SFHS GAPP 2025: #9

March 31, 2025 - Dresden

Today was the first day we had bad luck with the weather; it was rainy and cold. Nevertheless, we took the train to Dresden to explore the city. Get ready for a LOT of pictures!

Holden writes:

Today, after much anticipation, we traveled to Dresden for the day and spent our time on a fun and interesting tour through the most architecturally appealing section of the city. Our amazing tour guide Michael brought us to many historic landmarks like the beautiful Frauenkirche and its equally stunning neighbor, the Fürstenzug. After the tour my group and I visited the top of the Frauenkirche and 544 stair steps later, we indulged in the scenic view of the whole city. We could see everything from Hauptbahnhof to the Kunsthalle.

After that it was time to take the train back to Leipzig and spend time with our host families. Annabell showed me a handful of German games which she expected to win but was very disappointed when I beat her 55-0 in a matching game called Dobble. After that terrible upset, we moved on to Ubongo which we both decided was too hard and after that, we called it a night.

Going to Dresden really was a special opportunity and it was amazing to experience it with the whole GAPP group. Overall, it’s been a great trip so far.

Isaac writes:

Guten Tag aus Deutschland! This trip has been a blast, and it’s crazy to think it’s only been about a week since we’ve left. This past week has been full of awesome experiences, like seeing German architecture, almost missing a train, trying lasagna, and experiencing a German school. Seeing all the exchange partners has been lots of fun, getting to catch up and make more memories.

I have been quite surprised by many cultural differences here. While in Berlin, I walked into a Starbucks and asked if they had grilled cheese. The worker goes “Grilled… cheese…?”. I didn’t realize many foods we know at home could be weird here. I was also surprised by having to pay to pee. In several bathrooms, they’ve required a euro or two. I think peeing should be free.

Today was a good day. We got to skip school to go to Dresden. The city appeared to have very old and grand buildings, but most of them were actually built less than 50 years ago because Dresden was completely destroyed in WWII. We got to go on a guided tour around the central city, and we saw the palace and two churches. After, we all split up for lunch. I got a Margherita pizza. It was kind of mid but that’s ok because I also got coffee. We then went to the top of the Frauenkirche, which was about 400 feet tall. It was cool to see the whole city from above, both visually literally. The wind made us freeze, but it was still a cool experience.

I am still waiting to eat Spaghettieis, but the longer I wait, the better it will taste. I am excited for our next adventures this week, and I can’t wait for the Fußball game on Saturday. Hope everything in America is chillin. See y’all soon! 👍🏼

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We also visited the Grünes Gewölbe and the Rüstungskammer, but unfortunately we had to race through both to get back to the train station on time. The jewelry and other treasures were still breathtaking. Fun fact: One of the most spectacular jewelry heists happened in the Grüne Gewölbe.

Today's picture gallery starts with Lee's signature ground-up shots, which are (almost) as breathtaking as the above-mentioned jewelry: