Great Train Journey - Dresden: Part 2 (14 pics)

While in Dresden I had the opportunity to visit the most spectacular building I've ever seen, the Dresden Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady).  Originally built in the 18th century, it's 96-meter high dome (the "Stone Bell") was an engineering feat similar to Michelangelo's dome for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.  The church survived for over 200 years as the Lutheran parish church for the city and was a central element of the cities distinctive skyline.  Unfortunately, the original church was destroyed in 1945 during the Allied fire-bombing of Dresden in which over 650,000 incendiary bombs were dropped on the city and the temperature at the church reportedly reach around 1000 degrees C, causing the sandstone pillars supporting the dome to explode and the dome to collapse.

During the Communist era, public sentiment kept the GDR government from taking away the rubble and making use of the site.  A large effort was undertaken to rebuild the church after reunification, using the original plans.  Reconstruction started in 1993 and was not completed until 2005.  The cost was around 180 million Euros, and included a new 4,873 pipe organ.

Quite simply, the results are stunning and if you ever get to Dresden, this should be the absolute first thing on your list of places to visit.

This is a picture of the Frauenkirche (link to the Saxony website on the church in English) looking across the Neuemarkt square.

Great Train Journey - Dresden: Part 1 (8 pics)

After my visit to Leipzig, I took the train to Dresden as my next stop.  I have to say that I absolutely loved Dresden, and it is my favorite city far in Germany of those I have visited (which is admittedly only 6).  It's close to the Polish and Czech borders, which means it's close enough that I am thinking of going back.  From the handy city guide I picked up, here are few interesting points about Dresden:

• It is the capital of the Free State of Saxony
• It is the 4th largest city in Germany
• 62% of the city area is green spaces or wooded areas
• There are more than 13,000 cultural monuments within the city borders (including 44 different museums)
• 30km of the River Elbe lay within the city borders
• Nearly 10 million people visit the city every year
• Vladimir Putin was stationed by the KGB in Dresden from 1985-1990

In my two days there, I barely scratched the surface of what the city has to offer.  And from the guide books and references I've seen, the surrounding area is fully of lots of interesting places and things to do as well.  So if you coming to Germany, try and fit a visit to Dresden in.

I happened to capture this image on my first evening in Dresden.  I had walked up to river Elbe and took this picture looking north toward the Cathedral and Semperoper (Opera House).

Great Train Journey - Leipzig: Part 4 (9 pics, 1 video, + last thoughts)

The picture above is part of the new main building being constructed (are you sensing a theme here when in comes to Leipzig and construction? <grin>) for the University of Leipzig.  The university was founded in 1409 and is the second-oldest university in Germany.  The university is apparently spread around the city, and this new building should centralize some things.  It's a striking design.

Great Train Journey - Liepzig: Part 3 (8 pics)

On my first full day in Leipzig, I headed out to go see the main site that made me want to visit Leipzig.  The Monument to the Battle of the Nations (or Völkerschlachtdenkmal in German).  This monument, built over 15 years from 1898 through 1913, is dedicated to the Battle of Leipzig (also known as the Battle of the Nations) in which the coalition of forces from Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Sweden defeated the forces of Napoleon and his allies in a massive battle between 16 and 19 October, 1813.  It was largest battle in Europe ever until the World War 1 came along.  As you can see the monument is being restored in time for the 200th anniversary of the battle in 2013.

I'm not much of history buff, or a military buff, but I had heard about this place from various people and web sites over the years and the people I talked to all said something along the lines "you have to see it for real to get the full impact" and things to that effect.  And they were right.  It's pretty jaw-dropping when you see it in person.  This is a monument this actually a bit taller (91 meters/299 feet) than the famous Flatiron building in New York which was built around the same time (1902) and which is 22 stories tall.

There is a memorial chamber inside that has a lower area surrounded by warrior statues, and which opens above into a larger chamber that fills most of the dome.  Inside that a four giant statues as well.  None of my pictures of the inside were that great, so I won't show them here.

Also, I have to say that none of my pictures even come close to doing this place justice and it's actually worth doing a Google Image search for it to see some of the other fantastic pictures out there.  Just a few of the ones I found that were really great are: this, this, this, this, and this.

