Magdeburg

On our drive back from Berlin, my dad and I stopped in Magdeburg, which turned out to be a beautiful day. 

I have to admit that neither one of us really had any idea of what we'd find in Magdeburg or even the historical significance of this town. You can read more about it here, which is well worth it!

Our first stop was at the magnificent cathedral.

Emperor Otto I, who founded the Holy Roman Empire, is buried here. You can read more about him by clicking here.

There were some wonderfully bizarre carvings on the choir benches.

I just love gargoyles!

Magdeburg is situated on the River Elbe and of course we had to take a look.

And here is what turned out to be my favorite part of Magdeburg - The Green Citadel, an architectural creation by the Viennese artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. 

Even though the house was built after Hundertwasser's death in 2000, he had just about completed the plans for this very fun building before he died.

It just made me happy!

Even the bathrooms were amazing. My dad took a few pictures.

I never thought I'd show a picture of urinals, but can you believe the aquarium?!

We ate lunch in the inner courtyard.

I couldn't get over the colors and the forms and how nothing was square, yet everything quite functional.

A great place to relax!

And a couple of other gorgeous buildings around the downtown. There's much we didn't see - maybe we'll go back when Daniel comes with me to Germany next time!

When I asked Daniel if he knew of Magdeburg, he said that he drove there to do some research (he was studying medieval european art history at the time) in the cathedral before the reunification. I had completely forgotten about that. He had to get special permission to drive there and spend time in the cathedral. His experience sounded like a completely different one - not as nice, but just as interesting. It'll be fun for him to see what it's like now!

❧ Silke