Dresden, Part 2

So, I had a little more time and thought I would finish up with Dresden. These pictures were taken on Sunday. The first shows an interesting way of dealing with steamstacks on paddle wheel boats that are too tall for the bridge. The stacks lower to go under and then are hoisted back into position. In a section of downtown they have done some excavation to explore an earlier section of the city. This is not really all that ancient (probably from 300-400 years ago, but interesting none the less.

The next picture is in the day time back at the Zwinger, where so many night shots were taken. In the daytime as well it is an interesting place. Today we visited the art gallery of the old masters, which was fantastic and then the museum with precious items from the 15th - 18th century. This was a great way to end the visit.

Another mural is shown next from the time of the Russian occupation and control of E. Germany. What was really fascinating was having Erika describe the propaganda that was portrayed. She did it with great emotion!

The final picture just sums up for me what we saw in this gorgeous city. The old is often reflected in the new! If you ever get a chance to visit Dresden do so. We were so tempted to go on to Prague as it was only 100 miles away, but alas, no time. We'll be back!

Dresden

I did not have access to the internet last night, so I'll catch you up tonight and a bit more of Dresden tomorrow, as well as Eisleben. Dresden is a marvelous city that rivals Prague in its beauty. The big difference is that Dresden was horribly bombed on Feb. 13, 14, 1945 and most of the city was burned. Many, if not most, of the historical structures were in ruins, but most

of them have been restored.

The first picture tonight shows the doorway entry to the address listed for the SDA Church in Dresden. I was thankful to find that they no longer meet there, but I had no new address. So, I didn't get to go to an Adventist Church, but we did get to go to church on Sabbath. We attended the service at the Evangelical Church (Lutheran). This is called the Frauenkirche and it is a marvelous church that was also destroyed in the bombing, but restored in exact detail. Standing room only for Sabbath church! We were with the last ones in, stood the whole time, and many were turned away!

Next you see a panorama of a tile mural depicting the various rulers. They said there were more than 25,000 tiles and the mural is over 100 meters long. I didn't count the tiles. I'll take their word for it. Next is a picture of Ingrid flanked by her cousin Ingrid and a good friend, Erika. It was just me with three ladies for the weekend. I won't make any further comment on that at this time.

Next you see a wonderful wood carving done by six prisoners who refused to give up their faith toward the end of WWII. These six young men, ages 19 - 32 were all beheaded. It was a moving experience to witness their work. This is on display in the Augustus Dom, a new Catholic Church.

The last five pictures all just show some of the architectural beauty that surrounds you in Dresden. The final four were all taken on the grounds of Zwinger, which is a cultural garden and exhibition area that has been the focal point of culture for centuries. I had so much fun walking around there for a couple of hours last night. I have many, many more wonderful pictures and it was hard to choose just a few to share.

Tomorrow we visit an uncle nearby and then the city of Eisleben for some further Luther sites and back to our host, Ingrid, for a tour of Halle. It's been a long weekend and our hearts have been with our home church family as they remembered our dear friend, Karl Yared. May Jesus come soon and show us beauty that we cannot even imagine.

Lutherhaus inWittenberg

OK, let's get caught up. Today it was an easy drive back to Wittenberg to meet with cousins Irwin and Brigitte once again. They have been such super tour guides for Wednesday and today. The first picture is of Martin Luther's tomb in the Castle Church. Philipp Melancthon, Luther's contemporary and great supporter, as well as distinguished scholar, is also buried there in a similar tomb. Then we went into the print shop used by Lucas Cranach, who was the chief illustrator and printer for most of Luther's work. The worker there took time to give us a great demonstration and a wealth of information. What a super guy!

Next we went into the Lutherhaus, which we could have spent days, but did stay for over three hours. The next picture shows Cranach's depiction of the ten commandments, which was fascinating. The wood carving was particularly striking and the next picture is a portion of the debate platform and shows a Cranach depiction of Luther's concept of salvation by "faith alone."

Next you will see the table and some of the seating area in the room where Luther always gathered with his students and from which the "Table Talks" originate. Another Cranach work shows the contrast between law (on the left) and grace (on the right) Click on the picture to enlarge it and see the differences. Next I took a picture of an original signature of Philipp Melancthon just for interest.

Finally you'll see a shot of the streets of Wittenberg which also were so much fun and so many shops of interest. Of course we finished the day with coffee and kuchen at Tante Talchen's home. She is Hanna's sister and it was wonderful to visit in her home nearby. In the middle you see Irwin and Brigitte. Tante Talchen is next to Ingrid and the others, on the left are Christal and Renate, both cousins. Keep in mind that Ingrid has more than 40 cousins and spouses. I can't keep up with them all.

Tomorrow we're off to Dresden for the weekend and will be attending church there. Have a wonderful Sabbath.

