Dresden

Dresden

We visited the Frauen Kirche or the Church of Our Lady.  During WW11 it was bombed. It stood for 2 days burning and then collapsed.  It lay in rubble for 50 years as a peace monument . After reunification it was rebuilt and became the tallest Protestant Church in Germany some 310 feet. You can get a great view of the city by hiking to the top of the dome. You go half way by elevator then walk up a ramp that winds around until you reach a metal ladder that brings you to the top. It is quite a climb but worth the effort. 

We have walked the city and seen the beautiful buildings shown below.

Before returning to the Ibis Hotel, we have to make a quick stop at the bank so Stu can fill his pockets with Euros. Every musician gets a euro or two and every homeless person with a cup. Unfortunately Stu’s enthusiasm to care for the disadvantaged has resulted in Euros being put into unfinished cups of coffee surprisingly the owners. That’s what happens when a teacher tries to be a social worker.

 

 

Frauenkirche

 

Alter

From the top looking across the Old Town

From the top looking down the Elbe River

Opera House

Porcelain Museum

Porcelain has an interesting story here. It was considered white gold. In the 18th century the king Augustus the Strong was obsessed with Porcelain. Only China had the secret of how to make it. The king it is said traded 600 soldiers and there horses for 151 vases. He wanted to be able to make his own so he locked Johann Friedrich Bottger up until he agreed to try and make it which he did.

 

 

 

 

The following are of the Zwinger

 

 

Glockenspielpavillion

 

The gold horseman, New Town

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nurnberg

Documentation Center

The National Socialists made Nuremberg the city of the Nazi party rallies. The Document Center occupies the north wing of the unfinished Congress hall on the grounds of the Nazi party rally ground. There is a permanent exhibition, Fascination and Terror. The focus of 19 exhibits deals with the causes ,context and consequences of the Nazi party. The Nazi Party Rallies were used as mass demonstrations for propaganda. Everything is in German but you are given an audio player in English that coordinate with the pictures and videos of each exhibit. A stunning job of putting it all together. We then went outside to walk around the lake and the Nazi Party Rally grounds.  It is impossible to show in pictures the true hugeness of this place.

Today there are more Media outlets that can be used for the same purpose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Stu pretending

 

 

  A very lasting picture. Never to be forgotten.

Saint James is here. Can you imagine that Nurnberg is a site on the Camino to Santiago!

 White dot is Nurenberg.

90% of the outer wall of the city is still in evidence.

The Many bridges crossing the Pegnitz

 

 

 

The only street that wasn’t effected by the bombing

 

 

Open market

Cake art

Street art sand dogs and soon to be cat

Barbara Uchida-Physics

Can you imagine meeting a fellow CSM teather at the train station. The last time i saw her was 18 years ago!!

 

Master Degree student on her way to Poland for a year of study. She has to be prepared for winter. She was very interesting to talk to...

Tomorrow we will post Dresden.....

                                         

Marienplatz

Marienplatz 

If you ever found you had 6 hours to waite at the Munich Airport, take the S1 train to the Munich train staition and get of at Marienplatz stop. You have arrived in the very middle of the old town where pedestrians rule. The following pictures will surround you.  

 Kteuzviertel

 

 Angerviertel

 

Kreuzviertel

 

 

Inside

Inside 

Citizens’s Hall 

Inside ground level

Upstairs

 St Paul

After the bombing 

Before the bombing

After the bombing 

St Paul’s today

 

May Pole at Huge Open Market

 

Jewish Museum and Center

A resfull lunch-currywurst, goulash and for sure a beer half liter 

 We had dinner with Corinna, a friend we met in Munich 5 years ago   She invited us to a German Resturaunt near our hotel. we had a lovely time catching up while we ate a mushroom soup. 

Corinna showing us her Facebook page

 Just an afterthought. Joan snift out the very small Desigual Store and here is the result.

                                           

The flight to Munich

Though we enjoyed the comforts of first class on the flight from San Francisco to Munich, it is still a long 11 hours. One of our first discoveries was the Polaris Club. By mistake we walked to the counter showed our United Club Card they only were interested in showing them our first class ticket. We entered finding the very highest level of supportive services on two levels. The first level, showers, quiet sleeping areas. On the second level a restaurant all for no cost and many additional feeding stations and lots of quiet areas to plug in computers and continue communicating to the world. We then went and visited the standard United Club to pick up some newspapers. Crowded , no space to sit, food was being attacked by the crowd and no newspapers. We asked and the answer was obvious. Papers were now on line. 

 

The plane, known as a Dreamliner, is the latest long range United air craft. The windows you can tint controlling the amount of light passing through them. Food is excellent and way too much for an 11 hours of sitting, equaling 5 movies.