Don't really like sausages...surprised you do with their mystery makeup??

Did not try coffee, I don't drink coffee. Give me pastry!!!

The end of our trip is now near but there are a few days to go. We just don't seem to be able to escape the rain.

Our first nite in Gorlitz we ate in the hotel. Food was typical German. we walked around the town a bit before dinner but the rain drove us inside.

The hotel is 90 E incl. breakfast, which was good, especially the cheeses and cased meats.

About 11 we began a stroll about town in order to be at Peter and Paul church by 12 for the free organ concert. we arrived way early and sat in on the last 1/3 of the mass, including some vocals and great church organ music. The organ dates from 17 something and is very powerful.

The concert was well attended, mostly day trippers I think. The demonstration included showing off the range of the instrument as well as some of it's odder functions: bird tweets, bells, etc. It lasted about an hour, and is a weekly event on Sundays at noon.

For lunch we walked down beside the church to the river where an old dam is located which has it's power wheel creating electricity. The room above the water wheel, which can be seen thru a glass floor, is now a restaurant with a huge terrace next to the river. The footbridge next to it crosses over to Poland.

We had a delicious bowl of white asparagus soup, beers and a not great dessert. Sun came out nicely while we were there.

we walked a bit more around the town in the afternoon and K shopped a large store across the street which sells wooden items.

Dinner tonight will be in the town square at a place the receptionist has suggested. More later.

Sounds good! Better pastry tomorrow, promised! ;-)

PS: And MUCH better weather!

Yes, finally the sun is out...

the dinner was fantastic... Patrizierhaus St. Jonathan Restaurant, opposite side of square from the city hall in Gorlitz... Inside and out, but inside is ablaze with candles. K had her best meal of the trip a local pork dish with stewed fruits. I had the pumpkin and various seed soup followed by a huge antipasto. About $70 with beers and 3 wines. CASH ONLY!!!! We were counting coins to pay-- no nearby ATM...

Gorlitz-- you want to see the real "authentic" Germany.... This is it. the town was basically untouched by WWII. The blogs are from the 14-16th C. Our hotels has found some 15th C murals in the breakfast room. The hotel is perfectly located on the Obermarkt at the entrance to the bulk of the old town-- Hotel Schwibbogen, 90 E. We had a huge family room and a big bath too. Internet 1,99 E/24 hrs. great breakfast.

got to run, Ingo is coming for coffee in 5 minutes.

It's almost 6PM and the church bells in Dresden are going crazy... I love it.

Finding ATM's in Gorlitz was not easy so I gave up.

This AM we left the hotel in search do wine, water and an ATM... we found nothing, but did see parts of the town less updated.

The ride to Dresden was about 1+ hours all on a super highway.

a word about the drive from Berlin to Dresden, through Poland. The drive could not have been nicer. Most was on excellent highways with frequent rest and food stops with very clean facilities and decent to good food. The countryside ranged from flat farming lands to rolling hills to slightly higher elevations and several tunnels. gas was
Reasonable and very available. The countryside was very green and the rich earth was very brown. Flowering rape presented a wonderful yellow landscape in many areas as did the broom, also yellow. wild flowers grew along roadways with white, purple, yellow and red colors.
the woods were very green too with pines and birch primarily, along with other assorted trees. Home gardens have been planted as well as commercial ones...Wheat was waist high already in some places. Potatoes are well on their way too. Pansies are big here and brightly colored.

the woods always intrigue as the Germans keep them clean, including the underbrush, as well as trim the branches way up to near the top on pines grown for cutting. The poles have adapted this as well.


so Ingo, the famous Dresden Fodorites whom we have known for 10 years came by at 2. Damn, I just spilled champagne all over my left pant's leg, my carryon, the rug and my foot. sure cannot double task.

The sun was by now out very brightly, so we walked to his favorite pastry shop (Colselpalias), out in the main square of the historic section of Dresden. we each selected a fab pastry and a drink to go with it. they were delivered to our outside table under a huge umbrella--and were they good. we chatted for a long time. He made suggestions for the rest of our stay. I think we will take a steam boat up river for the day tomorrow and visit the Pilnitz Palace and gardens, as the forcast is for a perfect day.

He, and his parents, will meet us then at 7 for dinner.

after our snack, we walked over to the Fraeunkirche Lutheran Cathedral and sat inside marveling at what had been reconstructed from the ruins left from 1945, when Dresden was bombarded in the last days of WWII. It's quite amazing and has cost millions, mostly from private donations-- 46% of the stone is new. It was fire rather than bombs which caused the damage to this building. the restoration was begun in the 1990's. We also went into the lower level where there are still crypts containing bodies.

we admired the large statue of Martin Luther in the square, before returning to the hotel.

Our hotel this stop, our final stop, is the Dresden Hilton. I can't say enough for it's location. It is smack in the middle of all the historic buildings on offer for tourists to Dresden. I got an excellent rate of 112.5 E., incl breakfast and internet. Nearby is the QF Quartier an der Frauenkirche Hotel where BillT will be staying soon. We will meet them for dinner one night.

