Our German
journey - a trip into our past.
50 years agoApril 1st, 1974, Marleyne moved to
The rest is history! Hence, this
German journey. Rather than only visiting
So, here we were in the Spring of 2024. Our itinerary was a relatively short one, with days in Dresden, Prag, Berlin, Ruegen, Luebeck and Hamburg.
While our anniversary was on April 1, we decided to postpone our trip to a later time (April 1st was Easter Holiday, everyone on the road, or shops closed!). In addition, April in Northern Germany is not Spain nor Italy: April’s weather can be nasty. And, while we were there, most of the time: it was indeed still unpleasant (with the exception of the first days in Dresden). At our entry point, we chose Dresden destination not only because we have Heiner’s cousin and his wife living there, but also because Dresden, an ex-GDR city, has been growing more and more beautiful since the reunification.
Dresden was fully destroyed by Allied Forces bombardment in 1946 and 70 years later, this memory is still very present when visiting the city.
In addition to this massive destruction, there were 40 years of neglect under the communist regime.
But with Rudi and Sabine as our guides, we were to enjoy a wonderful stay in Dresden. Both are true "Dresdeners" and delighted us with interesting stories about this city.
The Frauenkirche, a protestant, but privately paid and erected church at that time, here in the background. Completely destroyed in the last days of war. But soon after the reunification, the reconstruction of this beautiful church became a symbol of renaissance for the city.
The Hofkirche or Dresden’s Cathedral. a catholic church was commissioned by the son of Augustus the Strong (and paid by the church, of course). A landmark of the city adding to its baroque city scape!
Another remarkable sight was the 102 meter long fresque on the walls of the Johanneum, the former castle stables. Built with 24,000 Meissen-china tiles, the Fuerstenzug, illustrates the succession of Saxony's rulers from 1123 to 1904. After 1904, no more glorious images to report, we guess.
The golden horseman, a larger-than-life statue of the Saxon elector and Polish king Frederick August I, portrayed as a Roman Emperor.
Our tours around the old and "new" Dresden brought us to "Pfunds Molkerei": acclaimed by the Guiness Book of Records as the most beautiful dairy store in the world (we agree!!!). The tiles have been painted by hand by the famous Villeroy & Bosch enterprise. Rudi and Heiner are probably attempting to be part of the worlds most similar cousins!
Since reunification, a new Dresden has been growing. The city's alternative arts and nightlife began forming when artists moved into its 19th century quarter. The area is nicely funky, with many bars and restaurants and the area has been labelled the best bar scene south of Berlin. At the heart of the area is a web of interconnecting courtyards decorated by local artists. No doubt an area that would be great fun to visit on a warm summer night!
We are being spoiled!:
Every morning Rudi and Sabine prepared the most delicious German breakfasts for us. Cheese, selected meats, fresh broetchen (some of them are called "Semmel" - a double kind of bun) of all kinds, fruits and delicious coffee. After such a meal, we were ready to tackle the day!
Dresden is built along the banks of the river Elbe. We both decided to take a cruise on one of the Elbe's historical paddle steamer, sailing up to the Pillnitz Castle. Heiner reports that the last time he had done this trip may have been when he was in his early teens - in other words, a few days ago.
We chose to travel on the steam powered ship "Pillnitz", which was built in 1886! What a beauty! Steam engines on full display,, polished to the last, and working beautifully for the eyes and ears. His memories were coming back ... of a life of families divided, visiting each other under severe restriction, many family tales told by his uncle (Heinz!).
Before we reached our destination (Pillnitz Castle) we passed lovely landscapes and were able to see the 3 famous castles on the banks of the river. First, we pass the Blue Wonder. A steel bridge that has become a landmark in Dresden. The Loschwitzer Bridge (its real name) was the 5th bridge to be built over the Elbe. The shipping companies did not want another bridge with piers in middle of the river. Hence, a structure without intermediate piers was built: The total length of the Loschwitz bridge is about 280 meters. Between the two piers left and right of the Elbe are almost 150 meters. Bridges made of wrought iron with such a high distance between the piers were few in the world in the 1890s. The people of Dresden quickly called their new bridge a miracle of technology. Blue wonder, of course, because of the bluish colour of the iron construction.
