that you see every day.
The Lübeck Cathedral.
The Rathaus from the market. Unlike other old Rathouses, this one is still in use. The building behind it is the Marienkirche.
The Marienkirche. Apparently, the Devil originally tried to convince them to build a wine cellar. They built this church instead, and, after it was nearly finished, one of the stones at the top fell off and landed next to the church. Now, they have a devil statue on a big stone next to the church. Theoretically, rubbing his horns is good luck. They had a plaque explaining the story, but not why rubbing his horns is good luck, sadly. They also didn't explain how they knew that the Devil tried to convince them to build a wine cellar. Incidentally, Lübeck has a large wine making industry, making a wine called Rotspon. The grapes are grown and fermented in France and then aged in Lübeck. Rotspon is apparently old Deutsch for red wine.
The devil statue.
The Hospital of the Holy Spirit. A hospital that dates back to 1260. It is pretty huge and has all sorts of nifty artwork.
The altar in the first room. You walk in, and there is a giant room. I am not sure what you would call it.
Stained glass window next to the altar.
I am not quite sure what to call this one either. It was all along the wall across from the door. It might have a balcony on top, but I do not remember.
An example patient's room.
The Burgtor (Castle Gate) at the north end of the island.
The Trave river on the north end of the island.
After visiting the north end of the island, we turned south. On the way south, we ran into the Willy Brandt House. He was the Chancellor of West Germany during the late sixties and early seventies. He won the Nobel peace prize for improving east/west relations. Much to my delight, the museum was free.
A piece of the Berlin Wall that was at the museum.
After that, we continued our way south to stop at the Lübeck cathedral.
Once again, there was a wedding going on, and so we were not allowed to stay for very long. I am not sure how much it costs to get married in a cathedral, but I bet it is a whole lot.
The inside of the cathedral.
After dodging the wedding party, we headed back to the train station. This is the Trave just outside of the Holstentor. Two transfers and hours later, we ended up back at home. I am not entirely certain what is next on the trave schedule. If the weather is good and I am feeling up to it, tomorrow might involve some hiking in the Harz mountains. Next weekend might involve a trip to Berlin to meet a professor from Bemidji, but I am not sure. Bis bald. -Marc.
This is the Holstentor (Holsten is just an abbreviated form of Holstein, the area of Germany that Lübeck is in. Tor means gate.). This is the gate on the west end of the island. The church on the right is the St. Petrikirche. Pretty much everything in Lübeck is made out of bricks like this. The upside of this that all of the buildings are very impressive and different from everything I have seen before. The downside of that, is that by the end of the day, everything was starting to look the same. That being said, it was pretty sweet to see something that was drastically different than everything I have ever seen. Also, it was the first city that I have visited that was in West Germany proper. West Berlin may have been part of the BRG, but it was still in the eastern part.
The St. Petrikirche. One problem with photographing the churches in Lübeck is that they are all really tall and surrounded by trees. Also, because this part of the city is on a small island (walking from the Burgtor at the north end to the cathedral at the south end took us less than twenty minutes and we stopped several times to look at stores and stuff) Anyway, you are allowed to take an elevator to the top (I assume that there must be stairs, but we didn't see any and I assume they are only available in case of an emergency.)
The western portions around the island. The Marienkirche.
The old market and Rathaus. Because Lübeck was the main merchant city on the Baltic, there is a large tradition of craftsman and artisans. These people still exist and were in the market at the time that we were there. If one wanted to buy some jewelery or medieval weapons of a sort, then one can buy them from someone who is making them in front of you. Not the kind of thing that you see every day.
The Lübeck Cathedral.
The Rathaus from the market. Unlike other old Rathouses, this one is still in use. The building behind it is the Marienkirche.
The Marienkirche. Apparently, the Devil originally tried to convince them to build a wine cellar. They built this church instead, and, after it was nearly finished, one of the stones at the top fell off and landed next to the church. Now, they have a devil statue on a big stone next to the church. Theoretically, rubbing his horns is good luck. They had a plaque explaining the story, but not why rubbing his horns is good luck, sadly. They also didn't explain how they knew that the Devil tried to convince them to build a wine cellar. Incidentally, Lübeck has a large wine making industry, making a wine called Rotspon. The grapes are grown and fermented in France and then aged in Lübeck. Rotspon is apparently old Deutsch for red wine.
