Every time I come to write a new blog post, I am amazed at the time that has gone by since I last posted! It seems that only upon reflection do I ever realise how quickly life is passing.
For example: this post is about my day with friends in Dresden, Germany, which was 4 months ago! I still remember it so clearly though. I am so grateful that God has given us the capacity for memories. I am equally grateful for the beautiful people that I created these memories with!
I think the most incredible thing about touring Dresden was exploring the city centre which was completely bombed out by the Allies at the end of World War II. Photos of the city after this happened show the unbelievable damage that essentially flattened it. Yet the only evidence of this that we saw in person was the colouring of some of the bricks in buildings that they rebuilt. During restoration of the city, they used as much original stone and brick of buildings as they could; it is easy to spot the old bricks because they are charred from the bombing. I think one of the best examples of this that we saw was Dresdner Frauenkirche, the Church of Our Lady, where Martin Luther himself preached. Talk about historical! We sat for a while inside the Frauenkirche, which was rebuilt about 10 years ago to look exactly as it did when Luther was alive. Words and pictures cannot express how exquisite this church is, though I’ll try to show you below (click on any photo to see it full-size). As with the cathedrals of Europe, I think it is impossible to be in this church and NOT feel the presence of God.
The outside of the Church of Our Lady. I spent some quality time with Luther there; we may have our disagreements, but he’s a pretty good guy.
Can words express the exquisiteness of this sight? I cannot find them.
In my humble opinion, no church is truly complete without a pipe organ. This one is certainly beautiful!
I love how the sunlight streaming through the windows played on the life-size statues at the front.
This shows you how intricate the carvings and artistry is in the church.
I include this photo because the man there gives you an idea of the sheer magnitude of the size of this amazing church.
Kreuzkirche, Church of the Holy Cross, was another beautiful Protestant Church we visited, though I have fewer photos of that one.
Outside of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (unfortunately it was locked so we couldn’t go in). This is another example of the combined old and new stones used to reconstruct the city.
Black & white, old & new. History intertwined!
This is one of hte most unique crosses I have ever seen in a church.
Can you tell I love pipe organs?
Dresden was absolutely freezing; there was still snow and ice on the ground (especially in the shadier areas), but it was still such a beautiful place. I think the coldest part was when we walked Augustusbrücke (Augustus Bridge), which crosses the river Elbe. The wind was so biting! But the view was gorgeous and definitely worth it.
Enjoying a calm moment on the bridge with the lovely Christabel!
Nick and Scott were admiring the view by the river; I snuck a few shots.
In terms of Dresden, I think I will let the photographs do the rest of the talking. Because I have so many more pictures from to share, though, I am going to put them all in my next post.
love love love your photos! 🙂