A few kilometers further upstream, we were able to discover the silhouettes of the 3 small Elbe castles. The Lingner Castle, or Stockhausen Palais, the Eckberg Castle, and the Albrechtsberg Palace.
We then reached the Pillnitz Castle, a restored Baroque castle located on the right bank of the River Elbe in the former village of Pillnitz. It was the summer residence of many electors and kings of Saxony.The complex consists of three main buildings, the Riverside Palace (Wasserpalais) on the riverfront; the Upper Palace (Bergpalais) on the hillside, both Baroque with Chinoiserie elements; and the later Neoclassical New Palace (Neues Palais), which links them together on the east side.
The buildings enclose a baroque garden and are surrounded by a large public park. Together with Sabine and Rudi, who joined us at the end of our cruise, we visited the parks of the castle. The weather was beautiful and while cool, many trees were blooming.
On the return trip to Dresden, we visited small towns such as Loschwitz.
As Dresden is only 149 kms away from Prague, we decided to make a day trip to catch a glimpse of this world renowned city. Our plan was to take the early (7am) Flixbus in Dresden but as it is often the case, it was 40 minutes late. And, of course, it was a bit rainy... Nevertheless, the 2 hour trip was very pleasant, with many green hills until we got close to Prague. It was a strange feeling to be in a new country, with a language that is absolutely foreign to us and that is not even using the Euro as currency. We had not exchanged money, given the information that was given to us that one can pay with credit card very easily in Prague. Yes, that was true for buying tickets to main attraction, but not to have a meal in a not touristic joint. We meandered though the city enjoying some sunny periods...
The famous Charles Bridge crosses the Moldau or Vtlava. a 430 kms long river that flows through Prague and a large portion of the Czech republic.
We spent several hours visiting the Prague Castle. The former seat of Bohemian kings, Holy Roman Emperors, and Austrian Emperors is still the political powerhouse of the country today, as it is the seat of government for the Czech president.
The above model or mock up illustrates the main buildings belonging to the Castle. The castle area is huge and counts almost 7 hectares, including the Old Royal Palace, the Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George's Basilica, and the Golden Lane.
Originally built in the 16th century to house Rudolf II's castle guards, the Golden Lane takes its name from the goldsmiths that lived there in the 17th century.. . Franz Kafka's sister owned the house Nr. 22 and Franz lived there for one year, writing his book "Memories of a country doctor". The blue house is number 22.
Knoedel and Gulasch
Smoked pork filled knoedel
and Pilsner beer, of course!
While we enjoyed our visit, it felt a bit like spending the day in a museum. We missed seeing Prague people living there...except for those catering to tourists. And this may have been because it was our initial visit and we focused on the city's main attractions! Nevertheless, we were happy to have at least seen this city as its buildings survived the destruction of WWII.
Following our visit to Prague, we will spend the day making an excursion in the mountains of Saxony, usually referred to Saechsische Schweiz. Saxon Switzerland is a hilly climbing area and national park in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains.
It was a sunny and quite cool day: perfect for an excursion!
Saechsische Schweiz stunning landscapes make it a main attraction in this part of Germany!
Die Bastei: indeed, looking at these magnificent rocks standing tall like soldiers guarding the bridge!
Stunning views from the Elbe river and in the back, the flat topped Lilienstein.
On our way back to Dresden, we entered a pretty village with an outside café. It was that time of the afternoon: Kaffee und Kuchen!
For our last evening in Dresden, Sabine and Rudi cooked a wonderful dinner: the local specialty! Saechsische Bratwurst with mashed potatoes!
Berlin! We went back to Berlin ...memory lane! In 1974, when the Wall was still existing, this is where we first lived together. Heiner had not been back since then. Time to revisit this city.
Unfortunately, the weather was not very inviting and this affected our enjoyment of Berlin. Nevertheless, we spent 5 days discovering new places and revisiting old ones.
