Ozziez’ trip report – adventures in parts of Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, France, and England in December 2008 and January 2009
Feb 19th, 2009, 12:28 AM
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Hi Ozziez, Cathie from Sydney here, I remember your posts when you were planning your trip. I'm glad your health was mostly good while you were away; getting used to such cold weather must have been a challenge! We've been to Europe twice, both time in May/June when it's pretty hot, but that doesn't bother us too much at all thank goodness. Loved the story about your son blowing out the candle - v funny!!
Hope to see another installment soon, it's a really good report!
Hope to see another installment soon, it's a really good report!
Feb 19th, 2009, 02:33 AM
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Monday 8th December, 2008
We awoke to grey skies but no rain. As we had been so cold the day before, we put on far more layers of clothes and trudged up the hill to the Prague Castle. We were grateful for our extra layers as it was -2ºC. Although we were early and the castle hadn’t yet opened, the tour groups were gathering. We admired the fighting giants above the castle gates and DS10 provided us with our daily amusement by asking why the one giant was hitting the other giant with a rolled-up newspaper.
As soon as the ticket office opened we bought a 300 CK family ticket for entrance into the Old Royal Palace, St George’s Basilica, Golden Lane, the Powder Tower, and St Wenceslas’ Vineyard. Entry into St Vitus’s Cathedral was free. It turned out that St George’s Basilica was closed because it was Monday, and St Vitus Cathedral Spire and crypt were closed for technical reasons – goodness knows what these technical reasons could be, but there wasn’t a ticket option that excluded them. As we had heard that the Cathedral fills up pretty quickly, we headed there first. Although a few tour groups rushed in with us, we were able to spend time examining it in detail and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We especially liked the stained-glass windows, including the Art Nouveau one by Mucha, the wooden carved relief of Prague that shows the Hapsburgs advancing while King Frederic runs away across the Charles Bridge, St John of Nepomuk’s huge silver tomb, and the very ornate St Wenceslas Chapel.
In contrast, we were disappointed by the Old Royal Palace. The main hall was filled with workmen who were ripping up the wooden floor, and what little furniture had been in it had been crammed into the little side-chapel so it looked like a store room. We did like the staircase that was designed to enable men on horseback to gallop into the hall – what a sight that must have been. DS12 found the defenestration story very funny and fantasised about what would happen in Australia if we threw politicians we didn’t like out of windows! There were two rooms that contained paintings of coats of arms, and a small but interesting exhibition that showed how textiles are restored.
We noticed that we weren’t the only people who thought it was cold. The guards standing to attention in the castle courtyards had wooden “bathmats” to stand on to afford them some relief from the freezing ground. After quick cups of coffee/hot chocolate to thaw ourselves out, we ventured into Golden Lane. There was a very good exhibition of armoury and weapons on the upper floor of three of the buildings in the lane. The arrow slits were ingenious – they are lined with a revolving wooden casing that can be turned to either close-off the slit or angle it to the archer’s convenience. The Powder Tower was filled with gruesome torture instruments, one of which filled DS10 with horror when he realised which part of the male anatomy the heavy weights on display could be attached to!
The Vineyard was dreary because the vines had been cut back for the winter, but the view over Prague was spectacular. Even though it was a cloudy day we could see right out over the old part of Prague.
We made our way to the front of the castle to see the changing of the guard. When we got there we were the only people waiting. Just as the ceremony started, three women pushed their way to the front and blocked our view. We shifted ourselves so we could peer under their elbows and past their ears, but the man next to us was furious with them. A full-blown verbal battle in Spanish ensued and was far more entertaining than the changing of the guard. The women won and didn’t budge an inch.
