The Transparent Factory

Today was a perfect fall day -- sunny, mild and breezy, with rustling leaves and a deep blue sky -- so I headed over to Dresden's Großer Garten. This is a massive park west of the Altstadt that has been beautifully restored since its destruction in 1945. It includes a palace, a zoo, and the "Gläserne Manufaktur Volkswagen", which they call the Transparent Factory in English.

People can be forgiven for thinking that a classical 17th-century park is the last place you would want to put a car factory, but this facility is something else. Located on the edge of the park, it's a huge, gleaming glass building dedicated to production of the Phaeton, VW's $70,000+ luxury entry. You can see much of the production process through the clear glass walls, and it really is quite an aesthetic achievement. If all the walking about makes you hungry, you can have a wonderful meal at Lesage, a top-notch restaurant located inside the factory.

This weekend, my last here in Dresden, will be devoted to local trips, with Chemnitz, Augustusburg, Leipzig, Görlitz and Bautzen on the list. More about these soon.

Indian Dinner

Yesterday evening one of the guys in my class -- Akhil Agrawal -- invited me over to his place for dinner. He's a young electrical engineer from India who went to university in Germany and recently started working for a tech company here in Dresden.

What surprised me about the dinner was how good it was, especially since this fellow claimed to have never cooked a thing in his life before a couple of weeks ago. Very simple -- aloo gobi (made with broccoli instead of cauliflower), chapatis made from fried flour tortillas, yogurt as raita, and a salad -- but the main dish was nicely spiced and it was all very tasty. We ate the Indian way, i.e. no fork and right hand only, used to tear off a piece of chapati, pick up some aloo gobi, and dip it into the "raita". For dessert we had bananas whizzed with milk in the blender, and then we talked about life in India (which I find endlessly fascinating) and the influence of the Bhagavād Gīta (a copy of which was by the table). A very enlightening way to spend an evening.

Quest for Ming

Yesterday after class, inspired by the sunny, mild weather, I headed off to visit the neighboring town of Meißen. Known around the world for its porcelain, the city is popular here for its undamaged medieval core and good wines.

The quick (30 minute) train trip deposits you at the station on the opposite side of the river from the town, which presents a postcard-perfect approach vista with the Schloß (castle) perched just above the red-roofed Altstadt. The narrow, winding streets are pretty but not surprisingly quite touristy-looking, with seemingly every other store selling all manner of souvenirs. Off the Markt a sign beckoned with those famous crossed swords (the mark on the bottom of Meissen china), and I was drawn in as if by a magnetic force. I quickly decided I had to have a piece in the Ming pattern, which features a green fire-breathing dragon, but the shape I wanted was not available. The saleslady recommended that I head over to the store attached to the actual factory about 1 km away, and off I went.

About 10 minutes later I found myself in a veritable treasure trove of porcelain, glistening with pieces of every size, shape and color. Oddly, it was packed with young German soldiers, all in uniforms, who wandered around looking bored. I quickly found the green dragon display, but -- oh no! -- the shape I wanted was not there. I asked the nearest saleslady for help, and she sent a colleague to the storeroom to see if they had one. About 20 minutes later she returned, bearing exactly the piece I was looking for. It was even better-looking than I expected, so I bought it despite the horrifying price tag. "But it's Meissen...", I rationalized, for about a nanosecond. Out popped the AmEx, into the bag went my prize, and now I have one more thing not to break on the trip back to New York.

Yenidze; Film Night #2

Yesterday we went out for lunch with our class to the restaurant under the dome of the Yenidze, easily the most bizarre sight here in Dresden. Built as a cigarette factory in 1907 in the style of a mosque (!), it was bombed during the war and repaired/ reopened as a state-owned "VEB Tabakkontor" in the DDR in the 1950s. In 1997 it was renovated into an office-restaurant complex.

Given that the only common language the class shares is German, plus the very varied cultural and experiential backgrounds of the students and the fact that we have not yet progressed to a level beyond VERY basic conversation, the lunch was, shall we say, quite awkward, with many mortifying periods of silence at our table of 15 or so. My '"exotic oriental salad" was exactly that: several of the tropical fruits and vegetables festooning my plate were varieties I've never seen before. The food was good, though, and I ordered a large beer which helped lubricate things somewhat (in my head, at least).

After lunch, I went downtown for some book shopping. The picture at left is the Karstadt department store on the pedestrianized Prager Straße, an elegant prewar avenue that was rebuilt in the 1950s in the socialist mold favored at the time -- soulless, grandiose, brutal and now hopelessly dated.

Tonight is Film Night again at the Institute, and they are showing Nowhere in Africa. Since I've seen it and know the plot, so it should be easier to follow than last week's show.

Sunday in Eisenach

Today I rounded out my travels through Thuringia with a visit to Eisenach, the birthplace of Bach and location of the spectacular Wartburg castle.

I arrived after lunch due to an unexpected detour courtesy of the Deutsche Bahn, and decided to visit the Wartburg first. While the ascending road gives hints of what is to come, it does not really convey the steepness with which the castle is perched atop the cliff. The Wartburg amazed me with its forbidding remoteness and astonishingly precipitous location. Click here to read about the castle and its history. Founded in 1067... the place where the 13th century Sängerkrieg (Minstrels' Contest) that inspired Wagner's Tannhäuser was held... a 16th century refuge for Martin Luther... since 1999 on UNESCO World Heritage list... it really is an incredible sight. The views from all sides are awe-inspiring, and everything felt even more atmospheric as it was a windy, misty grey day, with leaves rustling all around and a moist sheen slickening the ancient stonework.

Feeling ambitious, I walked the steep descent back down to the town, passing the Gymnasium where Bach and Luther had both studied, and stopped to rest a bit in the Markt. I then walked over to the Bachhaus Museum, which was also very interesting. They are not sure whether Bach was actually born in this house, but there is evidence he may have been, and the house has been a shrine to Bach since 1906. In addition to the expected exhibits, the highlight was a demonstration given by museum personnel of period instruments, including a Swiss pedal-operated organ, a clavier, a spinet and a harpsichord. They closed the session out with a recorded excerpt from Bach's Magnificat, which was a glorious end to the visit.

I caught the 4:00pm Inter-City Express train back to Dresden, and made it home in time for dinner.

The Schwarza Valley & Saalfeld

Before leaving Erfurt this morning, I visited the 12th-century St. Marien Cathedral. Since it was built and modified over many centuries, it incorporates a variety of architectural styles. You enter a relatively austere romanesque sanctuary, airy and serene, and then go up several steps at one end to access the narrower gothic nave. At its end, you are struck by the riot of colors, textures and intricate embellishments that comprise the 15th-century, 50-foot tall baroque stucco altar, which includes a Cranach painting, numerous life-sized statues of saints, cupids, flowers, gilding and other confectionery -- the works. The long, high 700-year-old stained glass windows surrounding all of this are breathtaking.

Later that morning, I encountered an extremely odd sight. I went into a bakery to get a cup of coffee, and the pastry case was swarming with ... bees. They were buzzing all over the various cakes and sweet rolls, and neither the counterwoman nor the customers seemed to think it was in the least bit strange.

Leaving Erfurt, I headed to the Schwarza Valley to the south. The little train first glided along neat open fields of brown, gold and green, behind which stood rolling, fir-covered hills. Red-roofed villages appeared here and there, often cloaked in mist and with wisps of smoke drifting from the house chimneys. As the train neared the valley, it began to snake through dense forest and over small trestle bridges, as the sides of the valley grew higher and higher.

I changed trains at Rottenbach, and did a double take when I saw on the platform an ancient steam locomotive with vintage green wagons and yellow "Reichsbahn" insignias on the side. Apparently they run these antique trains for enthusiasts over weekends along the Rennsteig (an old, 100-mile-long hiking trail that winds through the Thuringian Forest and along high ridges).

I alighted at Talstation Obstfelderschmiede were I boarded the Oberweißbacher Bergbahn. This is apparently the steepest funicular railway in the world that uses "normal" rail cars (albeit on a rolling wedge to keep the riders level with the ground).

Midway to the top, you switch to a tram-like electric train that winds through rolling fields to the resort-lette of Cursdorf. It was well-worth the trip, and the operators of the trains are justifiably proud of the service, which commenced in 1923.

Back down at Obstfelderschmiede, I caught the train to Rottenbach. While waiting there for my final connection of the day, I saw the most enormous, picture-perfect rainbow I have ever seen. It was a massive arc running across the opening of the valley, and viewed from the center-bottom it was quite a sight.

