Today we traveled to the city of Dresden, in the state of Saxony. While this was not technically the first time we left Berlin (we have gone to Potsdam twice now), the two hour train ride meant that, for the first time, we were definitely outside the city.
We left very early in the morning, and took the nicest train we've had so far: the German equivalent of an Amtrak. We had a paper due by the end of the evening, but Dr. Wolf invited me to go to the dining car with him, so I took the opportunity. The tea was lovely (not to mention inexpensive) and I had a great conversation with him and Chelsea...so the paper could wait.
When we arrived we had some free time for lunch. We could go wherever we pleased, but those of us who stayed with Dr. Wolf participated in a "culinary excursion." We walked around the downtown Dresden Christmas Markt, and when he saw a food he thought might be new to us, he bought a sample and we all tried it. By the end of lunch I had eaten wild ram sausage, horse patties and kebab, candied almonds, waffeln, and some sort of marshmallow dessert with amaretto inside. Sehr wunderbar!
After lunch he took us on a walking tour of the historic downtown area. We saw palaces, entered one of the few Catholic churches in northern Germany, and saw the "panorama" view that has made Dresden so sought after. It was beautiful, yes, but it was also sad to think that nearly every building had been reconstructed, because the city had been completely decimated during the war. What's more sad is that Dresden had no soldiers, only civilians, most of whom were refugees from other destroyed cities, and yet was still fire bombed by American troops in order to destroy German morale. In most cases this would have been tried as a war crime--but who is going to try the winners?
That being said, a lot of effort has gone into restoring the historic city. Much of this restoration was done by the Soviets, despite the fact that they rarely restored anything due to lack of funds. This was primarily because these restored landmarks would draw in tourists from other countries, which would in turn draw in international currency needed by the east Germans. One such building was the Semper Opera House, named after the original architect. This building was painstakingly restored, using methods not unlike those used when it was originally built. This place is everything I've ever dreamed an opera house of being...gilded, sculpted, and frescoed to the absolute max, the Semper Opera House is an absolute spectacle! It is still used today (Mozart tonight!!) and sells over 90% of its tickets each year. I really enjoyed going to the opera last night, but there would be no comparison to seeing opera in a place like this. I would LOVE to come back here and see an opera in this historic place!
After the opera house we had free time. So Jessica, Emily, and I went to a Swiss alpine restaurant and got a bite to eat. It was really good, and the hot chocolate was delicious! They put chocolate liqueur, whipped cream, and chocolate shavings in it...yum. I have noticed that Germans seem to love putting alcohol in hot chocolate. And I don't mind one bit--it warms you right up!
We went home then and I finished my paper on the train, so I managed to sneak in a little nap. It has been a wonderful day. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
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