Nature!

A Hiker Casting a Shadow

There isn’t a whole lot out there on the internet about Bastei Bridge–a lot of the same stuff over and over again. I’ll do my best to avoid digital redundancies. Along the Elbe and the Czech-German border are two national parks referred to as Saxon Switzerland. This area earned that moniker when Swiss visitors wrote home about the area, describing it as Switzerland in Saxony, and the name stuck. There is a similar park in the Czech Republic, Bohemian Switzerland, just across the border, and there are border crossings for hikers. However, that kind of hike is more than we bargained for, so we didn’t walk to a different country on this trip.

Saxon Switzerland is characterized by large sandstone rock spires, eroding slowly from wind and water. The area is a hiker’s paradise with the eroding rocks providing plentiful hand and foot holds, though we didn’t climb the rocks ourselves. This park is unique in that it seems you can go anywhere and climb anything. I don’t know if the climbers need any kind of permit, but it really seems like a free-for-all, with people hiking, camping, and backpacking through the park. We saw tons of climbers that day, and if I knew how to climb, I would be tempted to join them, because I bet the view from the top was amazing.

See if you can find us in this Picture

We had a full day of nature planned, necessitating an early wake-up, and an early departure from the hotel. We arrived at the Nationalparkregion Sächsische Schweiz around 9am. I was unable to find any helpful information about getting to the park via car. Lots of information about arriving by bus from the nearby towns of Pirna or Rathen, or hiking up from the river, but the web was surprising devoid of parking information. Like our previous attempts at GPS navigation, the system was being decidedly unhelpful, but there are plenty of signs and the road is well marked. We were pleasantly surprised to find 2 parking lots along the road towards the Bastei Bridge, the main attraction of the national park. The lots are for both cars and buses and are 3 euro for the first 3 hours and 5.50 euro for anything over 3 hours. The first lot is farther from the park, about a 40 min walk (if you believe their signs), while the second lot is much closer, about 10 min, though I think we made in 5. When we left around noon, our lot was almost full, though there were still plenty of spaces. However, the lower lot had cars queuing up to get park. While arriving early is the best way of ensuring a decent parking spot, I recommend checking the closer lot before waiting in line at the farther lot.

The Elbe River through the Fog at Saxon Switzerland National Park

When we first arrived, a lot of the area in the river valley was still shrouded in fog, with the stones casting eerie shapes through the gloom. The area used to part of an ocean millions of years ago, and it’s not hard to imagine the stones as decor on the ocean floor. As the morning progressed, the fog burned off, revealing more of the strange beauty that is Saxon Switzerland Park.

The Bastei Bridge is a 160 year old bridge connecting some of the stone peaks, and enabling none-climbing visitors to tour the area. The stone bridge was built in 1851 and is almost a near match for the rocks around it. I thought the bridge was natural when looking at photographs.

The Bastei Bridge

The park is also home to the ruins of Neurathen Castle. The castle was wooden and built among the rocks. It’s hard to imagine what possessed people to build a castle on these rocks. The river is far below, and it seems an almost inhospitable place to live. The ruins are subtle as well, consisting mostly of carved niches into the stone and a couple rounded rocks for manning the catapults, so it can be difficult to imagine a castle or fortress dominating the skyline here. The area where the castle used to sit is fenced off, obstructing the view. If you want to see the view of the bridge and valley on the other side of the castle ruins, you must to enter the enclosure. The price isn’t high, only 1.50 euro, but it does seem a bit of a gimmick. However, I think the views are worth this nominal cost, and I highly recommend paying to tour the area.

Useful Websites

Photos from our Trip

Saxon Switzerland National Park 

Bastei Bridge at Wikipedia 

Zentrum Tour

The Bruhl Terrace

Our first stop in Dresden was going to be the Frauenkirche, the large, domed church in the center of the city, but upon arrival at their doorsteps, we found it was closed for lunch. Our next stop was the Bruhl terrace along the river. These give Dresden the appearance of being a walled city, but the fortifications are only along the riverside. They are elevated by about a storey, and walking along them is almost like walking along a boardwalk at the beach. The stoned walkway is wide to accommodate all the visitors to the area, and it’s an easy method of travelling between the sites. The Semperoper (Opera House), the Zwinger and the Residenzschloos (palaces), as well as the Frauenkirche were all easily accessible from the terrace. Below the terrace is the Festung Dresden, or the Dresden Fortress, and underground labyrinth below the city. We used the terrace to walk to the Zwinger.