Leaving the Spanish to do battle we walked up the hill to the Strahov Monastery. It appeared that none of our fellow tourists had been told about the Monastery’s existence, as we had the place to ourselves. Bliss! We were the only patrons in one of the Monastery restaurants for lunch. The one we ate in didn’t have a name displayed, but it was in a cave under the hill. After lunch we explored the Strahov Library. What a fascinating place! The illuminated manuscripts, the amazing Theological Hall, the beautiful Philosophical Library, and the shelves and shelves of thousands of priceless, ancient books just blew us away. As we were the only people there, two ladies who work in the library very kindly explained the history of all the engravings, books, art work and museum pieces to us. We ended up spending two hours inside as there was so much to see. Some of the items really looked as though they had come from Cabinets of Curiosities – a dessicated dodo, an alligator, shells, African bows and arrows, birds’ eggs to name but a few. As the church was closed we then walked down the hill along Vlasska street and watched the guards outside the American Embassy searching every car driving past. We explored Mala Strana and DD12 wrote on the Grafitti wall to prove we’d been to Prague.
As DD17 and I were going to the opera, we headed back to the apartment and donned our finery. The Savoy’s driver was waiting for us outside the apartment as arranged and drove us in his beautiful brand new, warm (thank goodness because we were both wearing dresses and high-heels), black Mercedes to the Theatre of the Estates. As he had to negotiate the same one-way system that DH had had to negotiate two days earlier, and because he was driving in the rush-hour traffic, the trip took over 20 minutes but only took 7 minutes when we came home. He dropped us right outside the theatre and DD17’s highlight of her entire holiday began. The Theatre of the Estates is the oldest theatre in Prague and was built in the Classic style in 1783. Don Giovanni premiered here in on 29th October, 1787 and was conducted by Mozart himself. Our seats were fantastic, the opera was fantastic, the orchestra was fantastic, the enchanted look on DD17’s face was fantastic, and the fact that our driver was waiting outside for us at 10pm when the opera ended was fantastic. The theatre was sold out so it was just as well I had bought the tickets when I did. All my reservations about having spent so much on the tickets and the driver vanished when I saw how over-the-moon DD17 was. She still to this day raves about the night she went to see Don Giovanni and even her unmusical friends are entranced when she glowingly describes it to them. What a wonderful way to spend our last night in Prague. DD12 and DS10 were asleep when we got back to the apartment but DH had waited up for us to hear all about it. Needless to say, it was very late by the time he got to bed!
We awoke to grey skies but no rain. As we had been so cold the day before, we put on far more layers of clothes and trudged up the hill to the Prague Castle. We were grateful for our extra layers as it was -2ºC. Although we were early and the castle hadn’t yet opened, the tour groups were gathering. We admired the fighting giants above the castle gates and DS10 provided us with our daily amusement by asking why the one giant was hitting the other giant with a rolled-up newspaper.
As soon as the ticket office opened we bought a 300 CK family ticket for entrance into the Old Royal Palace, St George’s Basilica, Golden Lane, the Powder Tower, and St Wenceslas’ Vineyard. Entry into St Vitus’s Cathedral was free. It turned out that St George’s Basilica was closed because it was Monday, and St Vitus Cathedral Spire and crypt were closed for technical reasons – goodness knows what these technical reasons could be, but there wasn’t a ticket option that excluded them. As we had heard that the Cathedral fills up pretty quickly, we headed there first. Although a few tour groups rushed in with us, we were able to spend time examining it in detail and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We especially liked the stained-glass windows, including the Art Nouveau one by Mucha, the wooden carved relief of Prague that shows the Hapsburgs advancing while King Frederic runs away across the Charles Bridge, St John of Nepomuk’s huge silver tomb, and the very ornate St Wenceslas Chapel.
In contrast, we were disappointed by the Old Royal Palace. The main hall was filled with workmen who were ripping up the wooden floor, and what little furniture had been in it had been crammed into the little side-chapel so it looked like a store room. We did like the staircase that was designed to enable men on horseback to gallop into the hall – what a sight that must have been. DS12 found the defenestration story very funny and fantasised about what would happen in Australia if we threw politicians we didn’t like out of windows! There were two rooms that contained paintings of coats of arms, and a small but interesting exhibition that showed how textiles are restored.
We noticed that we weren’t the only people who thought it was cold. The guards standing to attention in the castle courtyards had wooden “bathmats” to stand on to afford them some relief from the freezing ground. After quick cups of coffee/hot chocolate to thaw ourselves out, we ventured into Golden Lane. There was a very good exhibition of armoury and weapons on the upper floor of three of the buildings in the lane. The arrow slits were ingenious – they are lined with a revolving wooden casing that can be turned to either close-off the slit or angle it to the archer’s convenience. The Powder Tower was filled with gruesome torture instruments, one of which filled DS10 with horror when he realised which part of the male anatomy the heavy weights on display could be attached to!
