We made our first real trip away from home last week. Our first stop, other than Jack's potty at the Esso Station about 45 minutes in, was Dresden. Originally not expecting much from this stop, we were surprised with how beautiful the Old City was.
Dresden, the capital of Saxony, surprises visitors with fine Baroque architecture and impressive museums. Halfway between Prague and Berlin, Dresden makes for a fun, intriguing stop rich with history. Sadly, Dresden is best known today for its destruction in World War II. American and British pilots firebombed the city, killing more than 50,000 people and destroying 85 percent of the historical center. American Kurt Vonnegut, who was a POW in Dresden during the firebombing, later memorialized the event in his novel Slaughterhouse-Five.
When Germany was divvied up at the end of World War II, Dresden wound up in the Soviet sector. Forty years of communist rule left the city in an economic hole — even today, Saxony's unemployment rate hovers around 19 percent. Some older Dresdeners feel nostalgia for the Red old days, when "everyone had a job." But in the decade and a half since the Berlin Wall fell, Dresden has made real progress in getting back on its feet — and most locals are enjoying capitalism with gusto. Today's Dresden is a young and vibrant city, crawling with happy-go-lucky students who barely remember communism.
-- courtesy of Rick Steves
Kristy also took a day tour of Berlin as part of her conference. She saw Check Point Charlie, stood over Hitler's Bunker, saw the remaining portion of the wall, and the Brandenburg Gate.
Next was the couple hour drive across the border into the Czech Republic and on to Prague. Prague could be the most beautiful city that Kristy and I have seen on our travels. Every building seemed like it could house a museum. We packed in many sites in 2 days.
We stayed in a small hotel across from the Bethlehem Chapel. The building has been reconstructed over the years but stills has its original 13th century cellar where they serve breakfast. The sprawling Prague Castle is home to 2 magnificent churches, the palace, and many "smaller" structures. We also visited the Charles Bridge, the Old Jewish Quarter, and Old Town with a beautiful Astronomical Clock. Prague is known for its garnet jewels and marionettes (small wooden puppets) so we happily contributed to the Czech economy and took home some authentic souvenirs.
Enjoy the pictures...sorry there are so many.
