GORLITZ, GERMANY – 2 Churches of Interest

08 May 2015 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: ,

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Sun Organ – one of a kind

May 6, 2015

Of  all the churches I ventured into in Gorlitz, two of them made an impression on me.

St Peter and Paul, built in 1457 in the Gothic style, has the Sun Organ in the above photo and also a very colorful Baptism Basin:

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I guess the practice is to grab a cushion as you walk in for a service:

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Nave of St. Peter and Paul

The other, Church Our Lady,  was pretty but I found the columns on both sides  to have odd inserts:

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Nave of Church of our Lady. Do you see them on the sides at the top?

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Another bird of the day.  Reminds  me of a Double-Stuffed Oreo.

Thanks for reading!

MOVIE BEING FILMED IN GORLITZ, May 2015

07 May 2015 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags:

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May 6, 2015

So as I am strolling about Gorlitz, I happen upon the beautiful Postplatz, named so because of the Post Office that lined one side of the square. What first caught my eye were  the beautiful spring flowers that lined the whole perimeter of the square.  Second was the huge fountain in the middle because – you guessed it- the lady is holding a sea shell above her head.

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The Post Office

Then I noticed what appeared to be a movie being filmed.  I sat around for an hour watching the slow process before I moved on.   Later when I googled ” Hollywood Stars filming in Gorlitz May 2015″ I was amazed to find out the movie is called “Alone in Berlin” and 2 of the top stars are Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson!

Gorlitz has also been a location in the filming of  The Reader, The Book Thief, Around the World in 80 Days, The Grand Budapest Hotel and others.

The Budapest Hotel’s inside was set up in this now closed  building:

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but this  following  postcard is sold all over town of what the inside looks like which can be seen in the movie:

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So back to “Alone in Berlin” – here are the shots I took.  I don’t  recognize any of these ladies as Emma Thompson but could this be Brendan Gleeson?

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Lastly this street car was also part of the filming.  Everyone inside is dressed in the era  of the movie too.   If you double click on the  photo, it will enlarge the photo and you  can see them a little better.

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Thanks for reading!

GORLITZ – MORE TOWERS and CITY WALLS

06 May 2015 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , ,

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Nothing like a bath to start off  a day of sightseeing!

May 6, 2015

Gorlitz’s  defense in the  13th  century was  the typical medieval combination of  look out towers and  walls  built around the city.  Most of the  city walls  and towers were destroyed in 1848 and the stones reused to build  a  barracks.   But what remains makes for a pleasant  stroll and step back in time.

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The Reichenbach Tower dates from the 13th century with some remodeling done in 1485 and 1782.   The tower housed guards on alert for invasion and watchman who kept a lookout for fires.

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The Nikolai Tower  is the oldest of Gorlitz’s tower.  What remains  of the city walls  is near the base of the Nikolai and  lines a peaceful park.

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Entrance now to a park.

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Bird of the day.  Yes, it is raining and neither of us were very happy

about it.  Or, maybe he wasn’t  happy with me sneaking up on him.

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Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

GORLITZ, GERMANY, May 6, 2015 Day 2

06 May 2015 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags:

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Fat Tower – todays adventure!

May 6, 2015

While sitting in  Gorlitz’s Marienplatz ( square) enjoying a wonderful bowl of gulash that I bought at the outdoor market, I noticed  the Fat Tower was open for visitors.   I wasted no time.  This I had to see!

According to the tower guide,  it  was built some time before 1305 and was part of the city’s defense system, which included other towers and a wall around the city.  So both of us climbed the 180 steps to the top, although there are actually 2 top floors so there was a small rest stop.

I had to ask ” So how many times do you climb this tower each day with visitors?”  “6 miles  worth of climbing. I  am very fit.” she told me.  And I believe her.

She went on to say that they the last family ( of 8)  that lived in the tower moved out in 1903.  Also  most interesting, the tower was  the location of a disco in the past,  so 2 modern  toilets were installed,  which were also very near top.

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This photo gives  you an idea  of  the thickness of  those walls.

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This is the 2nd floor from the top, with a decent size room ( for a tower) in the middle.

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This is the top floor  where you can see the separate rooms – I think there was 6 or 7.

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Top floor main room.

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Photo of the last family that lived in the tower,

sitting in the kitchen.

