Dresden

The capital city of Sachsen-Anhalt (the state that Leipzig is in) is Dresden. At the beginning of September we went there for our wedding anniversary (I know, it took a while to get around to writing this entry!).

There is some rivalry between Dresden and Leipzig (the second main city in this state). Dresden is where the ruler was - the city of culture, administration, etc. Leipzig was a city of trade. Each city needed the other, but often didn't like each other. Like many of these things, the rivalry continues to the present day.

Dresden is much more popular with tourists than Leipzig, and it definitely has a more interesting and beautiful zentrum (inner city). It is on a river, and has the remains of an impressive city wall. Here is a picture over the river from the top of the wall.

Another nice spot is the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). It was completely bombed out near the end of WWII, and has been rebuilt over the past few years. As much as possible they have tried to use the old stonework in the original positions. In this photo you can see the mixture of the old stones (darker in colour) and the newer ones.


On one side of the church is the restored statue of Martin Luther. As well as being instrumental in the Reformation, Luthor's life and work had a profound effect on the history of the German people.

We were fortunate to hit Dresden during a festival of some kind. It was a little like a mini Oktoberfest, with beer, bratwurst and handicraft stalls around.

Here's a picture of Jo in front of one of the stalls. The hearts are made of gingerbread, and have various valentines days phrases in German, some of which are quite amusing. There's the usual "Ich liebe dich" - I love you. There's also "Ich will dich" I want you. "Du bist süß" - you are sweet. "Ohne dich bin ich nichts" without you, I am nothing. "Ohne dich kann ich nicht leben" - without you I can't live. "Du bist mein Schatz" - you are my dear. "Nur du allein" Only you alone. "Ich träume nur von dir" - I only dream of you. Bookmark this page - you never know when you might need some of these phrases!