Day 11 ~ Saxon Switzerland & Prague

After a lovely morning sail up the Elbe River, we arrived in Bad Schandau and disembarked around 10:00 am.  Bad means spa. In the 18th century a healing spring was discovered in the area making it a popular tourist spot. Here we loaded buses and began our trek to the Bastei in the heart of Saxon Switzerland National Park.

Shortly before we reached  Bad Schandau, we saw Königstein Fortress up on the hill.  The landscape of Northern Germany along the Elbe was very open and quite flat, yet very green.  In contrast, the area south of Dresden has sandstone cliffs, wooded hills and picturesque villages along the river. 

We had a bit of a climb to get to Bastei.  Along the way our driver navigated very narrow and winding roads though a charming village.  This woman was peering out her window to see if our gigantic bus was really going to make it.

We had quite the panoramic view in Bastei.  Here we are looking down on Bad Schandau, the village on the right. Our ship, waiting for a new group of travelers, can be seen as a small dot on the shore.

This area is know for its sandstone cliffs which are over 100 million years old.

We finally arrived at our destination in Prague around 5:00 pm. Other than walking to the ATM to get Czech Koruna (1000 CZA = about $58), we haven’t had time to explore the city yet.  Tomorrow will be a very big day for that!

Day 10 ~ Dresden

Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony with a population of almost 500,000. It evolved into one of Germany's most beautiful cities after it became the residence of the Wettins, rulers of Saxony for over 800 years. After allied fire bombings obliterated the historical center in 1945, reconstruction of Dresden's magnificent landmarks continues to today.

The Dresden Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) is a Lutheran church built between 1726 and 1743. This  Baroque church was destroyed in the firebombing of Dresden during World War II in 1945. Reconstruction began in 1994 using as much of the original structure and material (notice the dark stones) as possible. The reconstruction of its exterior was completed in 2004, its interior in 2005. The church's most distinctive feature was its high dome, called die Steinerne Glocke or "Stone Bell," an engineering feat comparable to Michelangelo's dome for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome,

The interior of Church of Our Lady was breathtaking.  They did not allow photos of the interior, but thanks to the Internet, I found this one.

For centuries the Residenzschloss - the royal palace in Dresden - served as the seat of government for the Saxon Rulers of the Wettin family. Begun in the 13th century as a fort, it was expanded into a palace in 16th century.  It was also destroyed by the bombings in 1945. The rebuilt palace is now home to a number of museums.

The Hofkirche (Church of the Court), is a Catholic church built between 1738 and 1751 in high baroque style.  Augustus III decided a Catholic church was needed to counterbalance the protestant Church of Our Lady, and in secrecy planned for the largest church in Saxony.

The Fürstenzug (Procession of Prince) is one of the largest (335 ft. long) porcelain artworks in the world and is made out of 25,000 Meissen porcelain tiles. This large mural of a mounted procession shows the thousand year history of the Princely house of Wettin. It was constructed between 1904 and 1907 and survived the bombings of 1945.

You can barely see Bonnie and me in front of the Semper Opera House.  It is considered one of the most important examples of 19th century theater architecture.  It also needed to be rebuilt after the war.

The Zwinger Palace is Dresden's most famous landmark.  Built between 1710 and 1732, it was commissioned by Augustus the Strong, elector of Saxony. The Zwinger, with its large inner courtyard, was used for court festivities, tournaments and fireworks.

Today has been one of our favorite days on our adventure so far.  After our two hour walking tour of Dresden, we spent an additional three hours walking around this beautiful city.  Rather then returning to the ship for lunch, we dined on currywurst and soft pretzels, did a little shopping, and returned to some of the sights we saw in the morning for a second look.

This evening we had our farewell dinner with the ship’s captain, and now it is time for us to pack up.  We disembark in the morning and make our way to Prague.

Day 9 ~ Meissen

Dating back to 929, Meissen is one of the oldest German towns on our tour.  Today this East German town has the populations is approximately 30,000.

As our ship entered Meissen, we were treated to this beautiful view of the Albrechtsburg Castle and the Gothic Meissen Cathedral.  The castle is regarded as being the first castle to be used as a royal residence in the German-speaking world. Built between 1472 and 1525, it is a fine example of late Gothic style. 

Meissen is famous for its porcelain. The Royal Porcelain Factory opened in 1710 and was the first high quality porcelain to be produced outside of the Orient.  We toured the factory, but shied away from purchasing anything there as prices were sky high… The starting price for something as small as a thimble was 35 Euros or $50.

