On a whim, we decided to head to Dresden for the day. Dresden is the Hauptstadt (capital) of the state Sachsen (Saxony). So, we left Berlin at 6:15 AM and soon (ish) got to sunny Dresden!
Like many other German cities (and cities in general), Dresden is divided by a river that flows through it.
Frauenkirche, a famous church in Dresden.
Dresden seems to have a lot of a) clocks, b) fountains, and c) art installations. Luckily, I like all three categories, so I was quite happy.
Some rooftops of Dresden and some gods: Athena on the left and Hermes on the right.
We went to an excellent exhibit on the Amazon region at the Japanisches Palais, with some amazing pieces of basketry and more. These look like flowers, but they are actually made out of brilliantly coloured feathers-- I have never seen feathers used in the ways they were used here, so detailed, imaginative, and exotic.
The Japanisches Palais was on the other side of the river-- I think we walked over bridges back and forth about three or four times. Here's a view from one of the bridges of the Schloss, along with an installation of a wave midway across the bridge.
Another sculpture.
Right in the middle of the city was this walkway that you can walk along. About thirty feet above the ground, it's a unique way to view Dresden. And good for people-watching.
Spaced along the elevated wall were towers, clocks, and other surprises.
The gardens below were elegantly designed, with (surprise!) many fountains.
In another part of the city was this extensive mural, detailing the many great people of Dresden and Germany, etc. It must have been about a quarter of a mile long.
There was a street performer by the mural, and he looked like he was walking into a windstorm; he had designed his tie to look like it was flying off his neck, and he had gelled his hair so that it looked windswept. When people put money into his hat, he would break out of his ice-like state, move (perform a split, bend over backwards, etc.), and then freeze again until the next coin clattered into his hat. If a person only put a small coin in his hat, he would merely raise an eyebrow.
We went to the Grüne Gewölbe, a set of ornate rooms in the castle that are filled with the most wonderful collections of jewels, handcrafted items, dishes, vases, paintings, sculptures, and more. Sadly, photos were not allowed, and seeing as how we could only enter through a timed vault entrance, we figured we'd better not try. However, the gift shop was excellent, and among the selection of books, I saw that they had Hammerstein oder Eigensinn!
In Germany, the walk-signals for cross-walks all depict little green and red men. However, Dresden has little traffic-light women! When I first saw them as we arrived in Dresden, I thought I was seeing things (well, my companion thought I was, anyways). However, on the way back to the Hauptbahnhof, we saw them again! Apparently only one other city has these red and green ladies.
Like many other German cities (and cities in general), Dresden is divided by a river that flows through it.
Frauenkirche, a famous church in Dresden.
Dresden seems to have a lot of a) clocks, b) fountains, and c) art installations. Luckily, I like all three categories, so I was quite happy.
Some rooftops of Dresden and some gods: Athena on the left and Hermes on the right.
We went to an excellent exhibit on the Amazon region at the Japanisches Palais, with some amazing pieces of basketry and more. These look like flowers, but they are actually made out of brilliantly coloured feathers-- I have never seen feathers used in the ways they were used here, so detailed, imaginative, and exotic.
The Japanisches Palais was on the other side of the river-- I think we walked over bridges back and forth about three or four times. Here's a view from one of the bridges of the Schloss, along with an installation of a wave midway across the bridge.
Another sculpture.
Right in the middle of the city was this walkway that you can walk along. About thirty feet above the ground, it's a unique way to view Dresden. And good for people-watching.
Spaced along the elevated wall were towers, clocks, and other surprises.
The gardens below were elegantly designed, with (surprise!) many fountains.
In another part of the city was this extensive mural, detailing the many great people of Dresden and Germany, etc. It must have been about a quarter of a mile long.
There was a street performer by the mural, and he looked like he was walking into a windstorm; he had designed his tie to look like it was flying off his neck, and he had gelled his hair so that it looked windswept. When people put money into his hat, he would break out of his ice-like state, move (perform a split, bend over backwards, etc.), and then freeze again until the next coin clattered into his hat. If a person only put a small coin in his hat, he would merely raise an eyebrow.
We went to the Grüne Gewölbe, a set of ornate rooms in the castle that are filled with the most wonderful collections of jewels, handcrafted items, dishes, vases, paintings, sculptures, and more. Sadly, photos were not allowed, and seeing as how we could only enter through a timed vault entrance, we figured we'd better not try. However, the gift shop was excellent, and among the selection of books, I saw that they had Hammerstein oder Eigensinn!
In Germany, the walk-signals for cross-walks all depict little green and red men. However, Dresden has little traffic-light women! When I first saw them as we arrived in Dresden, I thought I was seeing things (well, my companion thought I was, anyways). However, on the way back to the Hauptbahnhof, we saw them again! Apparently only one other city has these red and green ladies.
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