Farizan's Travel log

We visited Hallerau with Prof. Mueller of TUD to observe the different stages of development that has taken place there. It was interesting to note the blend of different architectures in the area between old alpine concept to the new and modern structures.

One thing that was of interest was that Hallerau is a really beautiful residential suburb which even attracts tourists for its beautiful man-made landscapes and diversity.

My friend Oliver visited me from Frankfurt and we wanted to do some sight seeing in the country side. Off we went to the tourist infomation centre to get brochures and directions to go there.

Before I knew it.. we were on our way there. He is excellent with maps and didnt have any trouble at all looking for the landmark. I meanwhile just enjoyed sceneries of the white covered snow on rooftops and forest trees. Yes, winter has its beauty too.

I've made a detailed report on Moritzburg, so if you would like to read more about it please refer to my articles.

Right after breakfast, we drove up to Altenberg in the Erzgebirge Mountains. The main activity was skiing up there. Also some folks would go into the national park and exercise by walking up to 5 miles a long the trails or even skiing.

We didn't really have any skiing gear with us and we just wanted to see the different parts of the National Park.

There were several hides at different sections of the Park where one could get such awesome views of the landscapes. At one of the hides, I could see the Czech Republic as Altenberg is very close to the Czech border checkpoint.

Some nice photos taken there too!

After hearing so much about Meissen from Dredsners we decided to go there for a day outing. The air there was pleasant and everything seems quiet in winter. Nevertheless, we could visit all the tourist spots such as the Porcelain street and museum.

Buchstabenstein was a good puzzle .. I gave up at the letter H..

Definately worth another trip in Summer!

A crazy time to be doing a city tour in winter.. and a hard winter at that in January of 2003. Nevertheless, we did it and survived. We started the tour from Pilnitz by bus and saw many castles built by King Augustus the Strong in the 16th Century. Der Schloss as they are called in german are just amazing. Even in such weather they continue to glow with beauty.

In August of 2002, Dresden suffered the 100 year flood which was essentially the single worst flood disaster that ever hit Dresden. Signs of damage are still obvious but restoration work are in progress. I noted flood lines at which the Elbe River had graced along the castle. The river mass must have reached nearly 2 metres. Goodness! It was just incredible.

At the time I visited the Elbe River were nearly 50 feet away and calm.

Heading back to Altstadt, we passed by the de-commissioned cable cars and the tv tower (fernsehen turm ?).

Chilly but nice tour indeed.

The city tour began at 8.05am as we moved from Dresden by bus to Pilnitz. Upon arrival we walked up the park to the castle with much intro about the the 16th Century history of the castle.

The garden surrounding the Castle was built in 1780. A breathtaking sight in summer as seen from many photographs in tourist brochures and books about the castle. The beauty of the part is somewhat reminiscent of an english garden is kept even until today. It would seem that no time as passed at all, with the colors of the castle glowing in orange as if new and with such a well groomed garden. It's almost like taking a step back into the renaissance days.

I'll write a short report soon on Pilnitz and include a small photo album.