Tonight we have a reservation at Paulaner's im Taschenbergpalias across the square in the Grand Hotel-- a gastro brew pub. It gets rave reviews for German foods.

Enjoying your report! I spent a month in the Altes Dresden serviced apartments in Dec 2011. My 4th (maybe 5th, I forget) floor apartment faced the Frauenkirche and the Hilton. Coffee and pastry at the Coselpalais was my afternoon treat after a hard day of classes at the Goethe Institut. What pastry did you get? I tried several but ended up addicted to the Prater raspberry and buttercream confection.

I have enjoyed reading your report! Glad you have had a good time. I will be using your report as a reference hopefully in the near future for a Poland/Germany trip.

DH would have stayed with you in the car at Auschwitz - when we go, I will be touring on my own like K...

It was so much fun having dinner with you both before your departure! Hope we can meet up again soon!

Safe travels home!!

Bob, when I told history nut DH that you went to Auschwitz, he said he would NOT want to visit there. Is this a "MAN THING" I wonder? Not that I would particularly want to go there myself...

I had the walnut and masipan (sp) and K had the mango creme... Ingo had a multilayered strawberry.

Enjoyed the time with you both this afternoon VERY much! Delicious fancy cakes ... Hope the supper at Paulaner's was good. See you tomorrow!

For the husbands waiting in the car know that the tour of Auschwitz is 3.5 hours. May- oct you have to take a tour as there are so many people. 40€ that includes the rental of the ear phones. Half way thru they put you on a bus to Brecken the other half. It was a good tour, I am glad I went, but Bob was getting antsy as we did not know going in how long it was. Well preserved and somber.

For the husbands waiting in the car know that the tour of Auschwitz is 3.5 hours. May- oct you have to take a tour as there are so many people. 40€ that includes the rental of the ear phones. Half way thru they put you on a bus to Brecken the other half. It was a good tour, I am glad I went, but Bob was getting antsy as we did not know going in how long it was. Well preserved and somber.

Today's report has disappeared.... UGH

Took boat trip up river and back very nice.

Carol... Ask me again when I see you.

Bob,
I'm enjoying your report and its nice to see the same posters in different forums. Thanks for all the the detail about the scenery, roads and the drives. Sorry to hear you ran into so much rain.

I've cooled down a bit now..

Yesterday we took a steamer up the river about 90 minutes to the stop near to Pillnitz Schloss. Wonderful relaxing ride on a clear sunny day. Many had meals aboard.

I hung out in the local bakery ( don't tell Ingo) while K did the walking tour-- about 1 hour+. when she returned we had a delicious lunch-- soup and salad, plus the most delicious cakes while we waited for our 3:15 boat. BTW, the engine room is open and very interesting to look. Our ship on the way back is the eldest in the fleet-- maybe 1909?

dinner with Ingo and his parents at Steiger am Landhaus, wildsruffer str 4-6, was fantastic. It was so fun to see his parents again after 10 years. We had a delicious meal: 1/2 portions of veal snitzle (sp) and fabulous white asparagus with fresh hollandaise sauce... We could not even finish a 1/2 portion, I can't imagine what a full portion would be. It is white asparagus season till June 24. the stalks are huge and a standard length and extremely tasty.

From Steiger, we walked across the square for dessert at Coselpalais for cakes... Mine was a multi layered white cake with real raspberry jam between the layers and a very rich frosting... CALL MY DOCTOR...

They had to run to catch their 10:30 bus--- Hope they made it.


SO, for the last day of our trip, we woke to beautiful sunshine. another filling Hilton breakfast, supplemented by 2 pieces of Ingo's mother all natural bread---DELICIOUS!!!!!

We had an 11AM ticket to enter the recently restored old green vaults (Grunes Gewolbe), purchased on line for 23 E each. These, along with their sister collection are housed again in the former royal Schloss on floors 1 and 2. They are the main reason we returned to Dresden. They are wold class in every way... You could spend hours but we spent only 1.5 hours--- sensory overload.

Upon exiting the Schloss we found Pauanler's, where we had eaten our first night right across the street.
We took an outside table and had the freshest salads ever, with bottled water. we returned to the hotel and K has now gone out for a walk for a couple of hours, with her phone/ camera.

We will meet up with Olive and bill about 5 and scout out something to eat. Maybe outside as it will be warm.

I'm having the same transmission problems as yesterday...Thank Fodors... Every other site works fine

If you can get to the armor museum or the Turkish exhibition ( both in same building as the Grunes Gewolbe, I would recommend it. It was fantastic. We were there in Feb.

So glad you are catching up with Bill and Olive! That's great! I'm sure you will have a nice time together.

Re: the white asparagus.... one of my favorites! It is usually in season when we go to Switzerland in the spring. I always have to have some of it. And yes, a half portion is more than enough!!!

Have a safe trip home.