The construction of Meissen Cathedral began 1260 and finished in the 1400s on the same hill as the Albrechtsburg Castle.The church is known as being one of the most pure examples of Gothic architecture.

This is the view from outside the church looking down on the Elbe River and our ship.  Rather than climbing the stairs up to the castle and church we took the funicular.  My knee was very grateful.

After dinner tonight we were treated to a fun magic show.  I was selected by the magician to be his assistant for one of the tricks… my one chance to be under the stage lights. 

Day 8 ~ Lutherstadt Wittenberg

During the 16th century, Wittenberg (not to be confused with Wittenberge we visited on day 5) attained great importance as one of the most influential German centers of political, cultural and artistic endeavors. Today it is officially called Lutherstadt Wittenberg and has a population of about 50,000.

The Castle Church was a new church when Martin Luther arrived in Wittenburg.  Only eight years after its completion, on October 31, 1517, he posted his 95 Theses against the selling of indulgences on the door of this church.

This is the famous door where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses.  Luther posted the theses in Latin and intended to start an academic debate. However, they were translated into German, quickly copied using the newly-invented movable type printing press, and wound up sparking the Protestant Reformation.

The Luther House was built as a monastery in 1504.  Martin Luther lived here since his arrival in Wittenberg in September 1508, at first as a monk, then from 1525 with his family.  In 1883 the house was opened as a museum.

The Ten-Commandments-Table by Lucas Cranach is one of the important exhibits in the museum.  Cranach was a German Renaissance painter.and a close friend of Martin Luther. Since many people could not read during the 16th century, Cranach illustrated each of the commandments in this painting.

This afternoon we had a home visit and coffee klatch with our host, Christina. We had a wonderful time as she shared stories of life when Wittenburg was part of the GDR. Christina is currently an English teacher and hopes to retire in 4 years and travel.

Day 7 ~ Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, it is Germany's largest city. There are so many museums, monuments and historic buildings in Berlin, but the pictures below are some of my favorites of what we saw.

The victory goddess Viktoria stands on top of the Victory Column (Siegessaule). It  was constructed in 1873  to celebrate the military successes of Prussia over Denmark.

The Brandenburg Gate is probably the most well-known landmark in Berlin.  It was commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II to represent peace. Ironically, the gate was incorporated into the Berlin wall during the years of Communist government. It now stands as a symbol of the reunification of the two sides of the city.

Berliner Dom is a baroque Cathedral built between 1894 and 1905. It is located on an island in the River Spree, also known as the Museum Island. The current building is the third church built at this location.

The Reichstag, the seat of the German Parliament, is one of Berlin's most historical landmarks.  The building was constructed between 1884 and 1894, mainly funded with wartime reparation money from France, a result of Prussia's defeat of France in 1871.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is a memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. It is made up of 2,711 gray stone slabs that bear no markings, such as names or dates. The slabs undulate in a wave-like pattern. Each is a five-sided monolith, individually unique in shape and size. The memorial was dedicated in May 2005, on the 60th anniversary of the fall of the Nazi regime and the end of World War II.

This is all that is left of the Berlin Wall today. These sections have been preserved to remind Berliners of the 28-year division of their city. Built 50 years ago, the wall was originally one hundred miles long constructed by the Communist to stop the east Germans fleeing to the West.

We started our 2 hour bus ride to Berlin from Dessau.  After our city tour, we were served a traditional German lunch, followed by 2 1/2 hours on our own. It was a very warm day in Berlin (the hottest of the year so far), but as long as we were in the shade, the breeze kept us cool.  The bus ride home was another matter. There was minimal to no air conditioning, and we just baked.  Liisa was not able to join us on our field trip today as she caught the stomach flu that is making its way around the ship.  Luckily it seems to be the 24 hour variety. 

Day 6 ~ Tangermunde

Tangermünde, dating back to 1009, is one of a group of north German towns which have been preserved to look as they did in the Middle Ages. The town is situated behind a beautiful wetland plain, on the confluence of the River Tanger and the River Elbe. Because Tegermunde was part of the GDR (under Russian control), and Grand Circle is the only US river cruise to come through this area, the people here do not speak much English. It is amazing what a little pantomime and sound effects can communicate.  

This tower was built in 1480, but jail cells were built in it during the 18th century.  The above wall goes around the city.

The most formidable building in town is St. Stephan’s Church.  This organ in the church was built in 1624 by Scherer and is among the 10 best historical organs of Europe. You would think with all my interest in pipe organs that I loved organ music.  I really don’t, but I am fascinated with their appearance.

