Dresden

We had a lot of fun today even though the weather was not so great. It was cold and rainy all morning, but finally let up by the end of the day. Most of us took a bus to Dresden (about an hour and a half away) for the day. We were supposed to have a walking tour, but we had a bus tour instead because of the weather. From our windows, we saw most of the city. Dresden is a unique and very interesting city because the beautiful old architechture stands alongside the newer (and more uniform) houses from around the second world war. A lot of the city (sometimes entire neighborhoods) had to be rebuilt because of the bombings. Some buildings we saw included the Opera house, Rathaus (for politics) and other churches.

After the tour, we split up into smaller groups to eat lunch and go shopping. Many of us shopped in a large mall with a lot of stores (including supermarket type convient stores!) and great places to eat.

The highlight of the day was the Frauenkirche. It survived bombings in past wars and even bombs in WWII because of its high, domed top. What destroyed it was firebombs that got inside the church and burned everything. After some time, people in Dresden wanted it rebuilt because it was an important and beautiful community center. It was finally completed a few years ago and is amaying to go inside and look at. It's mostly light-colored (blue, pink, white) and is ornately decorated. We listened to audio tours and even got to see the church's basement, which was previously for graves.

For the weekend, we have time with our host families. The next time we will see the whole group is Monday. So far, everyone looks like they're having a great time!

-Cordelia Brand

We gathered at school around 7:45 waitng for a bus that would take us(Germans included) to Dresden. After picking up our tour guide, we were off!! As the driver passed varying landmarks, our tour guide discussed the history and importance of each site. Among the interesting thigns were the castles, the grape fields, the city's Rauthaus (city hall), and also a small market where vendors sold things from clothes to fruits.

 

The 2 main attractions of the day were the hygiene museum and the Frauenkirche. The hygiene was fullz of varying exhibitions and interactive games. We challenged each other to a game of wits, or lack of actually. With 2 people playing, this game would be won by the one who thought less. The thoughtless headed person had the ability to move a ball with thier mind. There were many other things to be done, but we left at 12:45 to head over to the Frauenkirche.

 

The Frauenkriche is a place of much significance in Dresden. It barely survived the bombings of WW2, but interestingly enough, parts of the old church were used in the new one. This church is trulz magnificent. It has such a holy environment with its white stoned structure and gold accents. With audio guides, we learned about the history and structure of the beautiful church. There were 2 rooms underground, one containing old documents and the other being a great hall. After finishing up with the Frauenkirche, we all went home and enjoyed the rest of the evening with our host brother or sister. - Nour