The Vineyard was dreary because the vines had been cut back for the winter, but the view over Prague was spectacular. Even though it was a cloudy day we could see right out over the old part of Prague.
We made our way to the front of the castle to see the changing of the guard. When we got there we were the only people waiting. Just as the ceremony started, three women pushed their way to the front and blocked our view. We shifted ourselves so we could peer under their elbows and past their ears, but the man next to us was furious with them. A full-blown verbal battle in Spanish ensued and was far more entertaining than the changing of the guard. The women won and didn’t budge an inch.
Leaving the Spanish to do battle we walked up the hill to the Strahov Monastery. It appeared that none of our fellow tourists had been told about the Monastery’s existence, as we had the place to ourselves. Bliss! We were the only patrons in one of the Monastery restaurants for lunch. The one we ate in didn’t have a name displayed, but it was in a cave under the hill. After lunch we explored the Strahov Library. What a fascinating place! The illuminated manuscripts, the amazing Theological Hall, the beautiful Philosophical Library, and the shelves and shelves of thousands of priceless, ancient books just blew us away. As we were the only people there, two ladies who work in the library very kindly explained the history of all the engravings, books, art work and museum pieces to us. We ended up spending two hours inside as there was so much to see. Some of the items really looked as though they had come from Cabinets of Curiosities – a dessicated dodo, an alligator, shells, African bows and arrows, birds’ eggs to name but a few. As the church was closed we then walked down the hill along Vlasska street and watched the guards outside the American Embassy searching every car driving past. We explored Mala Strana and DD12 wrote on the Grafitti wall to prove we’d been to Prague.
As DD17 and I were going to the opera, we headed back to the apartment and donned our finery. The Savoy’s driver was waiting for us outside the apartment as arranged and drove us in his beautiful brand new, warm (thank goodness because we were both wearing dresses and high-heels), black Mercedes to the Theatre of the Estates. As he had to negotiate the same one-way system that DH had had to negotiate two days earlier, and because he was driving in the rush-hour traffic, the trip took over 20 minutes but only took 7 minutes when we came home. He dropped us right outside the theatre and DD17’s highlight of her entire holiday began. The Theatre of the Estates is the oldest theatre in Prague and was built in the Classic style in 1783. Don Giovanni premiered here in on 29th October, 1787 and was conducted by Mozart himself. Our seats were fantastic, the opera was fantastic, the orchestra was fantastic, the enchanted look on DD17’s face was fantastic, and the fact that our driver was waiting outside for us at 10pm when the opera ended was fantastic. The theatre was sold out so it was just as well I had bought the tickets when I did. All my reservations about having spent so much on the tickets and the driver vanished when I saw how over-the-moon DD17 was. She still to this day raves about the night she went to see Don Giovanni and even her unmusical friends are entranced when she glowingly describes it to them. What a wonderful way to spend our last night in Prague. DD12 and DS10 were asleep when we got back to the apartment but DH had waited up for us to hear all about it. Needless to say, it was very late by the time he got to bed!
Feb 19th, 2009, 03:23 PM
#43
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Hi Cathie
Great to hear from you, and thank you for your lovely message.
Yes, the cold weather was a bit of a shock for us but we had lots of layers to wear, thanks to all the advice I got from fellow Fodorites, and it did warm up quite a bit when we got to Italy so we had a little respite before we got to Paris and Berlin which were both very cold, but we had aclimatised a lot by then.
Great to hear from you, and thank you for your lovely message.
Yes, the cold weather was a bit of a shock for us but we had lots of layers to wear, thanks to all the advice I got from fellow Fodorites, and it did warm up quite a bit when we got to Italy so we had a little respite before we got to Paris and Berlin which were both very cold, but we had aclimatised a lot by then.
