Category: Germany

Bastei Formations & ‘Saxony Switzerland’

Sept 21st/22nd Friday and Saturday

This is a castle looked like once in these formations

Examples of the hiking signs
The landscape coming down from the Bastei formations. Moss covered rock walls in some locations
With lots of steps! Good thing I was going in the down direction.
At the bottom there was a nice lake.  The hike was supposed to take about 2 hours:  1 hour up and 1 hour back but with all of the stopping to take photos and there is a restaurant at the top, with a panoramic view, … it took about 4 hours.
Kurort-Rathern the town you get to for the Bastei formations and bridge
Kurort-Rathern
Pirna
Pirna, this was my home base but I didn’t explore as much.  There is a fortress in this town.
The Konigstein Fortress

Bad Schandau
The Ferry to cross the river
To me this tram was the main feature of my visit. Lots of hiking possibilites and also, this town is kind of a health resort.

Waterfall and if you look really close you might see some water.
Walk/hike on the way back from the top, some areas had quite a drop off but they provide a railing just to make sure you don’t fall over the edge!
Roots

 

 

Dresden, Germany

The City of Dresden lies on the Elbe River
The Dresden Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) is a Lutheran church in Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony. An earlier church building was Catholic until it became Protestant during the Reformation, was destroyed in the bombing of Dresden during World War II

 

Berlin – Old and New

St. Nicholas Church Berlin

Berlin TV Tower
Soaring 1,207 feet (368 meters) over Alexanderplatz, Berlin’s TV Tower (Berliner Fernsehturm) is Germany’s tallest structure. Built to mark the 20th anniversary of the German Democratic Republic in 1969, the tower was intended to be a symbol of East Germany’s achievements as a socialist society. Today it’s one of the capital’s most visited landmarks, affording 360-degree views over the entire city.
The River Spree

One of two bridges in Berlin that survived WWII. They rebuilt this bridge and it is now made of iron.

Before and After the wall – photo
Before and After the wall – photo
Before and After the wall – photo
Before and After the wall – photo
This is Potsdamer Platz (after)
Potsdamer Platz with wall memorial
Potsdamer Platz
The Berlin Marathoners! I don’t know what mile marker this was but these runners looked very tired
A new record was set on this day for the Marathon world…Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge set a new world record for men of 2:01:39 on September 16, 2018, at the 2018 Berlin Marathon, but this time is yet to be ratified by the IAAF. The existing IAAF world record which Kipchoge bettered is 2:02:57, set by Dennis Kimetto of Kenya on September 28, 2014, at the 2014 Berlin Marathon.
After the race

Parochialkirche
Reichstag Building – You need to book in advance if you want to visit the top.
So what’s with the blue pipes? They’re used to pump the groundwater from the soil at construction sites. Berlin used to have a lot of swamp land and therefore the ground is very high in water content, which in turn makes it softer and more difficult to build on. That’s also why you don’t really see any skyscrapers at Potsdamer Platz. Wherever there’s a construction zone close to the centre you’ll be seeing those pipes… not all of them are blue. There’s pinkish ones, too. Almost looks like some art installation though.

So I wanted to know what’s it like 28 years after reunification.  And you have to find someone 28 years or older.  Ha!  I asked a young man, he lived in West Berlin and felt it had a lot of cool things going on, nightclubs, restaurants, etc.  I guess I must have been in West Berlin when I had lunch at Beets and Roots!

The transportations system is incredible! … a few more of this outstanding Hauptbahnhof !

Arrived in Berlin Yesterday & The Berlin Marathon is Today!

Berlin Hauptbahnhof

First things First, A Berlin by Bike Tour! The couple in front of me was from Australia and had just been to Greece and Prague and love traveling!
Bode-Museum on the right, on Museum Island
Brandenburg Gate – the symbol of Berlin. It marked the border between East and West Berlin and the the border between the states of the Warsaw Pact and NATO. Built in 1788-1791 by the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm II by Carl Gotthard Langham’s instruction.
An Abstract Jewish Memorial

The Berlin Wall monument

These markers are also around the city where the wall once stood

Bullet holes in a building
Memorials like this exist around the city as well as other parts of Europe, showing the names of people who died and where.
An area of the city with artists and wall art
View of the Hauptbahnhof inside
A model of the train station (in the station)

This shows the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn the Urban Rail – Underground and Tram

The City of Bremen, Germany also part of the Hanseatic group (Part 1)

Route From Lubeck, Germany
The Hamburg Train Station briefly
Bremen Hauptbahnhof

The Bremen Roland is a statue of Roland, erected in 1404. It stands in the market square (Rathausplatz) of Bremen, Germany, facing the cathedral, and shows Roland, paladin of the first Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne and hero of the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. Roland is shown as protector of the city: his legendary sword (known in chivalric legend as Durendal) is unsheathed, and his shield is emblazoned with the two-headed Imperial eagle. According to legend, Bremen will remain free and independent for as long as Roland stands watch over the city. For this reason, it is alleged that a second Roland statue is kept hidden in the town hall’s underground vaults, which can be quickly installed as a substitute.

Bremen Cathedral (German: Bremer Dom or St. Petri Dom zu Bremen), dedicated to St. Peter, is a church situated in the market square in the center of Bremen
The “Town Musicians of Bremen” (German: Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten) is a popular fairy tale retrieved and recorded by the Brothers Grimm. It was first published in Grimms’ Fairy Tales in 1819. It tells the story of four aging domestic animals, who after a lifetime of hard work are neglected and mistreated by their former masters. Eventually, they decide to run away and become town musicians in the city of Bremen. Contrary to the story’s title the characters never arrive in Bremen, as they succeed in tricking and scaring off a band of robbers, capturing their spoils, and moving into their house.

 

 

 

 

Lubeck continued…

Holsten Gate is the trade-mark of the city.

Even though I translated the words, the kitty wasn’t really being given away, it was just a comfortable place to sleep

Hospital of the Holy Spirit Used in starting in the 13 century
St Jakobi or Saint Jacobs Church dating back to 1334
Castle gate

The Trave leading out to the Baltic
Katharinen-Kirche or St. Catherines Church
I think I have taken a photo of every street in Lubeck but there is still more to see and learn. But I have displayed a taste on these pages. Enjoy.