Fun and games

Friday evening's event was a series of competitions among all students here. In the first two pictures you see one event, a ski-type race, at the beginning when things were going well followed by a crash. Note that this group got up immediately following this shot and finished the race (ok-they did come in last).

Schnecken

The local wildlife includes something called a Schnecke (snail), but these critters are not what you mmight expect. They have no "house" and they are much longer than you would expect. Next to this one is a 10 cent coin (,10€--a little larger than an American dime.

Dresden

We've been walking considerably more than we are used to, which has everyone with sore calf muscles and achy feet.

This weekend was filled with an optional excursion to Dresden on Saturday. The first picture is taken from the bridge over the Elbe River, looking toward the city. The other pictures are of the Frauenkirche, which we learned was not destroyed during the bombing of the city in February 13-14, 1945, but whose windows were not secured. The ensuing fire was sucked into the cathedral, the sandstone material became porous with the high heat of the fire, and the cuppola collapsed on Feb. 15. The church was a "Mahnmal" (a memorial meant to warn others) from 1945 until following the fall of the Iron Curtain, when money poured into the city to restore it to its former beauty. The reconstruction process used all stone that could be salvaged, and brought stonemasons from around Europe to make the missing pieces. The church was rededicated on Reformation Day (Oct. 31) in 2005. The golden cross on the top of this baroque Lutheran church was donated by the son of the Englishman who flew the first bomber over the city. The church has a relativey small footprint, and is right in the middle of houses, so the architect had to be creative to get the 3000 seats required.

The bottom picture shows the church in late afternoon sun, the middle shows the paintings on the interior of the cuppola, and the top shows the view from the top of the cuppola looking down. The view from the top was well worth the hike up there.

A visit to the Apotheke

Three of the women in the group have come down with a bad cold/flu, necessitating a trip for a consultation with the local Apothekerin. The group went to the Goethe Apotheke, I described the various and sundry ailments, and the pharmacist asked questions, looking at the three patients. After considering all of the symptoms and ascertaining that all were adults, she fetched a packaged medicine designed to counteract sniffles, cough, aches/pains, and fever. She then advised that they the first dose and brought three cups of water while we sorted out two capsules per person. With directions on the need to avoid stress and sleep, as well as detailed instructions for future dosing, off we went to Kaufland (next door) to get chicken soup and cough drops. All of the patients reported feeling a slight change for the better within an hour, and all now appear to be on the path to recovery.

In Germany, doctor visits are reserved for the more seriously ill, and the pharmacist decides what medication is needed for milder illnesses. There are hardly any "over the counter" medications such as we would find at a Walgreens at home. Instead, you consult the professional pharmacist then drink your tea, take your drops or caplets as instructed, then watch for signs of improvement or worsening. I'm happy they all look better after one dose.

Joking around

Several of the students found the public art that was originally included with this blog, then posed with it.