Dresden, Germany

Dresden, Germany is a 2 hour bus ride from Prague, so Zack and I decided to add another country to our list! Dresden is the closest place in Germany to travel to from Prague, and has quite an interesting history. For one, the entire city was destroyed during WW2. Dresden to many is considered the Hiroshima of Europe, as the entire city was wiped out. In February 1945, 722 heavy bombers of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and 527 of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) dropped more than 3,900 bombs on the city.

The result looked something like this:

Today, the city has been completely reconstructed, and is a center of art and history. Below, you can see the Dresden Frauenkirche, rebuilt among the ruins from the bombings. This was one of the few structures not completely destroyed during the war.

Dresden Frauenkirche is a Lutheran Church from the 1730s. It was originally Catholic, but changed over to Protestant during the Reformation.

The church organ was one of the most beautiful I have seen. The inside of the Frauenkirche is filled with pastel colors and religious murals.

We headed over to Zwinger Palace, Dresden. This palace, built in the Rococo style, was used in the 17th and 18th centuries as a meeting grounds and exhibition hall. The art collection had been evacuated before the bombings, and we were able to see The Sistine Madonna, by the Italian artist Raphael Sanzio.

Symmetry, a photographer's best friend.

The Sistine Madonna, is an oil painting by the Italian artist Raphael Sanzio. This painting is world famous due to the expressions on the angels faces at the feet of Mary. These are reproduced and can be seen all over the world.

We were also able to see lots of other famous art pieces and sculptures, including the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister.

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These famous European sculptures were exchanged as gifts between courts, and some of them entered the exhibition as early as the 16th century.

Semperoper Opera House of Dresden, home of the Semperoper ballet

Lunch break! Sauerkraut, bratwurst, mustard, and German beer!

We were confused when we saw that a "Hedgehog slice" was served on the menu?

Happy camper!

Best thing about Dresden? Everything is within walking distance, NO METRO NEEDED!

The Fürstenzug, a large mural showing the procession of the rulers of Saxony. It was originally painted between 1871 and 1876 in honor of the anniversary of the Wettin Dynasty, Saxony's ruling family.

An interesting street performer! During his act, the wind blew his "dog" over, which was a little awkward....

We bought some pretzels from a street vendor, and headed over across the bridge!

Did you go to Germany if you didn't get a picture with a Pretzel?

Love locks

Beautiful seeing the city from across the water

Windy day with my person!

Went in a local German coffee shop for a short break from the cold!

This monument was heavily protested early in the month. A tribute to Aleppo, many think the picture the artist based this statue on was of busses guarding people who were radical anti-Christians. We made sure to do our research and make sure those protests were over, and we had a peaceful day in the city!

Nothing but a perfect day filled with bratwurst, pretzels, famous artwork, and history!

Cheers to another amazing adventure, can't wait for the next one!