Another INCREDIBLE day on this trip! Today we said farewell to Berlin. Part of me was so sad to see us leave this city. I really liked the vibes of this place and had so many meaningful moments here. But to be very honest, while I liked the city I felt that there was an overall heaviness to Berlin. Even when we were out and enjoying the city that heaviness was still there, and, while I loved my time in Berlin, I am not sad to leave some of that heaviness behind and experience our two stops today, Dresden and our first look at Prague. While I know we have some heavy days ahead, I feel like being away from Germany might lift that heaviness a bit.
This photo was taken at 8 am as we loaded our bus in the cold and rainy Berlin and headed towards Prague via Dresden. I have to say how grateful I am to all of our travelers. When I ask them to be on the bus at 8 am, they are ready to go at 8 am. Their timeliness has allowed for us to experience more things on this trip and I appreciate the respect they continue to show each other, even when they would rather be sleeping in!
As we drove along the Autobahn (how cool is that?) Ron shared some information about Dresden. Between February 13 and 15, 1945, allied forces sent almost 1000 bombers (almost an equal number of British and American planes were used) to level Dresden. These two and a half days of bombings destroyed 80 percent of the city, dropping nearly 4,000 tons of bombs. Dresden was a beautiful place, and the result of the attacks was totally devastating. Thank goodness it was rebuilt to match the splendor of pre-war Dresden.
As we were driving Leasa asked Ron about historic antisemitism. Why have people always hated the Jews? Ron’s answer was profound and really helped us to understand. While I know the answer is really complicated, Ron has a way of enlightening us without overcomplicating things. Ron said that we have always been the other. We would go to places and speak our own language, not the local language. This was isolating as we couldn’t communicate with locals. We wouldn’t be able to use the local slaughterhouses because of our strict dietary needs, which isolated us further. We would need to be in small communities of Jews so we could access the things we needed to survive, as there was no transportation to help us get from one place to another. This sense of isolation made it easy for us to be blamed when things would go wrong, since we were already the other. While there is more to the story, this simple explanation makes a lot of sense.
As we drove we saw tons of wind turbines, harnessing the energy of the wind to serve the German people.
Germany is on the forefront of environmental protection. There were absolutely no plastic bags in all of Berlin, and there were no plastic silverware or plastic coffee cup lids. Everything was compostable. Ron shared that Germany produces 20 percent of all her energy through renewable and green sources, and there is a huge effort to increase that number to 50 percent, made even more important following the Russian attack on Ukraine because Germany does not want to have to rely on Russian energy. He even joked that they use solar energy as well, but we never really saw the sun while we were there.
As our bus crossed the river towards Dresden we got our first look at the beauty that awaited us. we were not prepared for just how beautiful this place would be.
We were let off by the opera house and were in awe immediately at the beauty of this place.
Our local guide told us that even in 1945, when the opera house (above) was destroyed by the allied bombings, they would find local musicians and do concerts for the people of Dresden.
This photo above shows a special kind of scratch art called Sgraffito, where colored plaster is placed on a surface and scratched off to reveal the underlying layer. It was so beautiful.
This HUGE mural is made completely out of porcelain and tells the story of all of the rulers of Saxony which were from one family. It was stunning and miraculously, it survived the Allied bombings of World War 2.
This photo above is Leasa and I in front of the Church of our Lady. While this church was not destroyed during the bombing of World War 2, the fire inside that burned for 3 days caused the building to collapse. It was a total loss and laid in ruins for decades. Sadly, the government did not have the funds to rebuild it, so the people of Dresden stepped up and others from all over the world contributed and the reconstruction was complete in 2005. Miraculously they were able to reuse 45 percent of the original stones in the project. In the photos you can tell which are old stones and which are new by the color. The dark stones are original and the new ones are lighter.
We decided to go into the church after lunch and were blown away by the beauty. We encouraged everyone from our TAE traveling family to take a quick look before we went back to the bus to head for Prague.
I fell in love with Dresden and hope to go back one day. Its beauty really took my breath away. While I was sad to leave, I was so excited to arrive in Prague, because I have been told that it truly is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I have been fortunate to see some amazing places and was not sure this would love up to the hype that Ron created all the way there. We learned that Prague was not bombed at all during World War 2. Hitler wanted to preserve Prague as Europe’s jewel.
As we were walking we had a hint of what was ahead, and then, almost out of a story book, we entered the Old Town Square. I always walk in the back of our group so I can make sure no one gets lost. And as each person from our group entered the square, their reaction to the view was an audible gasp. I know these photos will not do the true beauty justice.
This clock was built in 1410 and is still working!
One last tidbit from our first evening in Prague. After we finished our short walking tour, Leasa and I went out for dinner at a delicious restaurant in the Old Town Square. As we were talking with our waiter who, we learned that he is from the United States and recently moved to Prague, I was asking about the hot dogs, trying to see if there was any pork in the casing of the all beef sausage. Our waiter asked me why I was asking and I shared that I do not eat pork. He asked me why not? I explained that it was my personal choice because of my religion. He then asked if I was a Muslim and I said “no.” He then asked if I was Jewish, and I became very nervous…. I answered “Yes, I am a Jew.” And he reached out his hand and said, “Shalom, I am a Muslim, my name is Ibrahim.” We shook hands as I replied to him “Salam alaikum, I am David.”
What followed was a beautiful conversation about our faiths. He asked so many questions about Judaism, not in a way that was passing any kind of judgement, but in a way that was truly respectful. Leasa and I did our best to answer him. We asked him about his path as a Muslim and learned so much about him, and how he is seeking to connect more to his faith. The exchange warmed my heart on this cold, Prague night.
Ron was right. Prague is stunningly beautiful, without question one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. But the best part of my first night in Prague was meeting my friend Ibrahim. Salam alaikum, Ibrahim.
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