The Finale

So, the end has come--the final group trip of the programme! The destinations today were Goerlitz and Bautzen. Goerlitz is on the eastern-most edge of Saxony, with half the town in Germany and half in Poland. The contrast in appearance of the two sides was shattering. Goerlitz in Germany is going through a major development initiative with the town being restored to reflect its historical past. Everywhere looks clean, is either newly painted or being newly painted. Once you cross the bridge over the river and onto the Polish side, nothing prepares you for the degenerated appearance of the buildings, the change in appearance of the people, and the general let down you feel at the contrast.

I also transitioned from a country where I feel comfortable with the language, can make myself understood in most situations, and feel totally at ease with the culture, to a foreign environment where the language is unknown and virtually unpronouncable for a tourist, where the culture is radically different, and where the general appearance of the town only increases the journey out of one's comfort zone. From an educational point of view, Dr. Gommlich could not have given us all a better example of how everywhere looked under the communist regime. Happily, Germany has the funds to renovate the former East German town of Goerlitz, but the Polish side of the town still acts as a reminder of the degenerative effect of the former political system.

What Next?

After a seriously energetic Ascension Day, the next day also began early with a train ride to Weimar.From there we caught a bus to Buchenwald, the concentration camp outside the city. Whilst visiting a concentration camp is not the happiest of experiences, it was certainly an education. Only parts of the camp are still standing, but it was still a disturbing feeling to think that I was standing inside an area where such atrocities had taken place. The museum houses any remaining artifacts from when the camp was operational, and the exhibits leave nothing to the imagination. I was glad to view the memorial sculpture that has been placed in a strategic location outside the camp where it is highly visible. There is no way it can be missed if you are traveling on the autobahn, on the river, or in the air, and it serves as a constant reminder of Germany's darkest hour, for all to see.
From there we looked around the historical city of Weimar before catching a train to a wonderful country inn in Muhlberg. If anyone has Germany in their plans, and the state of Thuringen in particular, I would suggest checking out the country inn where we stayed http://www.pension-schuetzenhof.de/en/index.html. The owner was so welcoming, the outdoor terrace so conducive to beer drinking and eating, that none of us would have wanted to miss this experience. And to top it all, the hike up to the Muhlburg (the ruined castle in Muhlberg) left from the back of the pension. When our outdoor dinner was finished, we all deemed it necessary to hike to the top of the hill, enjoy the fantastic views and watch the sun go down--a magic event.

It was good to see an example of a small German town after all the cities that we have visited. Muhlberg had many fine examples of Thuringen architecture which is different from that found in Saxony. The older buildings in Thuringen have exposed beams in their outer walls--similar to architecture that can be found in England. I guess we have to thank those invading Germanic tribes for that!

We left Muhlberg after an excellent typical German breakfast buffet:meats; cheeses; deliciously hot, fresh rolls, cereal, yoghurt, quark, coffee, multi-vitamin vegetable juice. You name it, it was on the buffet table!
The next stop on the weekend trip was Leipzig. The train ride was very pleasant and not too long. The highlight of the afternoon was a Bach choral concert in the Thomas Kirche where Johann Sebastian himself was once the Director of Music. Whilst we could all appreciate the beautiful music, the sermon in German was a bit of a struggle! Coupled with the intense heat, and the fact that we had enjoyed ourselves the night before on the terrace in Muhlberg, a few members of our group nodded off during this part of the concert!

After the concert we had the opportunity to wander around Leipzig and enjoy an Italian pizza at an open air restaurant, watching the world go by. We caught the 9pm train back to Dresden, arriving back at the student accommodation by 11pm. After such a lovely weekend, we all went our separate ways and enjoyed a good night's sleep before beginning our final week of the program on Monday morning.

Himmelfahrt Weekend

Well, my friends, I am sure that you are all looking at the title of the post and wondering what the heck "Himmelfahrt" is. Let me explain. In Germany, Ascension Day (Himmelfahrt - journey to the heavens) is a national holiday and, as luck would have it, this year the day after was also a holiday for all Dresdeners due to its being the venue of the National Church Convention 2011. As you can probably guess, the city was heaving with visitors from the lst June until 5th June so it was a good weekend to take a trip.
We celebrated our own personal "Himmelfahrt" courtesy of Dr. Gommlich by ascending to the top of Der Bastei near Rathen. Der Bastei is an amazing natural rock formation with commanding views over the whole Elbe Valley. The river snakes through green fields and small towns for as far as the eye can see from the pinnacle. At some stage in history, Der Bastei was a natural fortress that allowed the inhabitants an uninterrupted view of any Slavic tribes who might be planning a session of pillaging in Saxony.

The climb was a good workout, but definitely worth it and as for the ice cold pilsener with lunch, I don't think a lager ever tasted better! After our descent, we caught the ferry back over the river and then a train to Koenigstein where we visited the Koenigstein Fortress which dates back to 1241. The fortress has been used for many different purposes over the years. It was initially used as a safe retreat for the ruling families of Saxony when they were under threat, but was then converted into a prison, and finally handed over to the State as a national treasure.

My first impression was its resemblance to Colditz,but there is no mention in the brochure about its being used to house WWII prisoners of war. Following our visit, we descended into the town and purchased a mandatory bratwurst, roll, and senf from a street vendor before heading back to the station for our train to Dresden. The whole day was a very fitting tribute to "Himmelfahrt" as we all succeeded in completing two major ascents that gave us views over the Elbe Valley that were heavenly.