We stayed at the Leonardo hotel in Wilmersdorf. We liked our hotel location as it was in a lively neighbourhood and on a street with several eateries as well as an Aldi. We bought a public transportation card that we used almost every day of our stay.
First things first: die Gedaechtniskirche is and will always remain one strong symbol of Berlin and its
history. This was late afternoon as we walk on the Ku'dam. As for the Siegesaule, it also survived WWII.
Heiner had not seen the Brandenburger Tor since the reunification...please note how people are dressed up! Marleyne had to buy a coat on the second day of our visit: luckily, Decathlon was located on our street!
Before the reunification, the whitish painted wall could be seen in the background and a security perimeter made it impossible for people to cross or come close to the gate. Also, the quadriga was facing the opposite way, symbolizing the victory against the West.
A section of the Wall has been kept and is a very popular sight for tourists! Unbelievable that we actually lived in Berlin while the Wall was still up and less colourful.
The longest remaining stretch of the wall is the open-air East Side Gallery, set on Mühlenstrasse featuring murals painted by international artists in 1990 and then again in 2009. Originally, the Wall was painted white so that individuals trying to escape would easily be seen against the white surface of the wall. 
Below, the famous kiss of Breshnev and Honecker...
A Trabant, a fiberglass car, another symbol of East Germany is portrayed here making the wall explode... as a motif, breaking through the Wall without sustaining the slightest damage.
So many places in Berlin are reminiscent of the days when Berliner were separated by the Wall and tried to escape, too often loosing their lives at the hand of the East German patrol. The river Spree was one of those places where people tried to swim to the West...without success.
A bit of sunshine while we walked through the Hackescher Hoefen area. Formerly a rather neglected area, this area where old buildings has developed into a cultural and commercial centre after German reunification. The ensemble is in fact a complex consisting of eight interconnected courtyards, accessed through a main arched entrance at number 40 Rosenthaler Straße.
The complex was designed in the Jugendstil (or Art Nouveau) style by August Endell, and the first courtyard is adorned with a magnificent facade of polychrome glazed brick. The construction of this project, launched in 1906, follows a pattern of clear separation between residential areas, crafts, trade and culture, which distinguishes it from the courtyards of the 19th century.
Rosenthaler Strasse was fun to walk through, with its eclectic art forms posted on walls, and other objects such as cigarettes automatic dispenser.
Further along the Spree river, we get to see the Oberbaumbruecken area. The Oberbaum Bridge is a double-deck bridge crossing Berlin, and is one of the city's landmarks. It links Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, boroughs that were divided by the Berlin Wall, and has become an important symbol of Berlin's unity. We often see it in German movies that are filmed in Berlin. And so, here we were, enjoying this very iconic sight.
The famous Check-point Charlie, the sign warning people that they are leaving the American sector. The cold rainy day fitted perfectly to this sight, a memory of the dreadful fate of Berlin after the war.
Later that week, we visited areas of Berlin that were still unkown to us. Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg.
After days of wandering through streets, it felt good to explore nature in the beautiful park, Volkspark Friedrichshain. The oldest park of Berlin, it was constructed in the 1840-50' to celebrate the centennial of Frederick the Great's ascension to the Prussian throne.
Here we see the beautiful entrance to the park and its Fairy Tale fountain. Designed in 1913 by Berlin's city building director, Ludwig Hoffmann, the fountain contains 106 stone sculptures representing characters from traditional German fairy tales. The fountain was created for the children of Berlin and took 12 years to complete
Other impressions ...
Unfortunately, the weather was not very inviting and this affected our enjoyment of Berlin. Nevertheless, we spent 5 days discovering new places and revisiting old ones.
We stayed at the Leonardo hotel in Wilmersdorf. We liked our hotel location as it was in a lively neighbourhood and on a street with several eateries as well as an Aldi. We bought a public transportation card that we used almost every day of our stay.
First things first: die Gedaechtniskirche is and will always remain one strong symbol of Berlin and its
history. This was late afternoon as we walk on the Ku'dam. As for the Siegesaule, it also survived WWII.