Feb 19th, 2009, 05:20 PM
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Hi Ozziez,
I am still loving your report. Sorry I hadn't replied before - I have been busy at work. Now I am not so busy (well I am but this is my inspiration to help me write my reports).
I just love being cold in winter in Europe. Its great to actually get to wear coats gloves and hats. So unnecessary for most of the Sydney winter.
We are going on our trip in July this year. Visiting my daughter who has moved to Spain. I will definitely report back after it happens.
Can't wait to hear more about your trip.
Aussiefive
I am still loving your report. Sorry I hadn't replied before - I have been busy at work. Now I am not so busy (well I am but this is my inspiration to help me write my reports).
I just love being cold in winter in Europe. Its great to actually get to wear coats gloves and hats. So unnecessary for most of the Sydney winter.
We are going on our trip in July this year. Visiting my daughter who has moved to Spain. I will definitely report back after it happens.
Can't wait to hear more about your trip.
Aussiefive
Feb 19th, 2009, 06:09 PM
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Asking for recommendations on hotel or gasthof for the Saltzkammergut area...pleasant, bright, cheery places for family visits. Thanks!
Also...similar features in a hotel or gasthof in Frankfurt, Germany area... Thanks
JLOWELL
Also...similar features in a hotel or gasthof in Frankfurt, Germany area... Thanks
JLOWELL
Feb 19th, 2009, 06:22 PM
#46
JLOWELL - I see your new to the forums. You should start a new thread of your own to get the most advice. Be sure to put the city in the title and what you are seeking such as "Seeking Saltzkammergut and Frankfort hotels or gasthofs" and in the body list your budget, how many are traveling, number of days and time of year.
Feb 19th, 2009, 09:24 PM
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Hi aussiefive
I hope your DH is well and that you aren't missing your daughter too much. Yes, we enjoyed being cold as well - it was the first time DD12 and DS10 had encountered such cold weather so it was a real novelty for them. It was so strange to get back to hot, humid Brisbane and just wear t-shirts and shorts - it felt as though we were naked!
I'll try to write the next instalment tonight.
I hope your DH is well and that you aren't missing your daughter too much. Yes, we enjoyed being cold as well - it was the first time DD12 and DS10 had encountered such cold weather so it was a real novelty for them. It was so strange to get back to hot, humid Brisbane and just wear t-shirts and shorts - it felt as though we were naked!
I'll try to write the next instalment tonight.
Feb 20th, 2009, 03:12 PM
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Hi Aussiefive. So pleased to hear that DH is well. I am sure you're missing your daughter - you must be really looking forward to seeing her in July. As promised, the my next instalment follows.
Feb 20th, 2009, 03:20 PM
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Tuesday 9th December, 2008 – Prague to Dresden
We jumped up early, had breakfast, and then tried to drag/push/pull our suitcases up very steep Uvoz street towards the Savoy hotel. This turned out to be quite hilarious. The street is cobbled, has very narrow pavements and there had been a heavy frost during the night so it was like trying to drag a heavy load uphill on an ice rink. Before long, DH, DD17 and I were dragging 5 suitcases between us while DD12 and DS10 made encouraging remarks every now and then, not failing to remind us that we were backsliding far too often! Eventually we reached a point where DH could reach us with the car without having to do the one-way half-hour tour of the old part of Prague, so the rest of us waited with the suitcases while he and DD17 collected the car and came back to pick us up.
Getting out of Prague was great fun – Mappy and Viamichelin were determined to take us down one-way streets the wrong way, into shopping centre car parks, and across bridges that were closed. I ditched their wise words, pulled out my new map of Prague, and things improved dramatically. Suddenly we were out of Prague, into the countryside, and heading in the direction of Dresden. The countryside was quite poor once again, just as it had been south of Prague, and was blanketed in heavy smog.
We had arranged to meet up with Ingo once we got to Dresden and thought we’d be there by noon. Ha ha. We got stuck in a serious traffic jam about 40km from the Czech border so this short distance took us 2 and a half hours to travel. It turned out that road resurfacing was being done in Borislav and all of us just had to wait. Thank goodness for cell phones. I managed to let Ingo know we’d be late and we got to know the Czech countryside and its truck drivers a bit better.