The devil statue.
The Hospital of the Holy Spirit. A hospital that dates back to 1260. It is pretty huge and has all sorts of nifty artwork.
The altar in the first room. You walk in, and there is a giant room. I am not sure what you would call it.
Stained glass window next to the altar.
I am not quite sure what to call this one either. It was all along the wall across from the door. It might have a balcony on top, but I do not remember.
An example patient's room.
The Burgtor (Castle Gate) at the north end of the island.
The Trave river on the north end of the island.
After visiting the north end of the island, we turned south. On the way south, we ran into the Willy Brandt House. He was the Chancellor of West Germany during the late sixties and early seventies. He won the Nobel peace prize for improving east/west relations. Much to my delight, the museum was free.
A piece of the Berlin Wall that was at the museum.
After that, we continued our way south to stop at the Lübeck cathedral.
Once again, there was a wedding going on, and so we were not allowed to stay for very long. I am not sure how much it costs to get married in a cathedral, but I bet it is a whole lot.
The inside of the cathedral.
After dodging the wedding party, we headed back to the train station. This is the Trave just outside of the Holstentor. Two transfers and hours later, we ended up back at home. I am not entirely certain what is next on the trave schedule. If the weather is good and I am feeling up to it, tomorrow might involve some hiking in the Harz mountains. Next weekend might involve a trip to Berlin to meet a professor from Bemidji, but I am not sure. Bis bald. -Marc.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Leipzig
Day two of our adventure took us to Leipzig. It is too much of a modern city for me with too many stores. I still enjoyed it, even if it isn't my favorite city that I have visited.
This is the Nikolai Kirche. Here is where the Monday Demonstrations started back in 1989. They were one of the important things that brought about German unity.
Leipzig is Bach's city. Behind the statue is the Thomaskirche, where he worked for so many years. This statue is absolutely gigantic. It is probably about 25ft fall, but that is just going from memory. The church had some old string instruments and a couple others that were from Bach's time, but didn't have an organ, sadly.
After dodging some rain at a Döner Grill we headed towards the Monument to the Battle of Nations. Why do these English terms never seem to sound as good as the German? In this case, the German is Völkerschlachtdenkmal. The Battle of Nations (or of Leipzig) was the first major defeat of Napoleon's army. He may have finally been beaten at Waterloo, but this defeat is the one that made Waterloo possible.
The monument is 91m tall (which is almost 300 ft.), that is nearly twice as tall as the statue of liberty. There are more than 500 steps to the top. I was expecting climbing it to be much worse than it actually was. Granted, there is an observation deck of sorts halfway up, so stopping and walking around the monument there made it easier. Right now, they are renovating it for the 100th anniversary of the monument and the 200th anniversary of the Battle, so only one staircase was open. To regulate traffic, they use stop lights to tell you when you are allowed to go or not. I suppose that also made it a lot easier. I am now going to show you a bunch of pictures of it, because it is just that impressive.
I suppose that they are standing 20 or 30 ft in front of the monument, but I am not sure.
Now I will show you some pictures from the top.
I suspect that these views would be better, had it not been 50° and raining. You have to take what you can get, I suppose.
I would be willing to bet a fairly substantial amount of money that no one would assume this to be a crematorium.
In the interest of not ending with a picture of a crematorium, here is a picture of the Goethe statue that they have near the old Rathaus. The rathaus is to the left of the picture. The old stock exchange is the building in the background.
This is the Nikolai Kirche. Here is where the Monday Demonstrations started back in 1989. They were one of the important things that brought about German unity.
Leipzig is Bach's city. Behind the statue is the Thomaskirche, where he worked for so many years. This statue is absolutely gigantic. It is probably about 25ft fall, but that is just going from memory. The church had some old string instruments and a couple others that were from Bach's time, but didn't have an organ, sadly.
