Over the Elbe and Through the Woods

Hello all! I know it's been a few days since my last post, but trust me when I say you don't want to know the gory details of my classes, grammar exercises, papers, etc. Nothing terribly exciting happened until this past weekend when I visited Dresden. However, before I delve into Dresden, here are two kind of random pictures that don't really have a place in this post, but that I'd still like to include.

 A delicious specimen of German food. I thoroughly enjoyed my Käsespätzle, beer, and salad.

A picture of a Trabi from the Alltag in der DDR Museum. Wouldn't you want to go camping in one of these bad boys? (Yes, that's a tent on top)

Ok, now that we've gotten that out of the way, we shall proceed to Dresden. Although we had a bit of intermittent rain, the Dresden trip was absolutely fantastic. Dresden lies on the Elbe River in the state of Saxony (Sachsen) and acts as its capital city. For those of you who don't know, Dresden is an incredibly unique German city. During World War II, the Allied bombing of the city completely destroyed the city center, which featured beautiful Baroque and Rococo architecture. Although many damaged German cities chose to modernize when they rebuilt, the people of Dresden (and Saxony as a whole), set out to reconstruct and restore its lost architecture. Now granted, I don't know much about architecture, but it seems to me that they did an amazing job. Here are some photos.

A view of the Semper Oper.

A view of the Zwinger Palace. As Cogsworth from Beauty and the Beast once said, if it ain't Baroque, don't fix it.

The equestrian statue in front of the Semper Oper (as well as two kids who wouldn't stop playing on it long enough for me to get a picture).

More Baroque architecture around Zwinger Palace.

I'm also a sucker for a nice statue.

And a fountain. Although we certainly had enough intermittent waterworks of our own with the rain. 

An aerial view of the courtyard of Zwinger Palace (der Zwinger).

Another picture of Zwinger Palace.

A view of the Frauenkirche. Unfortunately we couldn't go inside due to scheduling difficulties, but I suppose that just gives me a reason to go back one day.

A picture of the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts (Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden)

Me, the art academy, and random lady on a bench.

A picture of a very small part of The Procession of Princes (Fürstenzug). It's the largest porcelain mural in the world and depicts the line of the Wettin Dynasty (Haus Wettin) of Saxony through the years.

The chandelier and seats inside the Semper Oper.

A view of the stage and orchestra pit.

The Dresden Cathedral (Katholische Hofkirche) and the Dresden Castle (Dresdener Schloss). The Dresden Castle is home to 5 museums, one of which (the Historic Green Vault or Historische Grünes Gewölbe) I visited. Unfortunately, photos aren't allowed, or else I'd have way more pictures. However, I definitely advise you to google it and see some pictures for yourself. 

Overall, this was a really phenomenal trip. I'm a bit bummed we didn't get to spend more time in the city, but I suppose that's the perfect motivation for me to return one day. It's also left me incredibly excited for my trip to Hamburg this coming weekend. Until then, I have to study like mad and prepare for my papers and presentations. Hope you guys enjoyed!

Tschüss!