Panorama of the Zwinger

This Guy Blows Water into the Nymphs' Bath

The Zwinger is a restored palace that now houses several museums, including one devoted to the local Porcelain factory, Meissen. The palace surrounds a courtyard on 4 sides and is free for the public to visit, though there are fees for touring the museums in the building. The large courtyard is like a giant walled park, and we saw many families strolling along in the sunshine. Oddly enough, no one was walking on the sculpted grass. Perhaps there was a sign somewhere warning people to keep off it. Through one of gates into the Zwinger, there resides a fountain called the nymphs bath, featuring Roman statues and a glorious fountain. On either side of the waterfall, steps led upward, where you could walk along the tops of the buildings surrounding the courtyard. It sounds as though I am describing roofs, but a more accurate description would tend toward imagery of balconies or widows’ walks.

Sculpted Grass in the Zwinger Courtyard

Not wanting to visit museums on a perfect fall day, we walked across the Augustus Bridge to see the city from the opposite bank of the Elbe. There is a large park on the floodplain there, and we were able to walk right down to the water. Following our little excursion along the river, we returned to the Zentrum, and finally made it to the church.

Dresden Frauenkirche
Notice the Black Stones interspersed with the White

Frauenkirche has literally risen from the ashes in the last 20 years. In 1945 the church fell victim to the firebombing. Because of damage from bombing and fire, the walls of the church could no longer withstand the weight of the dome, and when the dome crashed down, the entire church caved in on itself. It was left as a pile of rubble until enough funds and public interest were raised in 1993 to get the reconstruction project off the ground. 

Photos of the rubble  

The Shadow Shows the Next Clue
for International Treasure

The project utilized every undamaged stone, resulting in a two toned building, a common feature in Dresden. The black stones are the survivors of the 1945 firebomb raid, discolored by ash and soot. The white stones are new, and are used throughout the city to restore the damage. Even statues have wound up with both black and white portions. The Frauenkirche was rebuilt using original plans and redecorated based on hundreds of pictures, drawings, documents, and memories. Due to this painstaking effort and attention to detail, much of city has been rebuilt exactly as it was before WWII.

As the dome atop the church was finished in 2005, it is now open for tours, at the price of 8 euros. I thought the price was a little steep, but I imagine in the future, the price may decrease. I told Joe to think of it as reparations. Speaking of steep, let’s address that climb! Compared to most vantage points we’ve visited, this one had relatively few steps, and our ascent was partly assisted by an elevator. However, there were steps that more closely resembled a ladder, and a large spiraling ramp to climb. At the top, we were rewarded with fabulous panoramic views and well as several brisk slaps to the face from the wind. Luckily, it was balmy outside. I cannot imagine being up there when the weather turns even chilly. From the top of the dome, we easily spotted our next stop, the Residenzschloss for its Historic Green Vault or Historisches Grünes Gewölbe.

The Residenzschloss is the former residence of Saxon royalty, most notably, Augustus II the Strong who constructed within the palace a large treasure chamber, exuding wealth and power. Today, the palace houses several museums, including the reconstructed treasure chambers. As each museum costs 10 euro, we had to make a choice about which museum to visit. We chose the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe, as it has been completely restored to its prewar glory.

We soon realized that workers in the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe, hereafter abbreviated HGG, do not mess around with security. I was asked to check my “bag” at the coat check before entering. My bag is slightly larger than a man’s wallet, and was at the time, holding both our passports and my phone. But, as I had no pockets, I was forced to check my bag and retrieve it later (after first removing the passports).