As soon as we drove through the border tunnels into Germany it was as if we were in a different world – neat, green fields dotted with snow here and there; clean air with no trace of smog; immaculate buildings. What a contrast. The children were very excited to see the snow but after a few kilometres it was all gone.
The drive into Dresden was a breeze and the Hilton hotel, where we were staying, was beautifully signposted. They even had my name over a parking space in their garage. It was a challenge getting our monster vehicle into this parking place which was designed for a car of far more modest proportions, but the sign was beautiful none-the-less. It was 3pm by the time we checked in but Ingo hurried over and the best whistle-stop tour of Dresden began.
Ingo really made our stay in Dresden a 5 star experience. Not only was it lovely to meet him, which we all really enjoyed, he went out of his way to show us the highlights of Dresden in a very short time. He did such a good job that all of us would love to go back to Dresden one day and spend much longer there. There is absolutely no way we would have been able to see and learn as much as we did without him.
We started in the Christmas markets in the Stallhof, the location of the old stables of the Wettin Palace. Jousts were held in this beautiful medieval spot in days of yore. We bought a very yummy 2kg Stollen which accompanied us around Europe and was consumed with relish daily by us all. Yum! DH and the children took advantage of the fact that they were in a Christmas market to have a late lunch, and then we moved on.
Ingo took us to see the equestrian statue of King John outside Semper Oper, Semper Oper from the outside as there weren’t any tours operating, the Zwinger – once again we didn’t go inside anything because there wasn’t time, but Ingo pointed out the orangery, the Mathematics-Physics Salon, the Crown Gate, the Glockenspeilpavillon, the Semper Gallery, the Old Masters Gallery and the Royal Armoury.
We walked through the luxurious Kempinski Hotel, and saw the ice rink in the middle which was being put to good use by people who skate far better than we do. Moving on, Ingo pointed out the Historic Green Vault to us, and took us into the Hofkirche. We especially enjoyed looking at the baroque pulpit and 3000 pipe organ, and found the Memorial Chapel, which is dedicated to the people who died on the night that Dresden was firebombed (13th February, 1945), very moving. As we left the cathedral we got a glimpse of the Furstenzug which is a huge mural depicting Saxon nobles over 700 years.
Our next stop was Frauenkirche. Up to this point we had been extremely impressed by how meticulously Dresden had been restored, but seeing the Frauenkirche and learning how ingeniously it had been restored really brought home to us the herculean effort that has gone into, and continues to go into rebuilding Dresden. The cross that was on top of the church when it was bombed is now displayed inside the church. It acts as a fitting reminder of the destructive power of war. This is a beautiful church and it is wonderful that people from all around the world have contributed to its rebuilding.
As we walked towards the Striezelmarkt in the Altmarkt, Ingo told me that I could see the pyramid from where I was standing. I looked and looked but couldn’t see one anywhere. Not wanting to be rude, I just muttered “mmmm” and didn’t say anything more. When we reached the Striezelmarkt which was established in 1434 and is known as Europe’s oldest Christmas market, Ingo asked me what I thought of the pyramid. Now I had to confess that I couldn’t see it. Ingo looked stunned. He then realised that I didn’t know what a pyramid was. After much hilarity, it turned out that the 3-sided Egyptian structure I was looking for was actually the huge, 14 meter-high wooden Christmas decoration right in front of me! I had to agree that it was truly magnificent. Of course, now that we knew what a pyramid was, we saw them everywhere for the rest of our holiday, but the Erzgebirge-style one in the Striezelmarkt was definitely the best.
Ingo was concerned that the market would be to busy for us, but compared to the crowds we had encountered in Prague, it was only mildly populated. We loved this market, mainly because it had a wonderful atmosphere and many of the stalls were selling local arts and crafts such as carved wooden Christmas decorations hailing from the Erzgebirge mountains, Pulsnitz gingerbread, Lusatia pottery, Hermhut star decorations, and local cakes and sweets.