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Bonus to seeing the inside of Fat Tower :

The views were incredible!

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Interesting tid bit – this looks like a church but it has now been turned into a school.

Thanks for joining me!

 

Gorlitz, Germany May 6, 2015

06 May 2015 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: ,

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May 5, 2015

Welcome to Gorlitz, Germany!  Located right at the border of Germany and Poland, I can literally walk around the foot  bridge over the Neisse River and walk into Poland. Gorlitz is a relaxing, picturesque town that is perfect for strolling.  It was never bombed during  WWII so the beautiful architecture,  ancient churches, towers and the remaining city wall  are all original.  3700 buildings in Gorlitz are registered as Historical  Landmarks.

So to start…..here is a sampling of the architecture that is all over the city:

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It’s always Christmas in Germany.

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Lastly the town hall.

Stay  tuned….more of Gorlitz to come.

Thanks for reading!

 

DRESDEN, GERMANY, May 4, 2015, Day 2 OF 2

05 May 2015 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: ,

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That’s me showing you  how REALLY  big the Parade of Princes  is.

My Rick Steves  guide book says it is as long as a football field.

 

May 4, 2015

Today was  my last day in Dresden so ( being a Monday with  all of the museums  closed)  I spent the day  meandering the  Old Town area and  left to my own devices.   I went back to my favorite, Church of our Lady, to see it again.  There is a huge area in front of the Church that is fenced off due to an archaeological dig.    I pondered how little  we  stop to think of what was left by  past generations right under our feet. In the dig area I could see steps and passageways and walls – all well below the surface. Also there were a couple of photos of what the 1945 bombing did to the original church:

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Then I walked thru some passageways   probably  not meant for  commoners at the Royal Palace.  I went  with the theory  that if you act like you know what you are doing, most people won’t question you:

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This was behind some unlocked gates  which revealed  the courtyard in the middle of the Royal Palace complex.  Love the symmetry of those arches.

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I’m sure they left this gate unlocked so people could go in and appreciate the giant lilac bushes that were blooming.   The smell was heavenly!

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I always have time for bird watching.  Can you see the 3377 price on this bird?  That’s in Euros and it is Meissen porcelain.   The same porcelain that the Zinger’s   Glockenspiel’s 40 bells are made from.  Nothing but  the best for  the Royalty of the past.

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Then I sat down to have lunch with this lady who looked like she needed some company.  She was a tad on the quiet side but I didn’t mind doing all of the talking.

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On my way back  to the train station, this gal ran pass me in tizzy – guess there are always a  weirdo or 2  out and about.

At the train station I learned that a German rail strike was going to start  the next day – one of my  travel days. 😦

But  this display of the worlds best German  candy bars  caught my eye – Ritter!   Chocolate  always  brightens  any  moment.

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Thanks for traveling with me.

Tomorrow – Gorlitz is  the destination!

DRESDEN, GERMANY DAY 1 OF 2

04 May 2015 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized

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Ampelmann traffic light – a leftover from East  Germany

MAY  3, 2015

Welcome to Dresden, Germany!   I arrived on a beautiful sunny day determined to see as much as I could in a 1-2 days time. Dresden is in the Saxony area of the country and was formally located in “East Germany” under communist rule until 1989. The Old Town of Dresden was heavily bombed during WWII in February 1945 so the buildings in my photos have been rebuilt to their original design with the exception of the Wall of Princes which survived the bombing.

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Crown Gate of the Zinger Palace

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Another piece of the Zwinger from the 18th Century

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The Zinger’s  Glockenspiel with 40 Meissen porcelain bells (Meissen- very very expensive)

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Procession of Princes, a 394 foot mural depicting a parade of  700 years of Saxon royalty.  Made of 24,000 tiles of Meissen porcelain in 1871. When made these tiles were fired 3 times at 2400 degrees, thus able  to withstand the WWII bombing.

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Semperoper   /  Opera House

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Church of Our Lady – a beautiful  Protestant  church, which sat in ruins for decades until 1992 when it was rebuilt for 100 million dollars, which  came from donations  all over the world.

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Baroque Catholic Church – a huge church even though only a small percentage of the people are Catholic.

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As always,  I manage to do some  bird watching every where I go.

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Last shot of the Crown Gate before I call it a day as…..

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this is  what I felt like by now from the jet lag.

Thanks for traveling with me!

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