Step two for visitors to the HGG is to enter into what I referred to in my head as the decompression chamber. Sliding glass doors admitted us into a small glass antechamber, and after we stepped inside, they closed and locked behind us. At this point, I expected some kind of air neutralizing to occur, or a dousing in anti-bacterial/fungal mist, but as far as I can tell, that didn’t happen. After a moment, the sliding glass doors in front of us were unlocked and opened so we could begin our tour. To keep the rooms of the HGG sparsely populated, a limited number of tickets are sold in half-hour increments throughout the day. These tickets may be purchased beforehand, and frequently sell-out, but we were lucky and able to walk right in. Ticket price also includes a very detailed audio guide.

The splendor in these rooms was amazing, breathtaking, dizzying. There were so many amazing things, but I think that all grouped together, their assumed worth decreases. Each room has a theme, and objects within that room share many similarities. On the walls are many small shelves, each holding a single item of the collection. Most of the rooms are mirrored to reflect the treasury back upon itself. One of the rooms we visited had a collection of ostrich egg art. A goblet made from an ostrich egg seems incredible; until you witness the 15 other ostrich egg goblets surrounding it. I’m not trying to downplay these artistic achievements, but the way the items were grouped made me think the rare objects weren’t as rare as I originally imagined.

I really did enjoy this exhibit though. Augustus II the Strong had a reputation as a patron of the arts, and the treasury collection demonstrates this patronage. Many of the materials are unique, and difficult to work with, but the result is exquisite craftsmanship. The audio guide informed me that Augustus gave many of his artists free reign, thereby facilitating the ingenious works of art without hindering the artists’ own visions. With thousands of objects in so many mediums, it was difficult to peg down a favorite. Joe was partial toward the garnitures, large collections of jewels in a single type of stone, all worn at once. All the items in a particular garniture would be worn at one, such as belt buckles, brooches, swords and scabbards, and hat jewels. Augustus had several garnitures, one in rubies, one in sapphires, one in emeralds, and one in diamonds. He also liked a large wood inlaid table. I particularly enjoyed the pieces using nautiluses, there was a piece that reminded me of the Little Mermaid, when King Triton rides in on his dolphin chariot. I also like the strange and eerie ivory carvings. The museum has a virtual tour, and you can see the treasures in all the rooms, but without any descriptions.

We stayed that evening in the Hotel Azimut Dresden. They have an Italian restaurant attached to the lobby, and both Joe and I ordered delicious pastas, which we are convinced will now haunt us for the rest of our trip here in Europe. The rooms were clean and spacious, and there was an excellent breakfast buffet the following morning. We have no complaints about this hotel.

Useful Websites
Pictures from Our Trip
Dresden Tourism Homepage
          •Here you can download brochures about the city in PDF form
Dresden City Card
          •Discounts throughout the city, including transportation
Dresden at Wikipedia
          •Information about the city’s history with links to other pages with more information
Bruhl Terrace and Underground City Tour
Zwinger and Dresden Castle (Residenzschloss) Musuems 
          •Information, online booking, and virtual tours
Frauenkirche Dresden
          •Site is completely in German, but the pictures are fabulous, and Google translate gives a close translation
Images of the Green Vault Collection
Green Vault Virtual Tour 
Azimut Hotels

Dresden

A few weeks ago, I wanted to go hiking at this cool place called Bastei, but Joe pointed out that since it was 3 hours away, that by the time we arrived, it would be dark. So we put it off until we could schedule it properly. The closest city with a hotel that would accept our credit card points was Dresden; we booked the trip for October 19^th. This worked out well, especially since Joe had Friday-Sunday off, and we were able to leave Regensburg early Friday morning. We drove to Dresden because it is in Saxony, another German state (we live in Bavaria), and the lander train pass only works in 1 state at a time. We arrived in Dresden just before noon.

For some reason, our GPS couldn’t manage to find anything in Dresden, therefore I recommend looking up the places you would like to go before hand, and learning the landmarks associated with those addresses. Lacking the ability to locate our destination accurately, we just followed the signs for the Zentrum, which refers to the central, downtown area. Dresden recently upgraded all their parking facilities, and there are signs located around the city indicating the number of free spaces available in various garages. We actually were able to park right around the corner from all the major attractions in Old Town Dresden. Dresden may in fact become one of my favorite European cities. Everything is laid out close together, making the attractions easy to get to–without having to trek from one end to the other of the city. If you plan to drive though, I would advise arriving early, because by the time we left the city center around 6pm, the garage was almost full, and this wasn’t even on the weekend.