Sadly Ingo had to leave us to catch his bus home, so we said our goodbyes and then explored the market in more detail. For dinner we had the biggest Bratwurst in rolls with mustard I’ve ever seen, followed by decadent waffles filled with melted Nutella for desert. DS10 was delighted to find fairyfloss and then discovered the challenges of eating fairyfloss wearing gloves. Finding this nearly impossible, he took his gloves off. It was 7.30pm and Dresden was getting very cold. He persevered, ate all his fairyfloss, and then wanted to put his leather, furry-lined thermal gloves back on his very, very sticky hands.
Dilemma! There was no-where to wash his hands, and knowing that I would never get his gloves washed and dry in time for our very early departure the next day, I was not eager for this to happen. Luckily DH came to the rescue as he decided he needed new gloves and bought a lovely pair from a market stall and gave DS10 his old ones to wear.
I had been avidly searching every market stall in Salzburg, Prague and Dresden for face warmers, but had not been able to find a single one. DH had grown a beard and moustache for our holiday so he was fine, but the rest of us had freezing faces and bright red noses. On our way back to the hotel I spotted a sports shop that was still open. We found a large display of face warmers on the first floor and quickly bought 4 for those of us without furry faces. What bliss!
We had adjoining rooms at the Hilton hotel that were very comfortable and very quiet. The staff were incredibly helpful and efficient, and we found the location to be perfect for our short stay. Before we went to bed we settled our account as we were leaving at 5.30am the next morning for an early flight to Rome – or so we thought …….
We jumped up early, had breakfast, and then tried to drag/push/pull our suitcases up very steep Uvoz street towards the Savoy hotel. This turned out to be quite hilarious. The street is cobbled, has very narrow pavements and there had been a heavy frost during the night so it was like trying to drag a heavy load uphill on an ice rink. Before long, DH, DD17 and I were dragging 5 suitcases between us while DD12 and DS10 made encouraging remarks every now and then, not failing to remind us that we were backsliding far too often! Eventually we reached a point where DH could reach us with the car without having to do the one-way half-hour tour of the old part of Prague, so the rest of us waited with the suitcases while he and DD17 collected the car and came back to pick us up.
Getting out of Prague was great fun – Mappy and Viamichelin were determined to take us down one-way streets the wrong way, into shopping centre car parks, and across bridges that were closed. I ditched their wise words, pulled out my new map of Prague, and things improved dramatically. Suddenly we were out of Prague, into the countryside, and heading in the direction of Dresden. The countryside was quite poor once again, just as it had been south of Prague, and was blanketed in heavy smog.
We had arranged to meet up with Ingo once we got to Dresden and thought we’d be there by noon. Ha ha. We got stuck in a serious traffic jam about 40km from the Czech border so this short distance took us 2 and a half hours to travel. It turned out that road resurfacing was being done in Borislav and all of us just had to wait. Thank goodness for cell phones. I managed to let Ingo know we’d be late and we got to know the Czech countryside and its truck drivers a bit better.
As soon as we drove through the border tunnels into Germany it was as if we were in a different world – neat, green fields dotted with snow here and there; clean air with no trace of smog; immaculate buildings. What a contrast. The children were very excited to see the snow but after a few kilometres it was all gone.
The drive into Dresden was a breeze and the Hilton hotel, where we were staying, was beautifully signposted. They even had my name over a parking space in their garage. It was a challenge getting our monster vehicle into this parking place which was designed for a car of far more modest proportions, but the sign was beautiful none-the-less. It was 3pm by the time we checked in but Ingo hurried over and the best whistle-stop tour of Dresden began.
Ingo really made our stay in Dresden a 5 star experience. Not only was it lovely to meet him, which we all really enjoyed, he went out of his way to show us the highlights of Dresden in a very short time. He did such a good job that all of us would love to go back to Dresden one day and spend much longer there. There is absolutely no way we would have been able to see and learn as much as we did without him.
We started in the Christmas markets in the Stallhof, the location of the old stables of the Wettin Palace. Jousts were held in this beautiful medieval spot in days of yore. We bought a very yummy 2kg Stollen which accompanied us around Europe and was consumed with relish daily by us all. Yum! DH and the children took advantage of the fact that they were in a Christmas market to have a late lunch, and then we moved on.
