September 16

Day 5: September 16 

Nature//History

Saxon Switzerland National Park

Today, we had to drive to our destination... Dresden. Because we had to make over a two-hour drive, we woke up at seven in the morning. While today was our last full day in Berlin, we decided to go to Dresden to see a larger view of what Germany had to offer. The bus drive was nothing compared to the plane ride. Logan, Ella, and Ellie took a nap, while Grace and I looked out the window, observing the beautiful landscapes. When we arrived in Dresden, the first point of interest we went to was a national park. The National Park of Saxon Switzerland is in eastern Germany, southeast of Dresden. It is a ninety-three kilometer region in the middle of Pirna and the Czech border. Many have considered it one of the most beautiful landscapes in Europe and after visiting, we do too! The nature site offers many types of activities, based on difficulty levels. From hardest to easiest, there is rock climbing, steep treks, paths, hiking trails, and routes for biking. Thank goodness there was no fee to enter, otherwise we may have missed out on this amazing location! We continued on the bus to get to the ferry stop and took the ferry across, and then walked to the Bastei area.  To get the greatest view of the region, we were told at the information center to go on the hiking trail from Kurort Rathen to Bastei. This hike was two hours and forty-nine minutes, but we stopped at a viewpoint to see a panoramic view of the region. We took over 700 steps, went over iron ladders, and climbed hundreds of meters to be at the viewpoint. When we arrived our faces dropped in awe at how beautiful the view was. It was like looking at a panorama of greatness, with the mountains, trees, and water. We were able to see the Elbe River, Lilienstein Mountain, and Konigstein Fortress.

Elbe River, Lilienstein Mountain, and Fortress

After staring at the spectacular view, we continued on with the hike to the 76.5 meter long Bastei Bridge. The bridge is wooden (later made sandstone) and lies within rock formations in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains that is 194 meters over the Elbe River. The bridge was so amazing as it was another chance to view all of the nature that Germany had to offer.

Bastei Bridge

The rocks surrounded the bridge making it feel as if you were an actually part of nature. One thing that we didn't expect to happen was there to be as many people as there was. The bridge was filled with people and it was hard to get around. That kind of disrupted our enjoyment of nature, but it was still completely breathtaking no matter who/what was there. We made our way across the bridge to the Neurathen medieval castle. It actually isn't fair to call it a castle anymore as it appears to only be leftovers. In medieval times it was one of the largest castles in the region, but now all that you can find are remains, which was still interesting. We turned back and made our way down the Bastei Bridge for the second time, with Grace complaining the whole way there. We almost lost Ella in the crowd of people as she ran ahead of us to get a picture she desired. My height found her. On our way down the hiking trail, we arrived in Wehlen and picked up a small meal and some coffee to give us energy. Then we made our final trip to the ferry and back to Dresden.

Frauenkirche//History

In Dresden, we went to the Frauenkirche for a short time. The Frauenkirche is a Lutheran church in Dresden, built between 1726 and 1743. It was designed by George Bahr and many remember him as constructing the church that dominated the skyline of Dresden. Additionally, the church's most memorable aspect was the high dome, which is called the Stenerne Glocke or stone bell. The placing of a 12,000-ton dome on top of the rest of the building was viewed as an impressive accomplishment for that time. This church has an interesting history as it was burned down in the firebombing of Dresden, during World War II. The rubble of the building remained in the center of the city for forty-five years, until after World War II when citizens gathered the remnants for reconstruction. In 1985, it was decided that the church would be reconstructed, which cost 180 million euros and was only possible because of donations. The ruins and rubble were cautiously observed, in order for each one to be placed in their original position. It was only in 2005 that the cathedral was fully restored. Today, it serves as a symbol of Dresden and peace. We almost missed going because closing time was soon. However, we were able to go inside and it was alluring, filled with the most eye-catching architecture. My eyes couldn't look away. While looking at the outside of the church, it was clear which stones were older because they had a darker hue. Basically everything was painted in gold and white, or had a marble pattern. Also, it had to have been the largest cathedral I've ever been in, spanning over two stories. The architecture, inside and out, was extremely meticulous. Going at night was the right choice because the lights made it stand out all the more. After viewing all aspects there were to see, we headed off to dinner.

Frauenkirche

We ate at the Augustiner an der Frauenkirche because it had a pretty good review and was very near to our location. It was extremely hard to order though as there was no English translation. We had to have spent five hours asking our waiter what we should eat; thank goodness he was bilingual. Ellie and I chose to eat pasta with sausage on top that we would say is ten out of ten recommended. The moment it hit my tongue my taste buds were sent to heaven. Grace and Logan ate bread and chicken. In my opinion, that was the pretty basic way to go. Lastly, Ella said she wasn't too hungry and only ate pretzels, which was an appetizer.

Augustiner an der Frauenkirche

After about an hour, we went to the Flixbus station and took a six o'clock ride back to our apartment in Berlin. Once in Berlin, we had to pack up all of our bags because we were leaving the next day, sadly. Not only had Berlin been spectacular, but Dresden was outstanding itself. Ella's stuff was now protruding out of her suitcase as she picked up a great amount of souvenir's on the streets. Then, we went to bed.