Great Train Journey - Leipzig: Part 2 (10 pictures)

The old town area of Leipzig is not as preserved, or as old, as the other cities I visited.  Nonetheless, there are a lot of interesting places to visit.  One of those places is the Church below.  This is the Thomaskirch (St. Thomas' Church).  Founded in 1212, it was rebuilt several times, with the current church mostly being built around 1537, and then reconstructed in 1702.  It has been the home of a famous choir (the Thomerchor) since it's founding in 1212 and is famous as once having Johann Sebastian Bach as its cantor.  Bach's remains are actually currently buried at the church.

Unfortunately, none of my pictures of the inside of the church turned out very well.  But there are a few more shots of the outside, and some more of old Leipzig in the rest of this post.

Great Train Journey - Leipzig: Part 1 (7 pics)

From July 18th, 2012 through July 28, 2012, I took my first extended vacation in Europe since I arrived in Poland.  There were a number of places in the Eastern part of Germany that I wanted to see, and I had enjoyed my train trip to Berlin earlier this year, so I planned a trip that would let me travel from my home in Poznań, Poland to München (Munich), Germany.  The map below gives you a general idea of my route, but since Google Maps doesn't show train tracks, it's based on road travel.  :)

I left on July 18th from Poznań, took the train to Berlin where I changed trains and took the train to Leipzig, arriving in the early evening.

A Visit to Frankfurt - Part 9: U-Bahn artwork (7 pictures)

NOTE:  This is the last of the posts on my first trip to Frankfurt.  I hope you have enjoyed them.

As I mentioned in the Zeil post, some of the U-Bahn (subway, or downtown transit trains) stations are huge.  The picture below is from the U-Bahn station that is right off the main train station (if I remember right, it might be the one at Hauptwache), and even that does not give you a full indication of the full size of a few of stations.

The U-Bahn station near the Frankfurt Zoo is smaller.  But it had some pretty neat artwork (I thought) on the walls.  I took some pictures of some of the art and they are in the rest of this post.

Click the link to see the rest of the pictures.  And as always, you can click a picture to see a larger version.  Enjoy!

A Visit to Frankfurt - Part 8: Zeil (4 pictures)

The Zeil street pedestrian shopping section is one of the main shopping districts in Frankfurt.  The street is completely closed to vehicle traffic for the most part and is full of several large buildings containing multi-story shopping malls or large retailers like H&M, C&A, Adidas, and a whole lot more. 

My favorite places were the Galeria Kaufhof which is full of high-end goods, from chocolates to clothes, to just about anything else; and the My Zeil shopping mall which has a grocery store in the basement and the fabulous curved roof you see in the picture below.  This is the top floor (6th if I remember right) and it's mostly full of places to eat, plus an auction house and a Saturn electronics store.  At the far end in the picture is a whole glass wall that overlooks the Zeil, with a few of the windows open when the weather is nice (with protective nets).  If you have been wandering around for a while you can grab a seat and watch the crowds below or look out over the Frankfurt skyline.

The top floor of the My Zeil shopping center.

 More pictures after the break.  Don't forget to click on an image to see a larger version.

A Visit to Frankfurt - Part 7: Palmengarten 2 (7 pictures)

More pictures from the Palmengarten.  This time, just the flowers.  I have no idea what flowers or plants these are.  I just thought they were interesting enough to try and take a picture of.

And again, just pictures this time.  No accompanying comments.  Enjoy!

As always, you can click on an image to see a larger version.

A Visit to Frankfurt - Part 6: Palmengarten 1 (12 pictures)

Another place I visited in Frankfurt was the Palmengarten, which is a botanical garden.  This is one of the places that the Frankfurt City Card (purchasable at the tourist information desk in the Hauptbahnhof) gives you a 50% discount for access to.  Along with the Zoo and a number of museums.  It also gives you free access to U-Bahn system within the main zone for the day or two that it is valid.  If you visit Frankfurt, it's worth getting.

This is the first of two posts with pictures from the Palmengarten.  I am going to stick to mostly just pictures with a caption if appropriate.  I will throw all the flower pictures into the next one, and put the more interesting stuff in this one.  :)

The "tropical house"

As always, you can view a larger version of a picture by clicking on it.  Enjoy!

A Visit to Frankfurt - Part 5: Cemetery 2 (8 pictures)

This is the second of two posts that contains pictures from my visit to the Hauptfriedhof (main cemetery).  Again, this post will just have pictures with some captions possibly.  Enjoy!

