I never thought East Germany would be such a great place for photography. There were a ton of places for good photos and it was all a bit overwhelming… It was nice to take breaks on occasion for some hearty German snacks to keep my carbs at manageable levels.

Captured near the rebuilt center of bombed-out Dresden.  This is part of a new textures tutorial I have going up  later this week!

This reminds me of my best friend and partner who majored in 19th Century German History. I am sure he knows who all those people on this famous Dresden wall are. And what good does it do in our friendship and business? None.

The bridge where they moved the excommunicated to execution…

I was there towards the late afternoon and there was an eerie red light in the sky over the blackened bridge.

This was shot in Dresden, Germany. Again, I was not supposed to be anywhere close to this area with a camera, but I gave serious nods to the right people and before they could get their bearing, I got enough shots to show everyone how awesome this place is!

I walked across the city square in Halle, Germany on the way to a business dinner… I stopped in the middle to take this shot since the clouds and everything was so perfect!

A perfectly clear day in Germany… although, truth be told - I prefer a bunch of crazy-lookin’ clouds!

This is the front of a cathedral in Leipzig… It was a very nice day… little cafes, pastry shops, and the like…

Oh this old thing?

This is from one of the city squares, which I guess is really a triangle, in Dresden.

This is a narrow street full of restaurants near the big church in Dresden.

This is the Zwinger Palace in Dresden.

It was built when Augustus the Strong returned from Versailles outside of Paris after visiting Louis XIV. The Neoclassical architecture here is different than the baroque style through the rest of Dresden.

To the right you can see the art museum called the “Old Masters Picture Gallery” where I spent the afternoon. They had many Raphaels, Rubens, Canalettos, and even a Rembrandt there along with an array of work from other northern Italians.

I spent the first night in Boehlen, Germany. It was a tiny town about an hour south of Leipzig. I noticed when I drove up that there was a nuclear power plant there right by the town.

This church was completely destroyed during the firebombing and was just rebuilt and completed late last year. I was very lucky to capture it without anyone standing in the middle of the shot!

I found this deep in Leipzig.

After the carpet bombing from the American and the British in 1945, the city of Dresden was left in ruins. in the past 60 years, the city has been meticulously rebuilt to its former glory.

I had a busy week at the game show in Leipzig… did some good deals and had good meetings… and I took the train on Saturday to Dresden to explore while all the other game people seem to go out to bars until 4 AM and drink, well, like Germans. I don’t know if I am lame for going to bed early then waking up at 6 AM to catch an early train to a city to explore, but that’s okay with me. Just me and my ipod and my camera…

I’ve been completely blown away by Dresden. It was recommended to me by a few friends and after spending the day there, I have to say that it compares closely to some of my best photography days around Italy or France. The Baroque architecture is stunning and it is completely unique and charming. I wish I had more time there, but I did get a bunch of good shots I will sprinkle into my stream in coming weeks.

I’m off to Ukraine next… Aeroflot here I come. I hope the mechanic does not come down the aisle again making a collection to buy a part for the plane. That never inspires confidence.