Deutsche Bahn to Dresden

Today was a travel day from Berlin to Dresden. We took the Deutsche Bahn train from Alaxanderplatz in the former east Berlin toward Dresden, but were able to jump off early when we saw that it passed through Weinbohla -- the outlying town in which we'd reserved a hotel. Per the map I'd sketched from the hotel's web site we headed down a bicycle path through the fields and after a kilometer and a few turns we found the hotel.

We did a quick turnaround in the hotel, dropping off our backpacks and then heading for the tram into Dresden. We wanted to catch a tour through Volkswagen's Transparent Factory -- their new final assembly plant for Phaeton luxury sedans. It is on the south end of Dresden and the tram provided a straight shot from the hotel to the factory.

As noted in the guide book, the factory tour was essentially a 90 minute infomercial for Volkswagen, but I still found it interesting. The factory has a very open design and most of the walls are glass, so you can see pretty much everything. The cars sit on pedestals on an assembly line that slowly works its way through the building -- one day per area, three areas for assembly and one for test, four days to complete a car. The work is done by teams of two to four people who take ~15 minutes per station, and the only tools they use are electric screwdrivers and an occasional torque wrench. The factory has a hardwood floor, parts are moved around by robotic pallet lifters, and it is quiet and calm -- almost no noise at all. The VW folks wanted to create an environment that reeks of order and quality; they even turned down the speed on some of the robots so that they wouldn't upset the ambiance.



We caught the tram back into the old town of Dresden and found a market set up in the square. It was similar to a Saturday Market, but a whole lot more permanent -- the "booths" were wood structures set on the square. They could be moved about with reasonable effort, but they weren't torn down at the end of the day al la a typical market. Beth was able to indulge in her one of her few vices -- shopping for tablecloths! We were able to get enough loot for Beth and anyone else in the family who might have a weakness for linens.

After shopping we stopped off at a Tourist Information booth and were able to pick up a map for Saxon Switzerland National Park -- a nearby national park on the border between Germany and the Czech Republic. We'd heard that it had good hiking, but the map makes it look larger and more interesting than we'd thought. If it looks good tomorrow then we may consider extending our stay in the area in order to do more hiking.



We walked through an old church on the way to the river and enjoyed looking at the carvings on the columns. I'm not sure what story they were trying to tell, but I suspect that it has been a recurring one through the ages.



After passing through a tunnel I looked back and saw a rather stern looking statue guarding the entrance. I thought "Hmm, that reminds me of my brother Andy when he's trying to look menacing", so I snapped a quick picture. A little later Beth said "Did you see that one guy that looked like Andy?". Apparently it isn't just me that sees the resemblance.



It was near the end of the day and the sun was filling the square with a golden light and throwing some interesting shadows onto the buildings and statues. There was also a street musician playing a violin at the top of some stairs, and the combination made for a powerful impression. We spent a few minutes soaking up the ambiance.



As we crossed the river we noticed several hot air balloons launching from the far side. We'd seen others flying over the church, but it hadn't occurred to us that they were starting nearby. We stopped on the bridge to watch the yellow one finish filling and take off.