After dodging some rain at a Döner Grill we headed towards the Monument to the Battle of Nations. Why do these English terms never seem to sound as good as the German? In this case, the German is Völkerschlachtdenkmal. The Battle of Nations (or of Leipzig) was the first major defeat of Napoleon's army. He may have finally been beaten at Waterloo, but this defeat is the one that made Waterloo possible.
The monument is 91m tall (which is almost 300 ft.), that is nearly twice as tall as the statue of liberty. There are more than 500 steps to the top. I was expecting climbing it to be much worse than it actually was. Granted, there is an observation deck of sorts halfway up, so stopping and walking around the monument there made it easier. Right now, they are renovating it for the 100th anniversary of the monument and the 200th anniversary of the Battle, so only one staircase was open. To regulate traffic, they use stop lights to tell you when you are allowed to go or not. I suppose that also made it a lot easier. I am now going to show you a bunch of pictures of it, because it is just that impressive.
I suppose that they are standing 20 or 30 ft in front of the monument, but I am not sure.
Now I will show you some pictures from the top.
I suspect that these views would be better, had it not been 50° and raining. You have to take what you can get, I suppose.
I would be willing to bet a fairly substantial amount of money that no one would assume this to be a crematorium.
In the interest of not ending with a picture of a crematorium, here is a picture of the Goethe statue that they have near the old Rathaus. The rathaus is to the left of the picture. The old stock exchange is the building in the background.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Weimar
Last Thursday, it was Christ's Ascension, so we had holiday. As far as I can tell, no one celebrates that. It is also Männertag, or men's day. On this day, men gather together and walk around with beer all day (the first group we saw was probably at 8am or so) and get completely smashed. When I say men, I do not mean only college age kids. The majority of them seemed to be in their twenties, but there were also a large number of men in their seventies and older doing the same thing. The only difference was that the orange vests and silly hats of the youth turned into tuxes and top hats as they got older. Sadly, I did not partake in this holiday. Instead, I used it to take the train to Weimar. As usual, all of the photos that I took are on facebook. If you cannot see those for some reason, let me know and I will post the rest of them here as well.
First, we visited what remains of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. This camp was by no means the worst of them, but it was still absolutely appalling. None of the barracks remain. Only a few of the buildings remain. What does remain is an incredibly vast open space with rocks on the ground marking where each of the barracks (about 30) used to be located. I can say with complete certainty that it is the most terrible, disturbing thing that I have ever seen. As a German major, I am fairly well-versed in the history. I have read books. I have seen movies. Being there is completely different. I have no desire to ever go back to such a place. It is indescribably horrible, and all I had to do was visit it 65 years after it was liberated.
The crematorium is on the right. On the left is the old storehouse, where they now run the museum. Just out of sight on the right, on the other side of the fence, are the ruins of what once was a zoo. That is right. A zoo. If I were to stand in between the fence and the ruins, I could nearly touch them both at the same time. It is that close to the fence. And people flocked to this zoo during the war. I really cannot stress how disturbing all of this is. The only way to understand is to visit one for yourself. It really sickens me that there are still people in this country (especially this part) that support this ideology. Now that I have exhausted my vocabulary for describing bad things, I will move on to the happier portion of Thursday.
After taking the bus back into town, we walked down towards the down center and started the museum visiting. For less than ten dollars, one can visit nearly every museum in town (which is a hell of a lot) We started are tour with visiting Friedrich Schiller's house. The museum is largely just a recreation of the house as it was two hundred years ago. Somewhere else in the town is a Schiller and Goethe museum. That might have more interesting things in it. This one seemed to be a collection of beds and desks that said "don't touch" on them.
After visiting Schiller's House, the obvious next step was to visit Goethe's house. It is clear that Goethe was really rich, because his house is gigantic and it is full of greek and roman statues and paintings. It also has lots of other fancy things that you can look at. There is a large library that you are only allowed to look at through a cage door. That is a pity, because I would have much rather seen what books he had than a fifteenth statue of some person from antiquity. I feel that it was more impressive than any of the castles I have visited, because he wasn't royalty. He was just a man with a knack for writing good books and poetry. Old money can buy you impressive things over time. It is much more impressive when it is only one man over a span of 80 years. Behind the house, they maintain a garden. Goethe had a thing for plants and gardens, and they definitely do a good job keeping it up.
