Blogs from Saxony, Germany, Europe - page 8

After a nice family breakfast at the hotel, we headed for Chemnitz. Our first stop was the city center where we did some exploring and shopping. Next, off to the bungalow and to get the kids checked into their room at Hotel Schloss Rabenstein, a beautifully restored hotel with a view of a Castle which belonged to a Count from the area. Not bad digs according to Jamie and Alec, especially considering the staff called to make sure they didn't want any breakfast and folded all of the clothes they'd left strewn around the room! We took a nice walk out in the woods to an observation tower, climbed all 200 stairs to enjoy the breathtaking view of the region, and then ventured on to a quaint chalet style restaurant nestled in the woods for a ... read more

This morning we started on a high cultural note with a visit to the Semperoper where we bought our tickets to see a performance by the Dresden (?) Symphony Orchestra featuring guest conductor and pianist Rudolph Buchbinder. I felt very underdressed in my sightseeing clothes. Who knew that people got all dressed up to go to the Opera House in the daytime?? Still people were dressed in everything from jeans and jumpers to dinner suits so I guess we weren't that out of place??! As we left Semperoper Bernie performed his good deed for the day. A lady tripped on the stairs behind him and probably would have had a very nasty fall if she hadn't fallen into Bernie's back. Fortunately Bernie was surefooted enough to stop the two of them from rolling all the way ... read more

Dresden Germany 26 to 27 May 2013 After travelling along the A14 we arrived at Dresden…and still raining. How annoying! Oh well, we must go with the flow. Dresden, with a population of over 500,000 people, is said to be one of Germany’s most beautiful cities. It blossomed in the 18th century, when it became the cultural centre and acquired many magnificent buildings. Almost all of these however, were destroyed during World War 11, when allied forces mounted vast carpet-bombing raids on the city. Today restoration work continues. We saw some buildings that still require reconstruction, even now. It was on 13 February 1945 when 800 British aircraft launched the 1st of 5 massive firebomb raids on the city. These destroyed the greater city and killed 35,000 people, many of whom were refugees. After driving around ... read more

The rain and grey skies continue here in Chemnitz and throughout much of Germany as I understand. The flood waters are residing here but other areas are being hard hit. Some villages are completely underwater so we are thankful the worst of it seems to have passed for now in Chemnitz. As a result of all the rain and flooding we've had to make changes to our itinerary to see Buchenwald and the Mosel wine region of Western Germany. Maybe we will get a chance for a little travel this weekend but right now there is much to be done here and many other areas have had so much rain that planning an itinerary to avoid those areas may be difficult. So the blog won't be so interesting this time but at least will post updates ... read more

Rain Rain Go Away! More on that in a minute but first a few details about Johannes 80th birthday party, our main reason for this trip. The party was held at a Gasthaus about 20 minutes from here. Martina is a "hostess with the mostess" by nature so the dining room was beautifully decorated and well stocked with an amazing variety of food and drink. This was the first time we've seen Johannes and Martina since their time in Florida. I recognized several of their friends and family from other events but several others recognized me from the hours of video and photo footage they've been coerced into watching from the 2 month Florida adventure. All very nice people and my German is getting a little better so am comfortable with greetings and small talk. Additionally, ... read more