Ingo took us to see the equestrian statue of King John outside Semper Oper, Semper Oper from the outside as there weren’t any tours operating, the Zwinger – once again we didn’t go inside anything because there wasn’t time, but Ingo pointed out the orangery, the Mathematics-Physics Salon, the Crown Gate, the Glockenspeilpavillon, the Semper Gallery, the Old Masters Gallery and the Royal Armoury.
We walked through the luxurious Kempinski Hotel, and saw the ice rink in the middle which was being put to good use by people who skate far better than we do. Moving on, Ingo pointed out the Historic Green Vault to us, and took us into the Hofkirche. We especially enjoyed looking at the baroque pulpit and 3000 pipe organ, and found the Memorial Chapel, which is dedicated to the people who died on the night that Dresden was firebombed (13th February, 1945), very moving. As we left the cathedral we got a glimpse of the Furstenzug which is a huge mural depicting Saxon nobles over 700 years.
Our next stop was Frauenkirche. Up to this point we had been extremely impressed by how meticulously Dresden had been restored, but seeing the Frauenkirche and learning how ingeniously it had been restored really brought home to us the herculean effort that has gone into, and continues to go into rebuilding Dresden. The cross that was on top of the church when it was bombed is now displayed inside the church. It acts as a fitting reminder of the destructive power of war. This is a beautiful church and it is wonderful that people from all around the world have contributed to its rebuilding.
As we walked towards the Striezelmarkt in the Altmarkt, Ingo told me that I could see the pyramid from where I was standing. I looked and looked but couldn’t see one anywhere. Not wanting to be rude, I just muttered “mmmm” and didn’t say anything more. When we reached the Striezelmarkt which was established in 1434 and is known as Europe’s oldest Christmas market, Ingo asked me what I thought of the pyramid. Now I had to confess that I couldn’t see it. Ingo looked stunned. He then realised that I didn’t know what a pyramid was. After much hilarity, it turned out that the 3-sided Egyptian structure I was looking for was actually the huge, 14 meter-high wooden Christmas decoration right in front of me! I had to agree that it was truly magnificent. Of course, now that we knew what a pyramid was, we saw them everywhere for the rest of our holiday, but the Erzgebirge-style one in the Striezelmarkt was definitely the best.
Ingo was concerned that the market would be to busy for us, but compared to the crowds we had encountered in Prague, it was only mildly populated. We loved this market, mainly because it had a wonderful atmosphere and many of the stalls were selling local arts and crafts such as carved wooden Christmas decorations hailing from the Erzgebirge mountains, Pulsnitz gingerbread, Lusatia pottery, Hermhut star decorations, and local cakes and sweets.
Sadly Ingo had to leave us to catch his bus home, so we said our goodbyes and then explored the market in more detail. For dinner we had the biggest Bratwurst in rolls with mustard I’ve ever seen, followed by decadent waffles filled with melted Nutella for desert. DS10 was delighted to find fairyfloss and then discovered the challenges of eating fairyfloss wearing gloves. Finding this nearly impossible, he took his gloves off. It was 7.30pm and Dresden was getting very cold. He persevered, ate all his fairyfloss, and then wanted to put his leather, furry-lined thermal gloves back on his very, very sticky hands.
Dilemma! There was no-where to wash his hands, and knowing that I would never get his gloves washed and dry in time for our very early departure the next day, I was not eager for this to happen. Luckily DH came to the rescue as he decided he needed new gloves and bought a lovely pair from a market stall and gave DS10 his old ones to wear.
I had been avidly searching every market stall in Salzburg, Prague and Dresden for face warmers, but had not been able to find a single one. DH had grown a beard and moustache for our holiday so he was fine, but the rest of us had freezing faces and bright red noses. On our way back to the hotel I spotted a sports shop that was still open. We found a large display of face warmers on the first floor and quickly bought 4 for those of us without furry faces. What bliss!
We had adjoining rooms at the Hilton hotel that were very comfortable and very quiet. The staff were incredibly helpful and efficient, and we found the location to be perfect for our short stay. Before we went to bed we settled our account as we were leaving at 5.30am the next morning for an early flight to Rome – or so we thought …….