Yet another Rathaus… This city hall was constructed in the 1430s with a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic features.  The town museum is located in the lower level of the building.  A farmers market was taking place while were were here.

Storks can be found nesting on the Rathaus. 

Many of the houses in town are half timbered dwellings built after the 1617 fire that destroyed the majority of the houses inside the town walls. A half timbered house is built from timber and mud, which was less expensive than a brick house.

Grete Minde (the one on the left), was the accused culprit for staring the 1617 fire and condemned to die at the stake.  Her life has been the subject of various books and a movie.

This is our ship’s captain, also know as Johnny Cash of the Elbe River, entertaining us after dinner.

Day 5 ~ Wittenberge

Today has been a fairly low key day.  We chose not to take the excursion to Schwerin today since the majority of the 5 hour trip was bus ride. Instead, we took a walking tour of Wittenberg. This town of about 20,000 got its start in the 1200’s.  There is a blend of old architecture with more modern parts of the city.

The Rathaus (City Hall) was the most interesting building in town.

Here is our river boat, MS River Allegro, docked in Wittenberg.  We have about 90 passengers and 25 crew on board.

The captain’s dinner was one of the highlights of the day. Not only did we have a wonderful meal, but a first class female entertainer who sang a mix of opera and show tunes.  The evening skies put on quite a lighting show for us as well.

Veal, onion pie, bacon wrapped green beans, potato (pear shaped), and fried root vegetable

Fruit, ice cream on a waffle wedge, crème brûlée, and a caramelized sugar squiggle

Day 4 ~ Harbor Cruise & Luneburg

This morning is was up early and off to our cruise of the Hamburg Harbor. 

We traveled through some of the quaint canals with architecture dating back to the 1800’s.

In contrast, you can also see very modern architecture in the harbor.

Above is one of the many container ships found along the harbor.  Hamburg is the second largest container center in Europe.

Originally we were to embark on our river cruise in Hamburg, but due to the constant fluctuation in the tide, the location was changed to Lauenburg. That meant we stayed in Hamburg until about 2:00, giving us time to hear the noon organ concert at St. Michaelis that we visited yesterday and a brief lunch.  On the way to Lauenburg we stopped at the lovely town of Luneburg.

Luneburg

Thanks to its salt mines, Luneburg became very rich during the Middle Ages. Each year 25,000 tons of salt were produced. This “white gold” was conveyed by horse-drawn carriage via the “salt roads” and by barge along the Ilme-nau River.  Because this thousand year old town is so well preserved, it is a popular tourist attractions for the local German population. 

The facade of the town hall was built in the 1800s.  Behind the facade is a maze of older building added through the centuries as more space was needed and money allowed.

The Gothic style Church of St Nicholas dates its origins to 1407.

The thousand year old lift (center left) loaded and unloaded cargo on the boats similar to the replicas on the bottom right.  The town now is home to charming hotels, restaurants, and shops.

We boarded our boat, the Allegro, around 6:00 pm. After a delicious dinner, the four of us went to the lounge and listened to the lovely music of Indre. She also loves of the music of Diana Krall, and we closed the joint at 11:30.

Day 3 ~ Hamburg City Tour

We had a beautiful day for our city tour this morning.  The bus drove us through the heart of the city, the harbor area, and the residential area of the very wealthy.  Below are some pictures of of our day.

Above is the clock tower of St. Michaelis Church.  If you look at the two windows below the clock, you can barely see a person in the left window. Every hour a person plays a horn. This individual moves from window to window to all four sides of the tower. Originally built in 1647, this is the third church on this site, and the largest church in Hamburg, offering seats for 2500.

A large bronze statue stands above the portal of the church showing the Archangel Michael conquering the devil.

This magnificent organ is found inside the church.

The City Hall, or Rathaus, was built between 1886-1897.

Here we are with our travel companions, Liisa and Ruth, in the courtyard of the Rathaus.

St. Nikolai Church was the tallest building in the world from 1874 to 1876. During the air raids in 1943, the church steeple served as a landmark for bomber pilots.  Now a memorial to victims of war, the steeple and parts of the walls are all that remain. The Angel on Earth sculpture in front of the steeple has the following inscription: ”Take my hand and let me lead you back to yourself.”

This panoramic is a view of the city center on the other side of Binnenalster Lake. In the distance you can see three steeples: St. Nikolai Memorial, the Rathaus, and St. Michaelis.

This evening the four of us dined outside on the Lange Reihe, a street filled with little ethnic restaurants.  We sampled German beer, listened to strolling minstrels, and had a fabulous meal.