Dresden!

Ok so finally here is an update for Dresden.  After getting on the 9:14am train out of Geneva we arrived in Dresden at roughly 8:30pm last Wednesday, where we were met by a smiling waving cousin Peggy; and so, the adventures in Dresden commenced!

A view from the train as we entered Dresden

After catching up with the rest of the family and meeting for the first time baby Emma (and playing with ever-growing Colin) we were treated to a nice relaxing meal of potato soup with German style salads.  It was delicious!  The next couple days consisted of getting our bearings in the city and figuring out the public train/bus system (which is highly efficient) and seeing some of the 'old town' and 'new town'.  Due to the massive destruction of the city from fire bombing during World War II, the 'old town' actually has more modern buildings in it, as they had to be rebuilt entirely, whereas 'new town' while being newer in terms of date settled has more historic buildings.  During the rebuild (which took some 40 or so years in some parts) they did a fine job of matching the style using sand stone. 

Yours truely, surveying the scene.

A statue of the "August the Strong" first king of Saxony and a local legend.

One of the beautifuly rebuilt buildings in Dresden's 'old town'.  Note: the sand stone turns black after a while giving the city a very contrasting character when combined with the gold statues and trim that are found on most historic buildings. 

Another view of the old town historic district.

Being as Dresden is nestled squarely around the Elbe river, there are many boats that frequent the waters, such as this steam boat which adds some flare to the character of the city.

A few more shots from old town.  Unfortunately, we have such an abundance of pictures of this part of the city it would be a bit much to post them all on the blog.  There may be a few more in following posts as we pass through this part of the city frequently on our way to other attractions.

After making it over the bridge into new town, we decided to end our day at a little cafe we found on the corner of the pedestrian mall.  There were children cooling off in the fountain and many Dresdners sitting around us who had the same idea.  After a round of German Erdinger we made our way back to base.  More to come!

Until next time,

John and Matt