Day 6 - Dresden
As I noted yesterday, because it was a transportation center, Dresden was bombed in WWII, with 80-85 percent of the city destroyed. Today it is a bustling city again.  On our walking tour of the city this morning, we were reminded again of the destruction, but were able to marvel at the incredible reconstruction which had taken place.  Major public buildings, such as the opera house, the Frauenkirche, and the Zwinger (a series of buildings created as a leisure space by one of the emperors) have been restored to their former glory. We visited the so-called "Green Vault", where rare and exotic items collected by the royal families over the centuries have been given a museum setting.

After lunch, Jan and I headed back to the Dresden Old Town, first to stop at the city church for a look at the baroque altar and pulpit, and then on to the Old Masters wing of the Zwinger museum.  There we saw major works from the 17th and 18th century, collected by the Saxon royalty.  Unfortunately, no photos were allowed, but the displays were impressive.  The rain began to fall steadily, so when walking back to the ship, we were grateful to have worn our raincoats.

In the evening, we headed back to the Old Town for a quick supper of German meats, cheeses and farmer bread, then we were ready to attend a concert of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic at the Frauenkirche which included works by Haydn, Britten and Schubert.  The Frauenkirche, the largest church in the city, was rebuilt after the war.  It has a high, vaulted ceiling under a rotunda and wonderful acoustics.  We had a great time.

Tomorrow we start upriver again into what is called the Saxon Switzerland because of the more mountainous terrain.  In the evening we will leave Germany and enter the Czech Republic.