The back of the house, as viewed from the garden.
After the Goethe house, we made are way to the old graveyard. It is the second largest graveyard I have ever seen. The difference between this one and Arlington is fairly open and devoid of trees. This one is very full of trees and other plant life, making it seem very dark. Although, that could have been the fact that it was nearly 6pm and it was a cloudy day to begin with. It is a very beautiful cemetery with lots of old and famous graves. The only thing I didn't like about it is that it had a fairly small number of exits for its large size. By the time we finally found our way out, I was becoming more and more claustrophobic and was nearly ready to hop the fence.
After escaping, we made our way towards the Nietzsche archive. We got there at 5:42pm, by my watch (which is slightly fast) and we had to practically beg the lady to let us in (It had a large sign saying the last admission was at 5:45 and it didn't close until 6) She was practically packed up by the time we got there and would only let us look around for a few minutes. Including time arguing with her to let us in, we were there for less than five minutes. I don't care if it was a holiday, she was still being a bitch and I hope that she locks her keys in her house or trips and badly breaks her nose. That all being said, the brief time that I was there was very interesting. When I go back on my return trip to Germany, I hope that she is still working there, just so I can give her the finger. If you cannot tell, I am very bitter.
After that, we walked back to the train station with the intent of getting an early train. We took a brief detour to get some döner kebabs. As it turned out, this was a very costly detour. We arrived at the train station just as the train we needed left (we were there an hour ahead of what we had planned, so that was just a fluke) We killed some time in the train station bookstore and then headed out to the track to wait for the next one. Due to some emergency that came up (I suspect that it involved a drunk idiot, but I do not know) our train ended up being 40 minutes late. Not quite what we had in mind, but we eventually got home, even if it was pretty late when it happened. The next day we went to Leipzig. I will update about that the next time I feel like procrastinating homework. Wednesday seems likely. Bis dann, Marc.
First, we visited what remains of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. This camp was by no means the worst of them, but it was still absolutely appalling. None of the barracks remain. Only a few of the buildings remain. What does remain is an incredibly vast open space with rocks on the ground marking where each of the barracks (about 30) used to be located. I can say with complete certainty that it is the most terrible, disturbing thing that I have ever seen. As a German major, I am fairly well-versed in the history. I have read books. I have seen movies. Being there is completely different. I have no desire to ever go back to such a place. It is indescribably horrible, and all I had to do was visit it 65 years after it was liberated.
The crematorium is on the right. On the left is the old storehouse, where they now run the museum. Just out of sight on the right, on the other side of the fence, are the ruins of what once was a zoo. That is right. A zoo. If I were to stand in between the fence and the ruins, I could nearly touch them both at the same time. It is that close to the fence. And people flocked to this zoo during the war. I really cannot stress how disturbing all of this is. The only way to understand is to visit one for yourself. It really sickens me that there are still people in this country (especially this part) that support this ideology. Now that I have exhausted my vocabulary for describing bad things, I will move on to the happier portion of Thursday.
After taking the bus back into town, we walked down towards the down center and started the museum visiting. For less than ten dollars, one can visit nearly every museum in town (which is a hell of a lot) We started are tour with visiting Friedrich Schiller's house. The museum is largely just a recreation of the house as it was two hundred years ago. Somewhere else in the town is a Schiller and Goethe museum. That might have more interesting things in it. This one seemed to be a collection of beds and desks that said "don't touch" on them.
After visiting Schiller's House, the obvious next step was to visit Goethe's house. It is clear that Goethe was really rich, because his house is gigantic and it is full of greek and roman statues and paintings. It also has lots of other fancy things that you can look at. There is a large library that you are only allowed to look at through a cage door. That is a pity, because I would have much rather seen what books he had than a fifteenth statue of some person from antiquity. I feel that it was more impressive than any of the castles I have visited, because he wasn't royalty. He was just a man with a knack for writing good books and poetry. Old money can buy you impressive things over time. It is much more impressive when it is only one man over a span of 80 years. Behind the house, they maintain a garden. Goethe had a thing for plants and gardens, and they definitely do a good job keeping it up.
