DRESDEN AND FREIBERG - 6 October 2019 - 9 October 2019

We took a little vacation from our vacation and brought our friends Hartmut and Brigitte on a short trip to see the Freiberg Temple and also to see Dresden. It was the weekend of General Conference but with the difference in time zone we were not able to watch it in real time.  So, we drove to Grevesmühlen on Sunday morning to pick them up and begin our journey south. It was a crazy busy day for traffic and took about 7 hours instead of 5 to make the drive. And then we had a bit of a struggle to find where we were to stay. But after a few false efforts the owner was called and came to guide us in. The next day when it was light it was so much easier to find. We had a lovely place to stay in a very beautiful part of Germany!

Here we all are standing in front of the most unusual wall art.

Such a beautiful entry!

Our welcome as we came to this mining country.

This wall art intrigued me. She exchanges the rectangles for different seasons . I made sure to take detailed photos because I hope this is something I can try out at our new house where we have a very large empty wall.

I guess you probably have to actually be there to realize how very beautiful the scenery is to see. It just filled my soul!

And the world is so much more beautiful when the sun shines.

Interesting arches on our way to Dresden.

The architecture is always interesting for me to see.

If I have pictures then I will more easily remember what seems to be a common sight.

I love to see them but I think it would be hard for me to live in such close apartments.

So many wind farms along our way.

On the road.

Interesting art on the buildings along our way. We were not fast enough to catch them all though.

Love the architectural detail.

Approaching the center of Dresden but lots of construction.

This beautiful cathedral was destroyed by bombing during WWII. It was reconstructed with donations from around the world and is truly magnificent  The statue is of Martin Luther.

Cathedral ceiling.

Ceiling with balconies.

Incredibly beautiful!! And there is Steve.

What an incredible experience to walk around this beautiful square. As we were outside the cathedral I heard the beautiful strains of Ave Maria and thought how lovely that the cathedral was piping music but I soon realized that the music was not coming from the cathedral but from a clarinet played by a young lady who was busking. She played for about 15 minutes and then packed up her speakers and equipment into the child carrier she pulled behind her bicycle and moved on. We bought one of her cds because she plays so beautifully. We saw her later at another spot and realized that there was a schedule for the buskers as they rotated to various locations. 

But for us listening to her beautiful music just made the experience perfect.

Dresden is such a beautiful city with so many amazing buildings. I am amazed that not more buildings were lost in the war. But then it is almost 75 years ago and many new buildings have been built since then. The detail in the architecture is beautiful and I could have wandered there all day.

Beautiful!

Just look at the detail on and around this door!

Stopped at a little cafe for something to drink. Look at how Steve got his hot chocolate. By the time he had stirred his chocolate block into the hot milk for a couple of minutes he had some good hot chocolate.

Now a carriage ride would have been nice.

More beautiful detail!

These trees were planted in such symmetry and just as I prepared to take a photo this lovely young couple decided it was time fro a kiss 😉

The Opera House 

Detail at the Opera House 

Steve in front of the Opera House

These young men had their music up loud and they had a new game of jumping the cartons so they moved along the sidewalk.

More detail!

Fall is coming!

Steve saw this huge plow on our way to Dresden and then managed a photo on the way back.

Just along the road.

The beautiful green fields. I thought it was a late crop or a crop planted for winter but I learned that the EU requires farmers to plant this kind of crop [mustard plants or some others] in the fall to preserve and add to the nutrients of the soil when it is plowed under. If they do not plant by a certain date they will not get certain payments available to them.

So beautiful!

In the field next to where we stayed.

A beautiful view!

This guy was so curious about me that he walked from the other side of the field up to where I was standing
just to see me. And of course I was able to take his picture.

It was a wonderful day walking around Dresden and driving back and forth. The sunshine makes everything better. But the next day we awoke to rain and clouds. We drove to Freiberg for further adventures even though the day was not as pretty. 

Definitely rainy!

We had promised to take Hartmut and Brigitte to see the Freiberg Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints so we drove there to find not only the temple but a church building and a building to house those who came to spend time in the temple. We had a arranged for two sister missionaries to meet us. The sisters  were so sweet and spent an hour or so telling them, in German, the history and purpose of temples. They did a great job of explaining it all.  Then we took a few moments to take pictures in front of the temple even though it was a cold and rainy, before driving to the heart of town to the Ratskellar Restaurant for a lovely meal.

Temple on the left behind the tree, housing in front and church building on the right.

All of us at the front door of the temple.

Brigitte, Liz, Steve and Hartmut 

Outer door to restaurant

On the street.

Restaurant door. Love the detail.

Frieberg City Square

There is a story that goes with this window and the little head sticking out at the top. Apparently many years ago there was a war in the area and the person in charge lost the  war so he did not have enough money to pay his soldiers. Well the soldiers were not very happy and one of them decided the way to handle it was to kidnap the children to force some pay. That was not a good idea because he was caught, the children safely returned and the solider was beheaded. So not only did he not get paid he lost his life out of that very window. [Hope I got the story right]

Just look at the windows on the top! I cannot even imagine how small those rooms are.

Freiberg street with the apothecary .

Lots of umbrellas!! Lots of rain!

Freiberg Castle

Then  the following day we woke to mostly beautiful weather! I went for a little walk before we left just to enjoy the area. It truly is beautiful! The sky was amazing and it was fun just to walk.

Beautiful morning!

Deer in the field.

What a view!!

The decoration on the next two buildings was pretty awesome. I think they were mimicking the small neighborhood of Haselbach.

And then it was time to drive back home and see so much more beauty along the way. The trip was extra long again. We seem to have  picked days to travel when everyone else was traveling. But we made it safely having our spirits renewed and refreshed from our experiences.

Beautiful view!

Along our way.

I was captivated by the geese and then Brigitte told us they were just waiting to be a part of someone's Christmas  dinner.

Many years ago [2001] when I first travelled to what had been East Germany there were SO many grey buildings. Now the grey has been replaced by many colorful buildings of green, pink, blue, purple etc.

Heading into a small forest.

The leaves were definitely changing color!

There are still some old ones that need renovation.

It was not a welcome sight when we stopped for gas and wanted to use the toilet. We had to pay to get in to the rooms.

So, it cost 0,70 € to get past the gate and get this ticket. But then we could use this ticket and get  0,50 € credit towards our gas or anything else we chose to purchase.

The landscape changed as we drove giving us view of many lovely trees!

Burger King is alive and well in Germany!