Day 11 - Göttingen to Klingenberg

Got up earlish to catch the train. My Uncle (Cousin? I’m not actually sure of the exact relationship), had gotten up even earlier than me to prepare breakfast, including bread prepared the night before and only needed 30 minutes of baking.

Very tasty breakfast, very German way to start the day as well.

Bid goodbye. Very sorry I could not spend more time with them. Especially as they were going hiking later that day, which I would have loved to do.

Walked to the train station and boarded the train to Dresden.

Met my other cousins, which I had not seen in years. Netti had actually come to Australia about 2 years ago but I was over in the USA doing silly things on the Appalachian Trail at the time, so we missed each other.

Had wonderful walk around Dresdan taking in the sights. We observed an old, very large soviet era mural on the side of a building, depicting German workers in the soviet style.

Another extremely impressive (and extremely large) artwork was the Procession of Princes (Fürstenzug). It is over 100 meters long and depicts the rulers of the area, the earliest date is 1127 - there are dudes before him but they don't have a date, maybe they are mythical? The oldest date is 1873, again with people after that, so I dunno - maybe it represents a transition from absolute rule to forms of democracy (as represented by lots of people)? It will come as a surprise to many that I am not actually an expert in Saxon history.

My cousins kept pointing out the Women's Church, literally "Frauenkirche". I later checked the wiki, in English you instead might refer to it as "The Church of Our Lady". It is huge and dominates the views in Dresden. Like so many old structures in Germany, it was bombed during the war and reconstructed later using as much original material as possible.

We had lunch literally just across from the church. The place was packed but two older gentlemen allowed us to sit at their table with them. I had nuremberg sausages, sauerkraut, and potato mash. All of it was very delicious.

We then took a stroll down the Elbe (I mistook it for the Rhine, who knew Germany has more than 1 river?). Taking in the Academy of Fine Arts, the Cathedral St. Trinitatis and many other fine old buildings.

We then proceeded back to my cousin's apartment, and enjoyed a coffee and hung out in the very nicely setout backyard for a time.

We then proceeded to my other cousin's place. She lives in buildings that used to be her father's factory (the business still exists but has moved to new premises), and has tons of indoor space available for her and her family. She keeps 2 horses, 3 dogs, a cat, and raises rabbits for eating (except for the ones that are given names).

Then it was then onto my Auntie and Uncle's place. I've been here a long time ago, both as a child and in my twenties, so I have some memories of it. It has been beautifully renovated, so it feels very modern.

Just as I had the previous day, I got lucky with my timings. The family had already arranged to get together for a BBQ, and I just happened to turn up on that day. Winning.

The food was amazing, especially the fish. And it was really great to meet everyone, including 3 family members that I had not met previously.

During the BBQ, in amongst the giggles at my attempt to pronounce Göttingen, it was suggested that I take a flight out of Prague instead of Berlin. It would mean I get to visit another country and it was the some distance away. There are also buses leaving regularly from Dresden. I checked the flights out of Prague that were going to London and could not believe that they only cost €56, instead of the €300-400 from Berlin.

Don't know how it is soo cheap, but it was a much better idea than what I had been planning.Read more