The back of the house, as viewed from the garden.
After the Goethe house, we made are way to the old graveyard. It is the second largest graveyard I have ever seen. The difference between this one and Arlington is fairly open and devoid of trees. This one is very full of trees and other plant life, making it seem very dark. Although, that could have been the fact that it was nearly 6pm and it was a cloudy day to begin with. It is a very beautiful cemetery with lots of old and famous graves. The only thing I didn't like about it is that it had a fairly small number of exits for its large size. By the time we finally found our way out, I was becoming more and more claustrophobic and was nearly ready to hop the fence.
After escaping, we made our way towards the Nietzsche archive. We got there at 5:42pm, by my watch (which is slightly fast) and we had to practically beg the lady to let us in (It had a large sign saying the last admission was at 5:45 and it didn't close until 6) She was practically packed up by the time we got there and would only let us look around for a few minutes. Including time arguing with her to let us in, we were there for less than five minutes. I don't care if it was a holiday, she was still being a bitch and I hope that she locks her keys in her house or trips and badly breaks her nose. That all being said, the brief time that I was there was very interesting. When I go back on my return trip to Germany, I hope that she is still working there, just so I can give her the finger. If you cannot tell, I am very bitter.
After that, we walked back to the train station with the intent of getting an early train. We took a brief detour to get some döner kebabs. As it turned out, this was a very costly detour. We arrived at the train station just as the train we needed left (we were there an hour ahead of what we had planned, so that was just a fluke) We killed some time in the train station bookstore and then headed out to the track to wait for the next one. Due to some emergency that came up (I suspect that it involved a drunk idiot, but I do not know) our train ended up being 40 minutes late. Not quite what we had in mind, but we eventually got home, even if it was pretty late when it happened. The next day we went to Leipzig. I will update about that the next time I feel like procrastinating homework. Wednesday seems likely. Bis dann, Marc.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Dresden
Yesterday morning, I got up at 3:30 in order to get ready and catch the 5am train. Getting only three hours sleep was totally worth it. In terms of "cityness" it is my favorite city that I have visited so far. Berlin might get the nod once I visit the museums there, but we will have to wait and see on that one. The only thing that Dresden has going against it is that it was completely destroyed during the war, as opposed to other cities that were only mostly destroyed. Large amounts of the buildings and statues in Dresden are black. At the time, I assumed that they had been charred during the fire-bombing. After speaking with a guy from Dresden last night, I found out that it is just a natural thing that happens to that kind of sandstone, like copper turning green.
The most famous site in Dresden is the Frauenkirche. It was rebuilt recently from the rubble of the original destroyed church, in what might be the world's most complicated way to complete a jigsaw puzzle. It is a very impressive church to see, from both the outside and the inside. According to that same guy from last night, it is going to be completely black in the next twenty years or so. I am not quite sure if it will be more impressive after that or not. I suppose I will just have to come back to see it again after that happens and decide for myself at that time.
It is probably possible to read "Martin Luther" on the statue. It is also likely that one can guess who is going to have a statue in front of a protestant church in northern Germany, but I figured I would make things easier for everyone. You can see that some of the stones are already black.
Once upon a time, the Dresden Old City was a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They got the title stripped when they decided to build a big modern bridge over the Elbe. I didn't think it did that much damage to the sites, but I didn't decide it. I figured I would just mention that, since it is an interesting fact.
The bridges that you can see here are the old ones. The new one is behind me.
After seeing the Frauenkirche for the first time (there was a wedding there the first time, so we had to come back in the afternoon), we walked along the Elbe and down towards the opera house and Zwinger palace. On the way, we ran into the part of the Dresden Castle on the left and the Hofkirche on the right.
There was also a wedding in the Hofkirche, so we weren't supposed to go in. We did anyway. It was pretty, but not as impressive as the Frauenkirche.
The opera house. To the left is the Zwinger palace.
The entrance to Zwinger. The grounds.
The wall pavilion.
The crown gate.