Dresden Skyline and the Elbe River

Like most major cities, Dresden is located on a river, The Elbe and historic bridges are part of its architecture. However, most of the historic architecture located around the city is fairly recent. Confused? Towards the end of World War II, the Allies fire bombed the city destroying many of the buildings. The resulting fire destroyed even more. 3 days of bombing and fires in February 1945 effectively leveled the city and killed thousands, though the exact number is unknown. But Dresden rebuilt, albeit slowly. After the war, Dresden was a part of East Germany and the Communist bloc, and some reconstruction occurred. However, many building were left as rubble until much later in the 20^th century, and into the present. In fact, reconstruction was finished on the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in 2005: sixty years after the fire strikes. My theory is our GPS had difficulty routing us, because reconstruction is still a work in progress. In fact the square around the church was under construction while we were visiting.

Part of the delay in the rebuilding occurred because of the people’s desire to distance themselves from the past. Dresden was the royal capital of Saxony, and pre-WWII was a center of arts, culture, and gilded finery. Hardly the kind of remembrances a communist ruled city would like to indulge in. Instead, parts of the city were developed using a more modern design, resulting in a diverse cityscape today. 

Useful Websites
Pictures from Our Trip
Dresden Tourism Homepage
          •Here you can download brochures about the city in PDF form
Dresden City Card
          •Discounts throughout the city, including transportation
Dresden at Wikipedia
          •Information about the city’s history with links to other pages with more information

Upcoming Trip!

During Thanksgiving, most people have days off, as it's a Federal holiday. However, as we discussed last year, Germany doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, so everything is open! This year, Joe and I have signed up for a trip scheduled by the base MWR (Family & Morale, Welfare, and Recreation). We're going on a 4 day trip to Italy! I've included our itinerary here since we'll be keeping our activities cheap in the run-up to the trip.

Day 1: Departure from Germany

Day 2: Pisa City Tour

We will stop for breakfast at a highway restaurant. After breakfast, we will arrive in Pisa for our city tour. The tour includes a stop to the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Free time will be provided to ascend the leaning tower or to visit other sights Pisa has to offer. Sights in the city worth visiting include the cathedral, botanical gardens, museums, Piazza del Duomo, Museo del O’Pera del Duomo, field of miracles, treasuries, and the baptistery. After a nice relaxing lunch, we depart Pisa for our hotel in Gragnano, a small village near to the city of Lucca for some needed rest and relaxation. Dinner is served in the hotel.

Day 3: Montecarlo Hiking/Fortress Tour, Lunch/Wine Tasting, & Free Time

After breakfast, the hotel director will take the group on a 5km hike from the hotel to the town of Montecarlo. We will hike through a scenic landscape of oak trees up to the village and the medieval town fortress. The trail then takes us further into Montecarlo at a local Fattoria. A wine tasting is included during lunch. Afterwards the bus will depart for free time in Lucca.

Day 4: Florence City Tour & Free Time

We will depart our hotel after breakfast for the Renaissance city of Florence. In the morning during our city tour we’ll see the city’s highlights by bus from the outskirts, and then walk its medieval streets by foot. We’ll see famous Ponte Vecchio Bridge with the homonymous Palazzo as well as the largest Franciscan church in Italy, Santa Maria Croce, which is considered to be the burial site of some of the most influential Italian people from history, art, and literature. Also impressive is the Palazzo Vecchio in the Piazza della Signoria with the replica of David by Michelangelo. Other attractions include the octagonal Baptistery dedicated to the patron saint of Florence, San Giovanni, and the Palazzo Medici Ricardi. Free time will be provided in the afternoon to purchase souvenirs, or visit a museum.

Day 5: Lucca Tour, Market visit with Chef, Olive Oil Tasting and 4 Course Dinner

Today, a special experience awaits you. The hotel chef will take us to Lucca to shop for the ingredients for our 4 course Tuscan dinner. The Lucca fruit and vegetable market is well known for its Tuscan food. Our hotel chef will explain his purchases, and you have the opportunity to ask questions and maybe suggest an ingredient he should buy for the 4 course dinner. In the afternoon, there will be a brief tour of Lucca. During our tour, you will see the impressive Piazza del Mercato, where a Roman Amphitheatre was located. Also worth seeing is the Piazza San Michele with the Church of San Michele in Foro and the Palazzo Pretorio. In the late afternoon, we take our bus to outskirts of Lucca for an olive oil tasting.

