It’s time for an adventure! This is the first post in the new series I like to call “Near and Far”. I want to share some of the fun places I’ve been and things I’ve seen – whether those places are close by or far away. Maybe you’ll be inspired to take your own adventures or find new places you want to visit! Maybe you’ve been to some of these places as well and can join in with your own experiences and memories!
To start off, we have the lovely city of Dresden, Germany. We’re just going to take a quick peek at this interesting place. Dresden was one of the quick lunch stops on a European tour I was part of. We had about 2 hours to grab a bite to eat and go to a concert so my time here was pretty short and hurried. I only got to walk a few blocks of the city but those couple blocks were all it took to fascinate me and make me fall in love. This is a beautiful city with a devastating past. Dresden was heavily bombed in WW2. But in spite of the suffering, this city seemed to be alive and filled with a joy of life.
We were let off the bus near the Opera House of Dresden. (that’s the impressive structure in the title photo) From there, we walked along the Elbe River and saw this Catholic Church.
Soon, we turned off onto this lovely little street lined with cafes and shops. You can see the dome of the Frauenkirche in the background. Streets like these hold some of the greatest charm of Europe for me. To sit in a small cafe and watch the bustle of life around you. To take time to enjoy and savor life. To stop and appreciate the beauty and the people around you.
But this particular day, we were in a bit of a hurry. So we did something rather German. We got a bratwurst from a street stand and had lunch on the go. Real German bratwursts are quite different from the Johnsonville brats I grew up on. They’re flavorful, but not overly seasoned. And having them on a small, fresh roll is the best! The reason we were in a rush was because we wanted to attend an “organ concert” at the Frauenkirche.
The Frauenkirche became a Protestant church after the Reformation so thus the statue of Martin Luther that stands outside the church. And if you’re a music lover, Johann Sebastian Bach played on the newly installed organ here in 1736! The church was rebuilt after Dresden was bombed and it caught on fire during WW2. Those dark colored bricks are the original stones that were discolored by the fire while the rest are the new bricks from the reconstruction. This church was quite unique. It has a circular sanctuary which I’ve never seen before. It’s very light and airy – lots of white and gold and pastel colors. It has quite a bit of ornamentation, but it’s not ostentatious. The other thing that I found very different was the height of the seating inside. While it’s not unusual for old church interiors to be spacious and quite tall, it’s unusual (in my experience!) to see so many balconies of seating.
The reason we were there was to hear an “organ concert”. It ended up being a prayer service entirely in German with some organ music accompanying. It was beautiful though. I’d highly recommend at least going to see inside the church, but especially hearing the organ there. It has such a rich, resonant sound that completely fills the space. It’s a beautiful experience!
The Frauenkirche sits on the edge of a large pedestrian plaza. We walked around a little and enjoyed the beautiful weather and the wonderful atmosphere of Germany. In the midst of the plaza, there were some special street performers out – adding to the charm with their lovely music. (And pardon the noise of my lens adjusting during the video, I’m still learning how to shoot video with my camera!)
So there you have it! Very short little peek, but I hope you were able to see some of the charm and beauty of the city. Let me know what you would like to see in Dresden! And if you’ve been there, I’d love to hear about your experiences too!
Beautiful!