Day Four - Really Cold in Colditz

Dresden's Augustusbrucke

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Just one of many bridges across the Elbe, the Augustusbrucke is probably the most beautiful river crossing in Dresden. It accomodates cars and buses, but its primary purpose is for the colorful city trams.

Another Christkindlmarkt

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We were summoned this way by the waft of sausages and mulled wine. As fascinating as the river promenade seemed our stomachs directed us down into these crowded quarters.

Brats for the Starving Brats

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We headed directly to the sausage stand where we ordered up a couple of these tasty morsels. We washed them down with beer and Gluhwein inside a tent heated by propane heaters. Bratwurst never tastes this good back home.

Gluhwein Stand

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What I really like best about the German Christmas markets is the way they construct these homey little stands using raw pine and decorated with real evergreen boughs. The giant pyramid on top was another nice touch. The Gluhwein booths are always the busiest stands at the fairs.

Another City Platz

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After bumping and jostling our way down the midway of the market we bounced into this cobbled square, the Neumarkt. To the right is thye recently restored Frauenkirche.

Dome of the Albertinum

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This gilded angel graces the top of the Albertinum, another prestigious museum in this section of Dresden. Inside are treasures from the glory days of Saxony. There are supposed to be tons and tons of gold and silver jewelry.

Inside the Frauenkirche

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For a change the Lutherans had a prettier church than the Catholics. The Frauenkirche is very recently restored from a giant pile of rubble just a few years ago. The interior is one of the most unusual churches I've seen.

Not an Opera House but a Cathedral

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Obviously even the locals were very impressed by this place of worship because there was a big crowd inside.

It's Making Me Dizzy

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Looking up at these galleries strained my neck and confused my tired brain. I never figured out why these levels were built or why they are set up like opera boxes. The church does owe its restoration in great part to choral music presentations performed inside the ruins.

GoldenDome

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Soaring straight above us was the huge church dome. It is one of the few parts of the church that was not rebuilt using the original stonework. For a very interesting description of the reconstruction, look up "Frauenkirche Dresden" at Wikipedia.

Why Don't our German Shepherds Look Like This?

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The German people have to be the biggest dog lovers in the world. It seems like you see people out walking about with their dogs everywhere throughout the country. The animals are always well-behaved and aloof. Try as I might I can rarely get one to pay attention to me. Another odd thing about German canines is that each breed seems to come in a variety of hairstyles - there are the normal hair length German Shepherds, Dachshunds and Schnauzers, then there are the fuzzy long-haired variety too. This guy was waiting for us as we exited the cathedral.

Add Another Place to the List

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This looks like another place we'll have to return to someday. It's right across the square from the Frauenkirche.

More of the Altmarkt

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Typical of European cities, the old city market of Dresden developed in the shadows of the cathedral. Today this area is still the hub of the city. It features numerous restaurants and upscale hotels. As we wandered around we could see workmen prepping the square for a Christmas Eve concert.

Outside the Frauenkirche

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As we made our way around the big square where the Frauenkirche sits we saw beautiful restored buildings everywhere. Sitting in the center of the square is the recently rebuilt Frauenkirche. Martin Luther stands out front making sure no Catholics try to sneak in.

Could We Afford to Eat Here?

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As we made our way back toward our car we headed in the direction of the Schlossplatz. Just before we got there we spent a few minutes looking at the wares of the Christmas Market. While Gen and Tyler popped into a candle shop Gail and I spotted this little cafe that also operates as an antique store. There had to be a thousand different chandeliers and armoires inside. We had no time to check out their menu or the price for their antiques. It just looked expensive inside.

Fresco on the Schloss

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Our route back to the car gave us a chance to look at the section of the palace that sits behind the Katholische Hofkirche. Of course there are museums behind these walls but quite frankly there are just too many museums to see in Dresden, so we visited none. There was a woman standing nearby with a makeshift table full of nutcrackers and smokers from the nearby Erzgebirge. It was the German version of an outlet store. Maybe these were some of the rejects but they looked perfect to us. We bought a couple smokers for about 1/5 the price we might pay at a souvenir shop elsewhere in Germany.

One Last Swing through the Zwinger

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We hurried through the virtually totally deserted Zwinger. By now we wre getting very cold and we had miles to go before we could sleep in Prague.

Just Another Pretty Face

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Passing through the arcades of the Zwinger as night descended upon us, we got the eerie feeling we were being watched.

Oy! Welcome to Czech Republic

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Almost as soon as we crossed the seemingly invisible border between Germany and the Czech Republic we chanced upon a snow squall. It didn't last nor did it impede our progress.

Prague at Last

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Thank God we didn't photograph our parking tribulations. If someone had videotaped my driving through Prague that night my Mother would've washed my mouth-out with soap. A couple of these liters of Czech beer made everything right in the end.