Heiner had not seen the Brandenburger Tor since the reunification...please note how people are dressed up! Marleyne had to buy a coat on the second day of our visit: luckily, Decathlon was located on our street!
Before the reunification, the whitish painted wall could be seen in the background and a security perimeter made it impossible for people to cross or come close to the gate. Also, the quadriga was facing the opposite way, symbolizing the victory against the West.A section of the Wall has been kept and is a very popular sight for tourists! Unbelievable that we actually lived in Berlin while the Wall was still up and less colourful.
The longest remaining stretch of the wall is the open-air East Side Gallery, set on Mühlenstrasse featuring murals painted by international artists in 1990 and then again in 2009. Originally, the Wall was painted white so that individuals trying to escape would easily be seen against the white surface of the wall. 
Below, the famous kiss of Breshnev and Honecker...
A Trabant, a fiberglass car, another symbol of East Germany is portrayed here making the wall explode... as a motif, breaking through the Wall without sustaining the slightest damage.So many places in Berlin are reminiscent of the days when Berliner were separated by the Wall and tried to escape, too often loosing their lives at the hand of the East German patrol. The river Spree was one of those places where people tried to swim to the West...without success.
A bit of sunshine while we walked through the Hackescher Hoefen area. Formerly a rather neglected area, this area where old buildings has developed into a cultural and commercial centre after German reunification. The ensemble is in fact a complex consisting of eight interconnected courtyards, accessed through a main arched entrance at number 40 Rosenthaler Straße.
The complex was designed in the Jugendstil (or Art Nouveau) style by August Endell, and the first courtyard is adorned with a magnificent facade of polychrome glazed brick. The construction of this project, launched in 1906, follows a pattern of clear separation between residential areas, crafts, trade and culture, which distinguishes it from the courtyards of the 19th century.
Rosenthaler Strasse was fun to walk through, with its eclectic art forms posted on walls, and other objects such as cigarettes automatic dispenser. 
Further along the Spree river, we get to see the Oberbaumbruecken area. The Oberbaum Bridge is a double-deck bridge crossing Berlin, and is one of the city's landmarks. It links Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, boroughs that were divided by the Berlin Wall, and has become an important symbol of Berlin's unity. We often see it in German movies that are filmed in Berlin. And so, here we were, enjoying this very iconic sight.
The famous Check-point Charlie, the sign warning people that they are leaving the American sector. The cold rainy day fitted perfectly to this sight, a memory of the dreadful fate of Berlin after the war.
Later that week, we visited areas of Berlin that were still unkown to us. Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg.
After days of wandering through streets, it felt good to explore nature in the beautiful park, Volkspark Friedrichshain. The oldest park of Berlin, it was constructed in the 1840-50' to celebrate the centennial of Frederick the Great's ascension to the Prussian throne.
Here we see the beautiful entrance to the park and its Fairy Tale fountain. Designed in 1913 by Berlin's city building director, Ludwig Hoffmann, the fountain contains 106 stone sculptures representing characters from traditional German fairy tales. The fountain was created for the children of Berlin and took 12 years to complete
Other impressions ...
As the weather continued to be rainy and cold, it was the perfect time to visit an exhibition at the Berliner Galerie entitled Spaces, including elaborated objects shaped by wires.
Many of the sculptural pieces were by the Berliner artist Hans Uhlman. In the 1950s and 1960s, Uhlmann was very much in demand as an artist for public art projects. Between 1954 and 1972, he thus produced a total of seventeen publicly commissioned works, which can still be seen today in cities in western Germany as well as in Rome, Italy. In the western part of Berlin, altogether four large-format sculptures adorn striking urban public spaces: Concerto (1954) in the foyer of the concert hall of the Universität der Künste and the sculptures on Hansaplatz (1958), in front of the Deutsche Oper (1960–61), and on the roof of the Berlin Philharmonie (1963). In the 1950s and 1960s, these works were an expression of the general striving for modernity that characterized West Berlin.
