Ibid.

7. Ibid. latin [the same place]: term used to signify a footnote or endnote source was also previously cited; in other words, part two of my Prague/Dresden journey.

Sorry I haven’t been able to write earlier. My week has been rather busy as usual, but I also got sick with exhaustion (with everything I’m seeing and doing, go figure). But finally I have some time to update :)

The last part I covered was my full day in Prag. Surprisingly, the next day was even tiring, although it theoretically was not as busy as Tuesday.  Wednesday we got up early and first drove to Terezin, a small town near Prag and got a tour of the Theresienstadt concentration camp. This was the first concentration camp I have gone to and I was very disappointed that we were only there for an hour. I am usually not the critical about tour guides, but this one was not that good, or else the script was poorly written. The concentration camp was formerly a fortress built in the late eighteenth century and then accommodated political and military prisoners in the nineteenth century and early twentieth. Interestingly enough, the man who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (you know, the assassination, that everyone learns in high school, was the catalyst of the first world war) was held prisoner here and then died of TB in a cell. The tour guide spent a lot of time on the former and the latter uses of the site and I sadly left the concentration camp more fascinated about the fortress and Cell 1 (where the man who is not in every history book died), than the actual camp itself, since the Gestapo took over the fortress and created a concentration camp there. Or maybe it was because what had happened there had not really registered since it was a quick tour and then we had to head back to the bus. The tour guide also always compared the camp to Auschwitz, which I thought was a poor decision, because it seemed like he was just trying to make the camp less horrific and tragic as the infamous Auschwitz. In some ways, I want to go back and take my time to really see the camp and in another way, I would rather not, because it really is hard to describe the emotions felt going through a concentration camp. But I really want to see another and compare.

On a much happier note, the bus then brought us to Dresden, Germany, which I originally was a little disappointed that we were going to be there for such a long time, but then quickly realized that I could spend a whole year there. We stayed in a 4-star hotel with huge bedrooms and Haribo gummy bears waiting of us on our beds. The view was breathtaking, since we could see the outline of the old part of the city.  After a quick rest in our luxurious rooms, we took a tour with an energetic tour guide. This city is definitely proud of their history, or rather proud of their determination of rebuilding the city. Pictures of Dresden after the fire bombings breaks one’s heart, but the way the city has resurrected after the war is absolutely amazing. I originally thought that I would be disappointed with Dresden, because it would be “fake,” meaning that all of the buildings would be replicas of the ones destroyed during the war. Instead, they literally took pieces of the destroyed buildings and used them to create beautiful buildings once again. You can still see parts of buildings that were burned and destroyed and also parts that were completely rebuilt. The building that stood out to me, right from the beginning, was Dresden’s infamous Frauenkirche. The tour guide explained that the church was completely destroyed during the fire bombings and after the war, pieces of the church was used to rebuild, just like other buildings in Dresden, only this one is specifically unique. The church has bright cream-colored stonework and the black blocks that scatter the façade, all remnants of the old church, remind visitors of the horror Dresden experienced.  After the tour, we were able to do what we wanted, so a lovely group of ladies and I wandered to the “Neu Stadt” (“new city” across the Elbe River) and found a cute little Chinese Restaurant and each had meals under 5 Euros. Delicious and cheap. It was a win-win.

The next morning, I greeted the world with groans, because of the early hour we had to get up, but the purpose of getting up early was completely worth the whining. Thursday morning a tour of the Frauenkirche was arranged for us. A cute old man, obviously from Saxon because of his accent, led us around the Frauenkirche, determined not to leave out a single detail of the church’s history. Completely fascinating, although most were fighting off heavy eye-lids and or just trying to comprehend what he was saying. The Frauenkirche was the first Evangelical (Protestant, Lutheran, etc.) church I entered in Germany that had a stoic exterior, just like the typical Catholic churches. But the Frauenkirche’s interior was completely different from the gaudy, decadent, over-done Catholic interiors. The Frauenkirche is shaped in a circle, symbolizing family and community, a true church for “the people.” Instead of stained glass windows, simple glass windows framed the church and bright light poured on our faces. You do not enter the church feeling overwhelmed by paintings, sculptures, and saints in every corner. Instead, when lifting your head to heaven, simple, yet purposeful murals of Evangelical saints frame the center dome. Stone, marble, and wood, all in warm colors, make up the rest of the church and I feel right at home there. Actually, this is the first church where I actually felt at home there and a true connection to God within “God’s house.” That connection sank deep into my soul, and recharged it, and I felt inspired to come back and pray, which I did, for over an hour.

But back to the tour…

One of the last things that the tour guide noted was the large cross perched near the right side pews, aside the glowing candles. This cross, is just not any cross. It is instead the cross from the original Frauenkirche that was destroyed during the fire bombings and salvaged. The cross now is charcoal black and bent and eerily reminds visitors of “man’s inhumanity to man.” But the story goes even further. As an old man dying, the English fire bomber, solely responsible for the destruction of the Frauenkirche, requested that his son, a sculptor, replace the cross resting on top of the reconstructed church. His son obeyed his father’s wishes and that story hit a nerve in me, forcing tears to flow out of me.

After the inspirational tour, a group of friends and I visited a museum inside the Dresden palace and then journeyed across the Elbe River and bought food at the Market. Sitting by the river, we had a picnic of fresh bread and cheese and chocolate, with the outline of Dresden as our beautiful scenery. Perfect, peaceful afternoon. We then quickly went back to the hotel and changed into fancier clothes. On our way to the Opera house was a young man playing a grand piano at the square. A grand piano, right out in the open. My goodness, Dresden is just full of music and culture! But unfortunately we couldn’t stay and listen, for we were on a mission: tickets to Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Magic Flute) at the Semper Opera. Flying through Dresden, determined to get those tickets before the rest of the IES students also interested, we looked like mad women. But we were first in line and got our tickets for 15 Euros to see one of the world’s greatest Operas in such a world renowned Opera house. We had an hour and a half before the curtain opened, so we stopped by the café near the Opera house. The weather was nice enough to sit outside with the blankets the café provided and as we savored our cake and coffee, classical music filled the air. We then gracefully walked back to the opera house and took our “seats.” Our tickets were standing room only, way up high, but we didn’t care. We could still see and hear Mozart’s creation. After intermission some seats were open, so a friend and I quickly claimed them, making us then feel like royalty. The opera was not set in Mozart’s time, but instead, interpreted in a world that looked like Dr. Seuss’ Oh The Places You’ll Go. The characters and voices were significant and, of course, The Queen of the Night aria was absolutely breathtaking. After the opera, my friends and I walked to a classy wine bar and discussed the Opera over a bottle of red wine. Oh, how cultured we felt that entire day!

I am going to end now and hope to complete that week of travels as soon as possible. Happy Easter to everyone!!!! :)