Feb 20th, 2009, 03:37 PM
#51
Hi ozziez,
only just found this, and I'm enjoying it very much - just the right combination of places I've been to, so can reminis [sorry - speling not my strong piint] about them and new ones to find out about through your eyes.
your tale about being charged twice for the Prague apartment was priceless, ditto the "helpful" girl who took you there - i thought it was only me those sorts of things happen to - how reassuring to discover that isn't true.
looking forward to more,
regards, ann
only just found this, and I'm enjoying it very much - just the right combination of places I've been to, so can reminis [sorry - speling not my strong piint] about them and new ones to find out about through your eyes.
your tale about being charged twice for the Prague apartment was priceless, ditto the "helpful" girl who took you there - i thought it was only me those sorts of things happen to - how reassuring to discover that isn't true.
looking forward to more,
regards, ann
Feb 20th, 2009, 08:07 PM
#52
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Hi Ann
Lovely to hear from you! Thanks for your lovely comments. It's also good to hear that I'm not the only one who has exciting little challenges sent my way (such as the fun and games we had in Prague!)
Your input helped me so much on this holiday, especially in Venice. I'll get to that bit soon I hope...
Lovely to hear from you! Thanks for your lovely comments. It's also good to hear that I'm not the only one who has exciting little challenges sent my way (such as the fun and games we had in Prague!)
Your input helped me so much on this holiday, especially in Venice. I'll get to that bit soon I hope...
Mar 3rd, 2009, 11:33 AM
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Ozziez,
Great trip report. Would love to know how the Paris apartment rental worked out (noticed from a different post that you used Paris Vacation Apartments). I am looking for a small apartment in Paris for a week this September and would love to know how the company fared and where you stayed.
Great trip report. Would love to know how the Paris apartment rental worked out (noticed from a different post that you used Paris Vacation Apartments). I am looking for a small apartment in Paris for a week this September and would love to know how the company fared and where you stayed.
Mar 3rd, 2009, 07:26 PM
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Hi everyone
Sorry I haven't posted anything for a while - I've been ill again. I'll try to post some more really soon.
In the meantime, here's some info for cbctraveler. We rented the two Sacre Coeur apartments in Montmartre while we were in Paris. The smaller one, a studio, is on the top floor of the building and the larger one, 2 bedrooms, is on the 6th floor. We stayed in some pretty nice places during our 6 week holiday but these were the best. The agents were a pleasure to deal with, the apartments were beautifully furnished and were spotlessly clean, the view of Sacre Coeur was magnificent, and the location was fine - just 5 minutes' walk to the metro station and we never had to wait for a train because they arrive every few minutes.
Feel free to ask any more questions.
Sorry I haven't posted anything for a while - I've been ill again. I'll try to post some more really soon.
In the meantime, here's some info for cbctraveler. We rented the two Sacre Coeur apartments in Montmartre while we were in Paris. The smaller one, a studio, is on the top floor of the building and the larger one, 2 bedrooms, is on the 6th floor. We stayed in some pretty nice places during our 6 week holiday but these were the best. The agents were a pleasure to deal with, the apartments were beautifully furnished and were spotlessly clean, the view of Sacre Coeur was magnificent, and the location was fine - just 5 minutes' walk to the metro station and we never had to wait for a train because they arrive every few minutes.
Feel free to ask any more questions.
Oct 4th, 2009, 04:23 AM
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Hi everyone
Sorry this trip report ground to a halt. I had to stop when life became too hectic this end - I had a big thesis to finish, a major operation to have and recover from, and Grandpa died.
I am just wondering if Fodorites would find it useful if I finish this trip report. Perhaps what we got up to will be too out of date now to be of interest? On the other hand, if people are still interested in reading about what we got up to, I will undertake to tell you all about it.
Sorry this trip report ground to a halt. I had to stop when life became too hectic this end - I had a big thesis to finish, a major operation to have and recover from, and Grandpa died.
I am just wondering if Fodorites would find it useful if I finish this trip report. Perhaps what we got up to will be too out of date now to be of interest? On the other hand, if people are still interested in reading about what we got up to, I will undertake to tell you all about it.