The time came to leave Berlin. A pity that the weather had been miserable. We went to the huge Berliner Hauptbahnhof, and en route to Ruegen!
The time came to leave Berlin. A pity that the weather had been miserable. We went to the huge Berliner Hauptbahnhof, and en route to Ruegen!
Forecast was for sunny but very cool weather. We enjoyed the train ride. Both of us never had traveled to that area before and so we were very curious to discover this part of Germany.
We had a very long walk from the train station to our Bed and Breakfast. It was a beautiful old house, very typical for Ruegen.
We had a very long walk from the train station to our Bed and Breakfast. It was a beautiful old house, very typical for Ruegen.
The interior was also quite typical for the ex Eastern Germany decor - it felt like stepping back in time!??? But the heating system worked and everything was sparkling clean!
The veranda was the best part! What a view! But cold!
From our place, we had easy access to the harbour and to a couple of fish stores. Finally!!! we were able to enjoy smoked herring and other delicacies!
Next day, the skies were low and gray: would we be able to undertake our tour of the famous chalk cliffs of Ruegen, so well represented in the paintings of Caspar David Friedrichs?
After a short visit to the Tourism office in order to get advice on how to walk to the cliffs, the skies (miraculously!) cleared and gave way to blue skies and sun!
That day, we hiked around 20 km in amazing forests overlooking the Baltic see. The cliffs were as beautiful as depicted by Friedrichs.
The veranda was the best part! What a view! But cold!
From our place, we had easy access to the harbour and to a couple of fish stores. Finally!!! we were able to enjoy smoked herring and other delicacies!
Next day, the skies were low and gray: would we be able to undertake our tour of the famous chalk cliffs of Ruegen, so well represented in the paintings of Caspar David Friedrichs?
After a short visit to the Tourism office in order to get advice on how to walk to the cliffs, the skies (miraculously!) cleared and gave way to blue skies and sun!
That day, we hiked around 20 km in amazing forests overlooking the Baltic see. The cliffs were as beautiful as depicted by Friedrichs.
The pointed peak in the middle is no more. It collapsed only recently!
This hike was quite demanding! Up and down all the way! We came back to our place with sore feet and not being able to imagine that we would ever be able to walk again!
After a restful night, the next morning was still lovely but continuing on the cool side, we took the local bus to Cape Arkona. Cape Arkona is a 45-metre high cape on the island of Rügen. Cape Arkona, together with the fishing village of Vitt, belongs to the municipality of Putgarten and is one of the most popular tourist destinations on Rügen, receiving about 800,000 visitors annually.
That day, we barely met a couple of souls! No wonder!
Auf wiedersehen Ruegen! You did not disappoint us!
Auf wiedersehen Ruegen! You did not disappoint us!
Time to head back, and westwards, as we had booked our return flight from Hamburg. But first, we visited Luebeck! Just another short train trip! Luckily, our hotel was in front of the Central train station. It was raining again - hard! But not deterred, we left our hotel room shortly after arrival in order to discover this charming city.
Now on to our last destination: Hamburg. It had been quite a long time since we had been here and were looking forward to have a few days to explore its different quarters.
But both of us felt that Hamburg had lost its soul. Too modernised...where were the old harbour bars and taverns of the past? And so many construction sites...everywhere. Nevertheless, we enjoyed its most spectacular buildings such as the Speicherstadt, the harbour waterfront, the Michel with its distinctive tower and
the Unesco World Heritage building called the Chilehaus. one of Hamburg’s most impressive buildings. It’s the pointy eastern end, reminiscent of a ship’s bow, is what first meets the eye. Since the building’s completion in 1924, it has been a centre for international maritime trade. Today, the impressive landmark also houses a real estate firm, a department store and a piano retailer.
The day before our departure, we met Heiner's brother and his wife for an afternoon of walks, talks and coffee. Somewhat surprisingly, we noticed that none of us had taken pictures of this "family meeting". We must have been busy with other things.
And we were happy to see that ONE of the older older bars were still there : Blockbraeu, at the Landungsbruecken: we went twice for beer and pretzels - and to warm up!