The Glockenspiel pavilion. This portion has the porcelain collection. Sadly, I did not get to see it (Dresden is famous for its porcelain.) The other side as an old master's painting gallery, and we decided to see that instead. I might need to go back and see the porcelain, if time allows. If not, I will just have to add it to my list of things to do on the return trip. I don't feel like I made a bad choice, since I got to see paintings by people like Raphael, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, Titian, and lots and lots of others. You aren't allowed to take pictures, so I have none. There are lots of them on Wikipedia. You can probably find more of them other places on the internet, if you are interested.
After that, we went to the Frauenkirche again and actually got to go in. Again, you aren't allowed to take pictures. There are some on its website. Google it, or, better yet, see it in person. After that, we went to the New City, on the other side of the river. There are lots of shops and other new buildings, but nothing too interesting to photograph. It is more important if you live there and need something to do.
Statue of Augustus II.
Yesterday was 65 years after VE Day. I guess it is a thing that is celebrated every year in Europe (and the day afterwards in Russia, for some reason) To celebrate the holiday, the Intercultural Center had a European Night. It was my intention to only stay for an hour or so, since I was beat from getting up so early and walking around all day. That didn't happen. I ended up staying and talking to people until past 2am. Whoops. Luckily, they didn't decide to shoot any cannons until 11am, so I got to catch up on sleep a little bit. Now, I think I am going to finish catching up on that sleep. Gute Nacht.
Marc
The most famous site in Dresden is the Frauenkirche. It was rebuilt recently from the rubble of the original destroyed church, in what might be the world's most complicated way to complete a jigsaw puzzle. It is a very impressive church to see, from both the outside and the inside. According to that same guy from last night, it is going to be completely black in the next twenty years or so. I am not quite sure if it will be more impressive after that or not. I suppose I will just have to come back to see it again after that happens and decide for myself at that time.
It is probably possible to read "Martin Luther" on the statue. It is also likely that one can guess who is going to have a statue in front of a protestant church in northern Germany, but I figured I would make things easier for everyone. You can see that some of the stones are already black.
Once upon a time, the Dresden Old City was a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They got the title stripped when they decided to build a big modern bridge over the Elbe. I didn't think it did that much damage to the sites, but I didn't decide it. I figured I would just mention that, since it is an interesting fact.
The bridges that you can see here are the old ones. The new one is behind me.
After seeing the Frauenkirche for the first time (there was a wedding there the first time, so we had to come back in the afternoon), we walked along the Elbe and down towards the opera house and Zwinger palace. On the way, we ran into the part of the Dresden Castle on the left and the Hofkirche on the right.
There was also a wedding in the Hofkirche, so we weren't supposed to go in. We did anyway. It was pretty, but not as impressive as the Frauenkirche.
The opera house. To the left is the Zwinger palace.
The entrance to Zwinger. The grounds.
The wall pavilion.
The crown gate.
The Glockenspiel pavilion. This portion has the porcelain collection. Sadly, I did not get to see it (Dresden is famous for its porcelain.) The other side as an old master's painting gallery, and we decided to see that instead. I might need to go back and see the porcelain, if time allows. If not, I will just have to add it to my list of things to do on the return trip. I don't feel like I made a bad choice, since I got to see paintings by people like Raphael, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, Titian, and lots and lots of others. You aren't allowed to take pictures, so I have none. There are lots of them on Wikipedia. You can probably find more of them other places on the internet, if you are interested.
After that, we went to the Frauenkirche again and actually got to go in. Again, you aren't allowed to take pictures. There are some on its website. Google it, or, better yet, see it in person. After that, we went to the New City, on the other side of the river. There are lots of shops and other new buildings, but nothing too interesting to photograph. It is more important if you live there and need something to do.
Statue of Augustus II.
Yesterday was 65 years after VE Day. I guess it is a thing that is celebrated every year in Europe (and the day afterwards in Russia, for some reason) To celebrate the holiday, the Intercultural Center had a European Night. It was my intention to only stay for an hour or so, since I was beat from getting up so early and walking around all day. That didn't happen. I ended up staying and talking to people until past 2am. Whoops. Luckily, they didn't decide to shoot any cannons until 11am, so I got to catch up on sleep a little bit. Now, I think I am going to finish catching up on that sleep. Gute Nacht.
Marc
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