I finished the day in Saalfeld, a very pretty town about 20 minutes away. I arrived too late to walk around beyond the large main square, but in time for a wonderful dinner. I stayed at the Anker Hotel, which grew out of the Gasthof zur Güldenen Gans (founded in 1543!), and dined in their cellar restaurant, Zum Güldenen Gans. Its cozy series of vaulted, candle-lit rooms are highlighted by a cream plaster wall adorned with a brown, red, grey and black medieval mural.

On the recommendation of the sole avuncular waiter, who may in fact have been the proprietor, I started with a clear beef broth with fluffy, marble-sized dumplings and flecks of onion, carrots and peas. This was followed by a very colorful small salad that included finely-shredded black radish, red cabbage, green pepper, cucumber and lettuce with a sugar-vinegar dressing and a splotch of herbed yogurt cream in the center. For my main course, I had what was called Eichsteak an Waldpilzen und Pfeffersoße mit Kartoffel-Quarkpasteten. It may or may not have been beef -- it could have also been a game steak, but I wasn't sure -- and was grilled medium-rare and served with a delicious wild mushroom and black peppercorn sauce. In a separate dish came two crispy golden potato croquettes stuffed with molten herbal quark (a soft, fresh cheese). All were delicious, and were washed down with a very nice local Saalfelder Pilsner.

My room was very comfortable and immaculate, and the staff could not have been friendlier. Saalfeld turned out to be a stop well worth making.

Greetings from Erfurt

I am writing this from the Fischmarkt in front of the Rathaus in Erfurt, the capital of the German Land (state) of Thüringen (Thuringia).

Despite some significant wartime damage and years of stagnation in the DDR, Erfurt today is a highly characterful and charming place. The vibe on the street seems more lively than in Dresden, and the people here seem more brash and sociable than their more reserved Saxon neighbors.

The historic streetplan in Erfurt appears to be intact (something that has been lost in the many German cities that sustained wholesale destruction in WWII), and the city remains a network of winding cobbled streets with tiny side lanes with a wonderful mix of architectural styles. Much of the Altstadt is closed to traffic except for trams, which further preserves the historical feel.

[The excellence of the streetcars all over Germany makes one rue their demise in New York even more. In both Erfurt and Dresden, sleek Siemens trams glide quickly and quietly throughout the center and whisk riders right to the inner suburbs in comfort and style, without spewing exhaust, screeching brakes and inscrutable schedules. Most stops in the center have illuminated signs that tick down the minutes until the next tram arrives and also indicate the line and any extra messages. It makes urban travel here a complete pleasure.]

In front of the Domplatz (Cathedral Square) they are having an "Erfurter Oktoberfest", which is actually an elaborate carnival. The rides, game booths and food stalls are all immaculate, brightly painted and lit up with tons of flashing lights, which makes for an arresting contrast with the massive Dom and the triple-towered Severikirche looming silently above, their ancient illuminated silhouettes glowing gold and sentry-like against a deep indigo sky.

I am staying in a TINY  inn on a curving wisp of a street. It's called Haus zur Pfauen and has a micro-brewery that for once lives up to the name, since it could pretty much fit in my living room. They claim to brew their beers according to a recipe from 1587. They probably only produce enough to slake the thirst of the adjoining restaurant, and even that might be a stretch given the amount of beer consumed around here.

I had dinner at a restaurant called Feuerkugel, which serves local specialties. I passed on the Thüringer Pferdegoulasch mit Apfelrotkraut und hausgemachte Thüringer Klöße (Thuringian Horse Goulash with Apple-Red Cabbage and homemade Thuringian dumplings). Instead I had a dark Köstritzer beer vom Faß (on tap), a  small salad and a plate of delicious Erfurter Schwarzbierfleisch. This was a beef stew in a glossy dark beer sauce accompanied by dumplings and green beans. The dumplings were two glistening handball-sized spheres, soft and moist, with browned bread cubes tucked into the center, a crown of toasted breadcrumbs and a sprinkling of chopped parsley. The texture was almost rice-like but neither glutinous nor gluey; I think they are made from potatoes, but they also seemed to contain farina. Very tender and not at all breadlike as their Czech cousins usually are. The beans were cloaked in a light white-sauce glaze with tiny pieces of speck (German bacon) and chopped chervil. The atmosphere was relaxed and convivial, and the waiters friendly and attentive. While this is not food for every day, it's hard to beat on a blustery fall evening, and it's too bad that good German cooking is so hard to find in the U.S.

Tomorrow I am off to the Schwarza Valley and then Saalfeld, and on Sunday to Eisenach.