Wartburg and Erfurt

I'm sorry for the delay, but last night I was way too tired and this morning the internet connection was not available probably due to more people being online. So I'll try to get yesterday's and today's posts both up tonight.

Yesterday began with a long drive to Eisenach to see the Wartburg Castle where Luther was secretly hidden under the

disguise of "Knight George." While there for only ten months he translated the entire New Testament from Greek to German.

The first picture shows a stained glass portrayal of the Wartburg Castle, which is very beautiful. The second picture is of his writing room there and you can see the ink stain to the left of the ceramic stove where he threw an ink well at the

devil, whom he was certain was interfering with his work.

As we walked around the castle grounds we found that love was in the air as the doves were definitely in a courting mood as you can see from the next picture. Next I took advantage of the elevation to get a picture of a distant church and next just a fun picture of a group of mushrooms that caught my eye.

Later that afternoon we drove to Erfurt where Luther spent some time, but our main purpose was to see the Dom St. Mariene. This is a gorgeous cathedral which is particularly noted for its striking stained glass windows. It was truly an inspiring place to be as you can see from the following three pictures.

The next picture shows just one of the beautiful street scenes that we enjoyed as we walked back to our car. We would love to have had more time just to look around Erfurt. It was late when we got Ingrid's cousins (yes more of them) back to their home and they insisted on preparing dinner even though is was 8:00. So out came the goulash, dumplings, and cooked red cabbage. I must say is was wonderfully delicious, but we didn't get home until nearly 11:00.

So that concludes another day and now I'll download pictures and stories from today's return to Wittenberg to see the Lutherhaus.

Wittenberg

We begin the pictures today at the very door of the Castle Church where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses. Unfortunately the wooden door was destroyed by fire during the Seven Years War in 1760 and was later replaced with bronze doors and the text in raised letters. At least I wasn't tempted to nail anything there. The next picture is of his grave in The Castle Church. Even though he did most of his preaching at the Town Church he was allowed to be buried in the more formal church along with Philipp Melancthon. The third picture shows a portion of the town and the twin towers of The Town Church. We climbed the tower at the Castle Church to get those pictures and it reminded us of climbing the Statue of Liberty. Our legs are sore!

Next we walked down to the Town Church and met Martin along the way and stopped to have our picture taken with him. He looks pretty good for being about 500 years old! Then you see the interior of the Town Church and then the pulpit from which he often preached. It was moving to be in such a place where such courage was taken to preach the Gospel in it's true form!

The painting shows Martin Luther on the right pointing to Christ as the Lamb of God. Luther's wife is in the group on the left as is the artist. The next picture is of the study, writing, and sleeping room of Philipp Melancthon, Luther's friend, colleague, and fellow theologian. We visited the Melancthon House today and will go back to Wittenberg on Friday to spend a significant amount of time at the Luther House.

Not every moment was spent in touring. Ingrid and her cousin Brigitte from Switzerland found time for a little window shopping. The final picture shows the tower of the Castle Church at night as we made our way back to the car and then drove an hour and a half to Halle where we will be staying for the next several nights.

Tomorrow we go to Erfurt and Eisenach. See you there!

A Quiet Day in Retzow

Today we start with a picture of the house that Ingrid's parents built back in the 1940's. They made the bricks and built it all by hand. The bricks weighed 25 pounds each and Hanna would carry two at a time up to her husband, Sam. This is the house that they all walked away from in 1954 in order to escape, each one leaving separately. It is always a moving experience for us to see it today.

Most of today was spent just visiting with family and other friends from the village and a cousin who drove out from Berlin. Then I spent part of the afternoon with Egbert, another cousin who works for a farming business and drives these wonderful big toys! The first picture with him shows his seeder and tractor. This tractor is all computerized and does everything at the touch of a button. The next pic shows their brand new harvester. You can buy one just like it for just under $400,000.

Then he gave me a fantastic tour of their new bio gas business. The government is really into this kind of project and I was very impressed. The bio gas is produced by combining the manure from the dairy cows with silage and a process produces the gas and returns the manure to be used as fertilizer for the fields. Nothing is lost and everything is returned for productive use. This one plant generates enough electricity for 10,000 homes. It is a somewhat smelly business, but fascinating to see.

Finally you will see Ingrid very happy to get some more tomatoes from Egbert's green house and then we ended the day with Ralph and Jeanette, Sigrid and Irvin, and a marvelous dinner. It was a beautiful day and we now prepare to leave to pick up a car in Berlin and drive down to Halle via Wittenberg.

While we have had such a wonderful time with family we have been shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of two precious members of our church family. Rob Shipley and Karl Yared both passed away within the last two days. We thought they would both still be with us when we returned and our hearts reach out to the families. The lesson: Enjoy your loved ones every day you have and don't be slow to tell them how much you love them.

We hope to see you here tomorrow, but I'm not positive about the wireless connections where we will be, so if you don't see something new, don't worry!