Perhaps the coolest thing in the whole cemetery that I saw this mausoleum that looks like a castle.

As always, you can click on an image to see a larger version.

A Visit to Frankfurt - Part 4: Cemetery 1 (6 images)

Strangely enough, one of the most enjoyable places I visited in Frankfurt was the Hauptfriedhof (main cemetery I think).  I don't think it's still the main cemetery, but it's very old, is practically a forest inside, was nice and cool and quiet and a hot day, and contained a lot of beautiful art work.  It was a really interesting place and I probably spent 2 hours wandering around.

I know some people may think it's weird to enjoy visiting a cemetery, but I've never thought of them as bad places.  Generally, I see cemeteries as symbols of love and respect that just can't let go.  More for the living than for the remembrance of those passed.

This is the first of two posts with pictures from the cemetery.  If you go to Frankfurt, I actually recommend giving it a visit.  It's really a tremendous place and my pictures don't do it justice.  I'm going to stick with just pictures for this post as well.  Enjoy!

As always, you can click an image to see a larger version.

A Visit to Frankfurt - Part 3: Old Town (10 pictures)

While in Frankfurt I walked around the old town area where the main attraction is the Kaiserdom (the old "Emperor's Cathedral").  It's a pretty crowded area (for both other buildings and people), and there was a lot of construction going on in the area, so excuse some of the odd angles and such in the following pictures.  I'm just going to post some pictures with captions this time, hopefully you enjoy them.  :)

The main tower of the Kaiserdom

 As always, you can click on image to see a larger version.

A Visit to Frankfurt - Part 2: Skyline (10 pictures)

I was very lucky and was given a nice and large office to use while I was in Frankfurt.  It was on the 26th floor so I had some pretty nice views out the windows.

The office I was loaned.  VERY nice!  :)

The rest of this post will just give you some nice pictures of the Frankfurt skyline.  One thing you will definite notice is that there is a lot of construction going on.

As always, you can click on an image to see a larger size.

A Visit to Frankfurt - Part 1 (7 pictures)

I was lucky enough to get to travel to Frankfurt, Germany last week for work.  And even luckier when my department let me stay an extra day and half to sight-see (extra hotel days at my cost, just to be clear).  I flew in on Wednesday July 4th, and flew out on Sunday July 8th.

The company travel agency sent me a list of potential hotels all near our office, so I researched online and picked the Mercure City Center on Kaiserstrasse.  While researching the hotels I found out that both our office and the hotel were near the "red light" district in Frankfurt, but I hadn't realized just how close the hotel was. 

A lot of the hotels are clustered near the Hauptbahnhoff (main railway station) which is very convenient.  Unfortunately, that area is also the area where there is the red light district, a large number of bars and restaurants, and from appearances is also where some of the lower income housing is.  I don't think it's dangerous (I saw single young women tourists and locals walking around that area alone at all times of day), but there are definitely some less savory aspects of society on display.  Less from the nearby red light district, much more so in the large number of drunk people (both young and old) walking around with open containers, and the beggars (who don't usually beg, they just sit there with a cup).  But on at least one night while walking around I came across a couple of the poorer folks who just laid down on the sidewalk and went to sleep. 

Also, because the district contains what I would guess was lower-income housing, it's noisier at night.  The picture below is the view out of my hotel room window.

The view out my hotel window

Now, don't get me wrong and think I didn't like Frankfurt.  I actually loved it and I would love to go back or even live there (it's EXPENSIVE though).  Just take the tip that if you need a hotel in Frankfurt, stay that the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof instead.  It's only 1-stop away from the Hauptbahnhoff on the U-bahn (subway) or even a walkable distance.  It's in a MUCH nicer neighborhood, is in a beautiful old building, and is actually located centrally between the Zeil (shopping area), the old town, the business district, and the bars and restaurants near where I was.

Also, my co-workers in the Frankfurt office were wonderful, and hotel staff at the Mercure were fantastic.  If not for the noise and the neighborhood, it would be a pretty good hotel to stay at.  However, if you are dealing with a wheel-chair, don't stay there (or any of the hotels in older buildings downtown) as the passages can have some steep ramps and stairs just as you move about.

Anyway, read on for more initial impressions and then come back for more if you are interested.  I expect to have about 6 or 7 posts with pictures from my visit.