Dresden

After leaving Cottbus, we went to Dresden to stay with more of Anne´s friends. We came at a good weekend since there was a street fair going on. We showed up, left our things at the apartment and went off to explore the fair. There was live music on almost every corner and there were open courtyards where people put on music and movies. There were also street performers. Some juggled fire, others danced, and some danced with fire. There was even a Native American flutist, like in American fairs - go figure! Our favorite was the concert that was in an old church. During WWII, Dresden was bombed heavily by the British and the Allies, destroying 75% of the city. This church had been bombed and was missing the roof and parts of the walls. It had been taken care of so that the walls were fortified and wouldn´t fall over, but otherwise, it was open to the sky.

The next day was spent walking through Dresden learning about the history and looking at all of the buildings. Some if which were still standing after the British blitzkrieg. You can see in our pictures that the old stones are burned and blackened. The newer stones used to rebuild and reinforce the old buildings are whiter. Apparently, as a sign of peace and goodwill, the British and Germans have worked together to rebuild many of the buildings they each bombed. There was a beautiful church that was rebuilt only a couple of years ago. It was completely demolished by the bombs and some of the old stones were used to rebuild it.

We are now in Leipzig, at Anne´s apartment and are looking forward to seeing her university and city.