Day 6: Return to Germany

In the Tents!

The first tent we entered, Ochsenbraterie, was a little overwhelming. There were tables full of people everywhere, and we weren’t sure where to sit. We asked a waitress about reservations, and where we could sit, and she said that the crowded side of the hall was for those without reservations, and the nice empty side was for those with reservations. We circulated the tent a couple times, and couldn’t find any seats available. So we decided to try another tent. We did not go into the Augustiner tent because we have already been to the brewery in Munich, and settled on the Paulaner tent. We asked another waitress, and she explained that in this tent, because it was a holiday, all of the seats were available for everyone. We grabbed a seat, ordered 2 litres and some pommes, and waited to be joined by some other people.

Halfway through out first litres, a group of 4 French guys joined us, they spoke a little English, and even less German. But, like most of our social encounters, those who claim not to speak English very well tend to speak it better than even they think. They ordered their own litres and began to chat more. The 4 of them had driven down from France that day, and they were all pastry chefs. At this point, I ordered the largest soft pretzel I have ever seen in my life, probably a foot in diameter, and was trying to lament that the pretzels weren’t served hot. This involved a fair amount of miming, but I finally managed to convey that hot is a temperature, not a head accessory, hat. For the first time in my life, I fully appreciated the subtle differences in sound between “hot” and “hat”. We also taught them “Cheers!” and in turn they taught us, “Santé”. I also learned how to say 8, “huit” (sounds like wheat).

Chugging Contest!

The guys then began to play a card game, much like Kings. We watched for a little while, and then joined in the second round of the game, managing to hold our own. As the game came to a close, we were joined by some actual Bavarians! The 3 girls spoke English very well, and I didn’t speak with the guy, so I can’t comment on his English abilities. There was a song that the oompa band played once an hour, and during this song, 2 people would stand up and have a chugging contest with their beers. One time, two of the girls at our table stood on their benches to compete. I only remembered this after clicking through the pictures from that day, which brings me to an important point of advice, bring a camera to help you remember, because the litres will help you forget.

Tent #3

My next memory is of a tragic accident that befell me. During a prost, someone toasted me and my glass broke apart into several pieces! Beer went everywhere. Apparently this happens frequently, and is a good thing, because all the Bavarians immediately high-fived me after the event. Joe later told me that he had observed a chip in my glass, so it’s no small wonder that repeated prost-ing would weaken the structural integrity of the glass. When Joe finished his drink (mine having been whisked away by an irate barmaid), we decided to try our luck in another tent, and explore more of the fest grounds. We stayed in the next tent for a short period, and then decided to strike out on our own, especially when we realized it was already after 5pm! We realized that we needed to eat something more substantial, and stopped at a sausage stand. We also bought some souvenir steins and made our way back to the train for the ride home, stopping for pizza slices on the way. Overall, we had a fabulous, albeit short, time at Oktoberfest.

Click this link for more photos from Oktoberfest

OKTOBERFEST!

Need I say more?

Totally kidding! Of course I must say more! OKTOBERFEST!!! This place was CRAAAAAAAZY! If you are alive and have had beer, you are probably aware of the premise of Oktoberfest, but you probably don’t completely understand the magnitude of this celebration.

Oktoberfest is a two-ish week long celebration celebrating the 1810 marriage of Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese. Their wedding reception was so awesome they decided to celebrate again the next year, and we are 200 hundred years later still partying. Of course the focus has shifted slightly from royal nuptials to beer consumption, and there are a few more guests, approximately 6 million people visit every year. Those in the know call Oktoberfest der Wiesn after the “field” where the festival is held every year, Theresienweise.

