Berlin to Dresden

 After breakfast we gathered downstairs at 7:55 am to load up the bus.  

I decided to do hot chocolate this morning

Good-bye Berlin.

The molecular people, it is a huge sculpture taken from 2 different angles.  There are 3 people but only 2 are visible from most directions.

We stopped in a Petro station and restarea so that the bus driver could take a break and fill up the bus.  We could use the restroom.  The store was like a 7-11, with a little bit of every thing. 

Jagermeisster

Apfel Schorle

Jana gave us a lot of history and information about life in Germany and in Czech Republic, while we were on the bus.  We listened to a song by Pink Floyd and one by Scorpion and we listened to  JFK's famous speech "Ich bin ein Berliner" which was meant to mean I am also a Berliner but what it really means is I am a jelly doughnut.   It was a moving speech.  Jana provided doughnuts (not jelly doughnuts) and a beverage treat. Then we got back on the bus.  We arrived in Dresden about 11:30 am.  We couldn't check in yet but we could put our stuff in a meeting room and we could use the restroom.  We were staying in Hotel Martha.

Hotel Martha

We walked through the "new" part of Dresden.  It is only 300 years old. 

Sculpture on the bridge.

Evidence of the flooding from the week before.  There is a promenade here that is underwater.

We met up with Susanna in the center square of the old town.

Susanna and Jana

Susanne explained that there was massive destruction of old town Dresden but no attempts were made on the military locations around Dresden.  All in one night.  They have been working on restoring it ever since.  What a process.  She showed us a lot of before and after pictures.

What this court yard is supposed to look like when it is completed.

We had a thorough tour of the residential palace.

Sgraffito design, we saw this everywhere.

The upper script says the the construction will be finished 2013.  LOL.

We had a refreshment stop.  This was a very light egg cheesecake, Eieschecke.  Very good.

This was made out of Meissen porcelain mosaic tile. It was not destroyed in the bombing.

August the strong - 1 wife, 1 son with her and the story is that he had 354 other children.

We ended the tour in Frauenkirche square.  We all went our separate directions.  My goal was to find a place to sit down and have lunch.  It was 1:30 pm.  We were right by an Italian pizza place, Pizza Italia, so that is what we picked. Ann and Cassandra joined us.  

Limoncello spritz

Pepperoni and mushroom pizza 

Tomato pesto bruschetta

Cassandra's tomato salad.

There was plenty of food.

Sharon and Kris went to see the art at the Albertinum Museum. Sharon sent me some of her pictures.

 Jeanne and I decided to climb up the steps in the Frauenkirche for the view.  

Only 263 stairs and then a long ramp

Why are all these chairs in a circle facing out?

Then 127 more steps to the cupola.

This was definitely a highlight for us.

Evidence of the flooding.

The Meissen porcelain is famous around here.

We stopped in at the restaurant where we had lunch to use the restroom.

Our two waitresses recognized us and let us go in.

We stopped for gelato at the Gelateria Bellagio

Jeanne had coconut and I had my usual stracciatella (vanilla with chocolate chips).

We walked back to the hotel.

This bridge went down last week with the flooding. No one was hurt.

No rain for us.

This tree really attracted the bees and butterflies

We got back to the hotel and checked in.  We were in #216.  We got our stuff from the meeting room.

Jeanne's bed

My bed

Open bathroom design.  There is a shower curtain at least.

Actual lock with key on the bathroom door.

My coffee set up

We had a chance to relax a little.  Sharon and Kris are in room 317.  They got back a little after us.  They had a good time at the Albertinum Gallery. 

At 7:15 we gathered in our room to go to dinner.  We had chosen a Spanish Tapas place, Tapas Bar & Restaurant. It was very close to the hotel.

Quite an array.  We ordered 9 dishes. We managed to finish almost all of it.  Kris and Sharon had a white sangria to start and Jeanne and I had a white wine.  Kris stayed with the sangria and the rest of us had a second glass of wine.  It was a very relaxing evening.

I came out from the restaurant and thought that I had finally seen the full  moon. Come to find out it was just a light in a window.  Oh well. No super moon for me.