Dubbo to Dresden.

[drron]

Thursday morning-a short stroll down to Checkpoint Charlie-


Then breakfast at starbucks before walking along past a remnant of the wall that hides the site of the SS and gestapo headquarters.


On to potsdammer platte and the Holocaust memorial-


Here you could pick up a Trabi-


Then on to the Brandenburg gate-


And the reichstag before walking through the Tiergarten and past the memorial to the russians-


Now this post is mainly pictorial.i apologise in advance as most of these images will probably disappear.if anyone works out what is happening i will repost the pics.
next-continuing through the tiergarten.

[drron]

Now for a little social comment.There are Jewish memorials,holocaust memorials etc throughout Germany.Although you run into many German tour groups I didnt see any at these memorials-strange.
As well as we completed our stroll through the Tiergarten we came out opposite the Holocaust memorial.here was another memorial with basically no tourists-the Homosexual memorial-also a target of Nazi's wrath.Simple understated-


With a history of the persecution-

Hard to read at this size but it reveals the anti-homosexual laws brought in by the Nazis were not repealed in West germany until 1969.
From here we went to the Dali museum which advertises the largest collection of Dalis in any museum.Maybe but no major works and the dali museum in St Petersburg florida is far better.
Then it was back to the Westin,a short nap and round the corner to the Unter Den linden and a small restaurant.Some nice German food-wurst and schnitzels with the obligatory beer-E31
Next our last day in Berlin

[drron]

Amazing yesterday's photos are still here!
Awoke on Friday to find there had been riots in berlin for Mayday.Didnt hear a thing.Supposedly just around the corner.We set off to the Berlin dom and museums.However got sidetracked first by a craft market.Then went on a river cruise.Turned out the commentary was only in german despite what we were told.Ah well it was a pleasant day-


And the locals were out in force-


Great views-the Reichstag-


The berlin Dom-


And spring is in the air-


And I do my wurst for lunch-


Then to the DDR museum-small but quite interesting.Amazing facts-80% of East Germans visited a nudist camp at least once!Walk up the river and down the friedrichstrasse to the Westin for the obligatory nap.After that back to the Unter den Linden to the second restaurant when turning left from the Westin.Mrsdrron had her Spargel and schnitzel,I started with the Spargel salad and then liver berlin style.Beer and wine for a bill of E68.Felt it good value.Only downer was woman at the next table had bought her dog along which barked continually.
Next-off to Dresden via Potsdam.

[drron]

Saturday and once again we wake to the news that there have been riots in berlin and once again we are oblivious of any problem.Set out through the Tiergarten which is the same route 2 we followed north from Liepzig.using this road you go past the 1936 olympic stadium.I have had the pleasure of looking after one of life's gentlemen who was part of the spanish soccer team at those Olympics.Also goes close to the Commonwealth war cemetry and the Luftwaffe museum.
We stop at Potsdam-first to look at the building that was the venue for the Potsdam conference-now a hotel.Close by is an old Russian section of the city-really pretty wooden buildings-


We then go to the New palace and did a tour through with the audio guide.This is where Kaiser Wilhelm II signed the mobilisation orders to set the Great War on its tumultuous path.Boy talk about Government excess-not a bad little house-


This is in Parc Sans Souci-a reccomended visit.Although you could spend a day or two here we had an appointment with Dresden.So off down the autobahn-at last got to pass a few vehicles-a procession of Trabis!
After a bit of indecision we found the 4 Points in the suburbs of dresden.We found it good value-review here
http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/comm...den-17831.html (Four Points Konigshof(dresden))
Next Dresden.

[Alanslegal]

Very good and detailed report drron

Lots of great suggestions! And definitely a few pointers for my future travels. Keep on posting, and I'll be reading

[drron]

After settling in to the 4 Points we drove down to Dresden old town.Really interesting.The Hilton Dresden is here so a great position.It however was about E150 more than the 4 Points.We have dinner at this obviously german restaurant-


But at least it was an excuse for another beer-

Once again Spargel and schnitzel and Spargel and rump steak.with a beer and wine-E32
One problem.On the menu they had a definite Sunny Coast flavour with Woombye Emu but said it was from Perth!
Great transportation options in the old town-

The next morning we were off to Meissen of porcelain fame.A loverly drive up the Oder and great scenery once there-


Next Meissen continued.

[JohnK]

Very nice trip report drron.

Looking forward to reading the rest of it.

[2muchplastic]

Thoroughly enjoying this section drron! All this talk of schnitzel and wurst (though not the beer), and pictures of local architecture brings back happy memories of several years of living in Germany as a child.
Oh, happy days of Spargelsuppe, Zigneunerschnitzel and Bratwurst as long and thick as your arm. Visits to the Konditorei for Apfeltorte or maybe a Berliner or two....

<<2MP disappears off down memory lane>>

[drron]

OK back to the TR after a lovely interlude.now have some time on my hand.I have also worked out how I can copy pics direct from Picassa so i hope they may now stick.Lerts see.
Back to Meissen.I will start off with some pictures to try them out.It is a beautiful time especially when you loose your way and find yourselves in the narrow streets high above the town!However i particularly liked this welcoming sign-


Interesting vineyards in the centre of town-


But of course you go to Meissen for the porcelain.What better way to look at it than under a nice piece of cake with coffee-



Of course you must finish your cake to fully appreciate the art!
And naturally you should not just eat cake so it was essential to check out the local market-


before selecting my wurst-


Thoroughly enjoyed our time here and just a short scenic drive from Dresden.
Next a visit to a little hunting lodge.

[drron]

Well the new method of posting pics worked a treat!From now I will post the pics with a link underneath so they will still be accessible when they disappear.Back to the TR.
After leaving Meissen it was only a short trip to Moritzburg where there is a little hunting lodge built by the Princes of Saxony in the 16 and 17 hundreds.just a little over the top.The main dining room is full of stags heads and one bedrooms walls covered by over 25000 feathers.Built on a lake-

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_rQVWoyzfpk0/Sk...many%20021.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_rQVWoyzfpk0/Sk...otos%20547.JPG
This was on a Sunday and was obviously a very popular spot for a Sunday drive from Dresden.From here a quick commute down A17 to Pirna,south of Dresden.We drove through to the end of the road on the Elbe river-pleasant farms and a beautiful village.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_rQVWoyzfpk0/Sk...many%20046.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_rQVWoyzfpk0/Sk...many%20048.JPG
One of the things that stood out was the number of tunnels on the autobahns and major roads.can be kilometres long and no tolls in sight.Another standout was the number of houses and commercial buildings with solar panels.They are predicting as much power from solar energy as from coal sometime between 2013-2020.Boy are we really lagging in this area.
back to Dresden-a couple of views-

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_rQVWoyzfpk0/Sk...otos%20445.JPG
Looks magnificent but all restored since the end of the war.Little areas left that are unrestored-

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_rQVWoyzfpk0/Sk...otos%20444.JPG
Next the last night in Dresden.