Photos
The ship and view from the ship
Bastei
View from the Bastei
On Wednesday morning we had an early start. Up to now the weather has been wonderful, sunny and cold, typical southern Germany and Eastern US fall weather. We were on the bus by 8:30 and were taken to the River Elbe and boarded a steamer for a 5-hour trip upstream to Pillnitz, Pirna and Konigstein. This is the “Sachsische Schweiz” (Saxony Switzerland) an area of steep sandstone cliffs, gorges and small canyons rising from the banks of the river. Schweiz/Switzerland is a bit of a misnomer since the cliffs rise a mere 182 feet! The boat ride was very relaxing and as the group had a private section of the boat we talked among ourselves and got to know each other. Lilli was on the trip and we talked a lot. I took many pictures from the boat and eventually we disembarked at Konigstein. While on the boat we were served lunch, the very worst meal of our entire trip; chicken with a horrible cream sauce and rice so salty nobody ate it. From Konigstein our bus took us through the countryside to Bastei, a large hotel and restaurant on the top of a cliff overlooking the river. At Konigstein we were very close to the border of the Czech Republic and one of the city staff caught the train back to Dresden. She said the train ride would take half-an-hour! At Bastei, which was quite crowded, we walked around, admired the spectacular views and had ‘Kaffee und Kuchen’ in the restaurant. Then it was back on the bus to Schloss Pilnitz, a lovely baroque castle on the river. From Pilnitz we went to a brewery-restaurant called “Zum Geisser” in Pirna where we had a marvelous dinner. I had “ein grosses Schwein Schnitzel” (a large pork cutlet) that covered the plate and fried potatoes and red cabbage hiding underneath. We also had fresh, homemade pretzels to go with the house-brewed beer. By now the group had really bonded and I was pleased to see Suzanne spend time with the other second-generation people.
During the boat ride I was interviewed by Andrea Ponisch from MDR 1 Radio Sachsen. She promised to send me a CD. Eventually it was back to the hotel and I staggered to my bed.
Thursday was the last day of our official program. After an early breakfast… Did I tell you about the Breakfast Buffet in this hotel? Magnificent do-it-yourself fresh orange juice, eggs and waffles cooked to order, many different cereals and yogurts, a huge selection of cold meats, sausages, salamis and many different cheeses plus at least 6 different types of breads, rolls and such plus pizza and cream cakes. The bus left at 9 o’clock for Meissen to visit the famous porcelain factory. I decided to skip the factory visit and walked into town to see the church with a carillon of porcelain bells! Then the bus took us to Moritzburg for lunch in the castle dining room where we had a private room and an excellent lunch. This time I had venison goulash with dumplings and red cabbage. Dessert was “rotte greutze” a fruit compote of red berries, a local specialty. If I take nothing else back from Dresden, it will be a few extra pounds! We were back at the hotel early enough that I could exchange some money ($300 got me 203 Euros) and buy a 10 Euro phone-card.
At 7 o’clock the bus took us to the Westin Bellevue Hotel for a farewell dinner hosted by Deputy Mayor Koggel and his wife. Dinner was in a private room on the “Elbterrasse”. This time it was much more of an American dinner in an American operated hotel. That is to say dinner was normal size portions and not the huge portions that German restaurants usually serve. There were speeches and many farewells before we got back to the hotel at about midnight.
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