To the Upper East Side

Last weekend I went to visit the far East state of Germany; Saxony. On Friday after my Germany language course, I hopped on a train that took me to Dresden. I have heard many things about this city from people here so I had to see it for myself! It didn't take long for this place to captivate me. The building here still look like they are covered with smoke stains from WWII. This city, like many others, was also near completely destroyed in WWII. It's amazing to see how it was rebuilt up from its destruction. Dresden is know to be an "artsy" city. There is the historical old side of the city, and just across the bridges over the River Elbe, there is the new, modern side of the city. The initial settlement of Dresden goes way way back hundreds and hundreds of years. You could spend days in all of the museums in the city. I wish I would have had time to visit them. The city center was different than most other ones I have seen in Germany. It is not as defined and closed off. It opens up toward the river and has more like a stip of its unique attractions that face towards the new city. My favorite was the Zwinger Palace in the city center and the Semperoper (Opera House).

In the Zwinger Palace

Hofkirche

View across the river from the new city.

Then, on Saturday evening, I hopped on another train for Leipzig. This is a comparably small city to all the others. It is a fancy little town. It had an Uptown New York feel to it. I took my tour through the city on a Sunday morning, so it was quite and peaceful. Even when the afternoon came, there wasn't too much hussle and bussle about. Leipzig's initial settlement was also hundreds and hundreds of years ago. It was known in Europe for the Trade Fair. And the people of Leipzig have a strong sense of pride for their composer Bach. Leipzig also holds the biggest monument in Germany; the Monument to the Battle of the Nations. This was from defeating Napoleon's army in the 1800s. I sadly did not get to venture there. But it was nice to go on a leisurely exploration through this city.

I loved riding the train through the Germany countryside on my way to these places! That was one of my favorite things! I could stare out the window all day. It was a fun new way to travel!

Both of these great places could not be captured well enough in a picture to do them justice. I loved being able to explore them! Now I am back in Munich and attending my language course during the morning and exploring Munich in the afternoon. I miss Andrija and Luka since they are still at their grandparents house. But in the mean time, it's nice to spend so much time playing in the city all day.

It was cool to do a trip alone. I have never done that before. The train, the hotel, and the sightseeing alone. It was fun to be on my own and figure everything out (even after getting on one wrong train that took me an hour out of my way... oops... somethings you do you can't help but laugh about), but I missed having company with me. I missed being able to share everything with someone. And I especially miss all of you at home. I wish we could do a sightseeing trip together. So the next city I visit, I think I will need a traveling buddy. If you're up for it, meet me in Paris!