At der Wiesn there are 14 different beer tents. I use the term tent loosely. A more accurate description of the big tents we entered is a giant barn typical of a state fair. These humongous spaces are filled with hundreds of tables with seating for thousands of people. The beer maids execute a carefully choreographed dance to bring beers and food to all the patrons. As far as I know, the beer only comes in litre mugs. I struggled lifting my mug when it was full, and have the bruise on my hand to prove it, but these Iron Maidens could carry 7 full mugs at a time. Talk about a workout plan. To get service, you must be sitting, and to be sure of a seat, you must make a reservation. Without a reservation, the seats are first come, first serve, and most people don’t vacate their seats once they have them. On the weekends, without a reservation, you are unlikely to get a seat after 10am and on weekdays after 3pm. Reservations must be made in person at the tent where you would like to sit, or by mail, fax or email. They must also be made for 10 (a full table). We did not have a reservation.

We opted to go in the middle of the week to avoid the crowds and increase the likelihood of finding a seat. Our day of choice was Wednesday the 3^rd because the weather forecast was in the 70s, and it was supposed to be sunny all day. Unfortunately, Wednesday was German reunification day, a national holiday. Working on the assumption that the holiday would mean weekend crowds, we left Regensburg early to arrive in Munich early. We biked to the train station and passed only 1 person on the way. She took one look at our outfits and asked if we were going to der Wiesn. After momentarily blanking, I remembered that ja meant yes, and responded accordingly. Most important, this exchange confirmed the slang term for Oktoberfest.

Arriving at the train station, we found it extra crowded, despite the lack of people in the rest of the city. Apparently, everyone was heading to Munich. We bought our tickets and elbowed our way toward the edge of the platform. Even though we managed to get on the train, we couldn’t find any seats, so we were forced to stand in the vestibule by the doors. Every stop added more people to our vestibule, and by the time we reached Munich, there wasn’t room to swing a cat. Furthermore, because so many people were trying to get on the train, it took much longer to travel, so we ended up standing in the same place for 2 hours. The worst part about the journey was the maddeningly cute couple standing behind me. They were to loudest, wettest kissers ever. It was like water torture. But as our vestibule became more crowded, the portly German gentlemen drinking at 10am managed to drown them out (mostly).

Hoping off the train in Munich, we quickly entered the subway system, jumped on another packed train, and rode to der Wiesn. And it was amazing! Sensory overload!


Here's a link to more Photos from Oktoberfest!

Getting on Tracht for Authenticity

Enjoying the Paulaner Tent at Oktoberfest

Part of the fun of Oktoberfest is wearing the traditional Bavarian dress, collectively referred to as Tracht. The men wear breeches called Lederhosen and the women wear dresses called Dirndl. Fun fact, authentic Bavarian tracht (not the slutty, cheap versions) are actually quite expensive. This is because the breeches are embroidered goat leather, and men generally only buy 1 pair of lederhosen in their adult lives. I’ve seen a lot fo folks on base sporting the costume, and it’s a fun way to celebrate holidays. This begs the question, why have I seen so many children wearing lederhosen? Those aren’t going to fit next year. Why did you buy that for Jr? Not my business, but I will not be buying traditional dress for any children ever. Waste of money. My dress, in my opinion, was not terribly expensive–no more expensive than a dress to wear to a formal occasion (like prom), which is the primary purpose of dirndls. They are worn to weddings, dances, and other holiday celebrations. We managed to match our lederhosen and dirndl.

Me and My Bike

Joe and His Bike

To further our attempts at achieving German authenticity, this past weekend, we bought bicycles. Everyone here seems to be riding them–including senior citizens and toddlers. I often wonder if children learn to ride before they can walk. We spent several hours on the 29^th in the bike store, trying out different bikes. The store actually had a test track for the bicycles. Stadler was the biggest bike store I have I seen, almost like a Costco, but completely full of different kinds of bikes, and with a small section devoted to Vespas. http://www.zweirad-stadler.com/ The website doesn’t even do the store justice.

It’s very overwhelming, especially when you don’t speak German and can’t read the subtle differences between the style of bicycles. We selected “hybrid” bikes, a mix between road bikes and mountain bikes. They have wider tires but angled handlebars. As per German bike law, our bikes have front and rear lights, and a bell, which we ring when passing others. Most interesting, there are no laws regarding helmet use. However, owing to our preference for personal safety, we have purchased helmets.