Dresden Part 1

We again had a flight that we had to get up at 4 a.m. for.  We were up above the clouds at sunrise.

This time we flew Swiss Air.  I loved Swiss Air, they gave us croissants and chocolate. There was a young steward handing out the chocolate.  He took a few minutes to stop and talk to Cora.  He asked where she was from and how it was all going.  He didn't stop and talk to anyone else!??!

Our first glimpse of Germany.  After seeing picture and hearing stories the last 18 years, I was finally seeing it for myself.  We landed and took a train to Hauptbahnhof (that means big main train station.  Bahnhof is train station)  Of course we knew that Dave spoke German.  He has taught the kids words over the years and read the German Book of Mormon again, but to hear him speak fluently was so cool.  He didn't feel he did very good, but we were all impressed.  Over the week we were there it got easier for him as well.  My favorite was the little words that would pop up when he was talking to us. We got on the street car and he told us all to aufdrucken.  We all looked a little blankly at him and he had to stop and think what it translated to.  I loved it.  Means to imprint our ticket, to validate.  We don't have transportation here like that so he had never said it in English.  He did this several times with things, it was honestly part of my favorite things about going back to his mission field.  We got our first street meal at hauptbahnhof before we found our hotel.

It was too early to check in, but they did hold our bags for us.  It was nice not to have to carry them around again.  Our first stop was just a few blocks from our hotel.  We went to Dreseden Frauechkirche.  This is the church that Elder Uchtdorf talked about in conference.

When Dave left the mission field, they had just announced plans to restore it and were taking all the rubble and labeling it brick by brick.  It was really neat for him to see it completed.  

Blake wanted it to look like he was holding the girls in his hands.  Kinda worked.

Inside the church.

I thought if we were going to the church we should at least sit in the pew.  After that they let us go to the top.  We wound round and round and round, all the way up.  Many places there were windows we could stop and see back down to the main floor.  

See the tiny people down there? Then we went up a very steep spiral staircase to the top outside.  What an amazing view.

We then went for a walk around.  Dresden is a very cool city.  It was nice to have a slow paced day with no commitments.

There is so much neat history and architecture.  Leah was picking up pamphlets everywhere.  We eventually made it back to the hotel and checked in.  We were pleased to find we had joining rooms this time and could leave the door open.  We relaxed, had a little nap, read, did journals.  Then we went back out for dinner.

Building are so detailed and amazing.

This picture takes up an entire block and is made with bricks, not painted.  Told the story of war costumes through the centuries.  I loved all the cobblestone. Sidewalks, roads, everything was cobblestone.

We ate dinner, walked around some more.  We window shopped and I fell in love with this hand carved wooden village. Out of curiosity we checked out the price.  $1500!!  That is doable right, for one Christmas decoration. :) 

And would totally fit in my backpack. We have two small ones that Dave brought back with him from his mission.  The are really neat.  Later, as it was getting dark, we stopped in for some gelato.  Gelato was so good.  They made it fresh every day.  And cheap.  We stopped almost everyday.  At the end of the trip Dave and the kids were joking how they could find their way from anywhere in Dresden to the Gelato Cafe.  On the way back to the hotel a lot of street musicians were out.  We really liked one and stopped to listen as we ate our gelato.

It really was a wonderful day.  So nice not to be rushed and I enjoyed listening to Dave converse with everyone.  Ireland and Germany by far had the kindest people.  We were excited to continue on in the morning.