Mark and I have lived in Warsaw for over 3 years but had not driven outside of Warsaw together. Through my church assignments, I have traveled with others to Polish cities such as Poznań, Łodz, Białystok, Bydgoszcz and Lublin….and Mark has made some business trips by car out to drilling sites….but we had not driven together outside of Warsaw.
So we made plans to travel to Freiberg, Germany at the end of February, and there attend the Freiberg Germany Temple with a few Polish members of our church.
We looked forward to these few days together.
Mark and I drive our little Skoda around Warsaw just fine….
….but the journey to Germany would take between 6-1/2 to 7 hours each way. Mark wanted a bigger car for such a long, high-speed trip….and also wanted a bigger car because we had been asked to take a young lady from Lublin with us on the trip. So he rented an Opel Insignia, which came with a 2.0-liter, diesel engine….more than enough power for the long distance trip.
Unfortunately, we neglected to take a picture of the car….it was a gray station wagon with a low, aerodynamic profile….not the boxy type of station wagons that we grew up with. We also didn't take a picture of the gear shift knob, which to Mark's surprise didn't have P-R-N-D-L on it. Instead, it had R-1-2-3-4-5-6….that's right, a 6-speed standard transmission. Though surprised, after pausing for a minute Mark thought to himself, "This could be fun."
Unfortunately, we neglected to take a picture of the car….it was a gray station wagon with a low, aerodynamic profile….not the boxy type of station wagons that we grew up with. We also didn't take a picture of the gear shift knob, which to Mark's surprise didn't have P-R-N-D-L on it. Instead, it had R-1-2-3-4-5-6….that's right, a 6-speed standard transmission. Though surprised, after pausing for a minute Mark thought to himself, "This could be fun."
Since I have not driven a "stick shift" car for many years, I opted for Mark to be the driver for the entire journey. He did a great job!
Though it was still February, the weather was spring-like as we traveled west across Poland. There were beautiful skies….
….and rows and rows of stately trees.
Missing from the roadsides, which we didn't miss, were billboard signs that are so common when traveling across the US.
There were many clean and beautiful bridges (sans graffiti) spanning the highways.
We saw many large semi-trucks traveling in both directions…something we rarely see as we travel in and around Warsaw.
There were a number of modern windmill farms….many more as we got closer to Germany.
We crossed the border into Germany and then had about a 3-hour drive until we arrived in Freiberg. There were no "Welcome to Germany" signs….but we knew we were no longer in Poland.
The GPS worked well until we crossed the German border….since our extra chip is only for Poland, the GPS didn't work in Germany.
However there appeared to be a navigation guide of a higher power for us….as we approached Freiberg the sun's rays appeared to be shining down onto the location of the Freiberg Temple!
However there appeared to be a navigation guide of a higher power for us….as we approached Freiberg the sun's rays appeared to be shining down onto the location of the Freiberg Temple!
This scene was quite beautiful and symbolic….and it left me pondering. The temple brings light not only into the lives of the people who attend, but also to the people and cities where it is built. Here I see the temple as a beacon of "light" for Freiberg.
A welcome sight for us….
We had arrived at the temple grounds…Grace, me and Mark.
Grace is the young woman from Lublin that rode with us. She is actually from Taiwan, attending medical school in Lublin….a long way from her home in Taiwan, and from the husband with whom she could only spend ten days after they were married, before she had to return to school in Poland.
Having arrived in Freiberg before dark, we were happy to be able to walk around the temple grounds.
The people of Freiberg commonly refer to the temple grounds as "Temple Square"….the same term used for the temple and surrounding buildings in Salt Lake City….quite interesting that they would use the same term.
The Freiberg Germany Temple was the 33rd temple built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and it was the first temple built behind the Iron Curtain, in the former German Democratic Republic, or East Germany.
The story of how the Freiberg Temple came to be built in a communist country is quite interesting and inspiring. I read part of its history to Mark as we drove to Freiberg….it made coming here more meaningful.
The temple was dedicated in 1985, and its story is often referred to a "latter-day miracle".
When we arrived at the temple grounds there were gray clouds, but the temple was still a beautiful sight.
On all the temples around the world are the words…."Holiness to the Lord….House of the Lord".
It is written in German below.
After taking pictures around the temple we wanted to explore around Freiberg and find somewhere to eat dinner. I had been told that there was not much to see and do in this small German city. But not far from the temple grounds we did find part of the town square. A few people were out strolling and skating.
After figuring out how to pay for parking we parked the car and began walking to see the sights and find a place to eat. I was searching for a sign that said something about "Freiberg"….and finally found one, although I believe it is a sign advertising a local beer.
The city of Freiberg was founded in 1186, and for centuries it was the center of the mining industry in the Ore Mountains. Today Freiberg is both a mining an university town….the university was established in 1765 and is the oldest mining university in the world.
A "Freiberg" manhole cover....
A very old brick tower….
….and a quaint German restaurant….just what we were looking for.
We enjoyed a relaxing German meal….and then had a nice walk back to the town square area where our car was parked.
As we drove back toward the apartments on the temple grounds we saw the temple once again….it was quite a beautiful site .
We spent time in the temple on Friday morning, then traveled to the nearby city of Dresden and explored there for a number of hours (a separate blog post). In the evening we returned to Freiberg and attended the temple once more. The next morning we would leave to return to Warsaw.
Saturday morning the sky was a brilliant blue….such a beautiful backdrop to the Freiberg Temple
We were glad we made the journey to Germany….
….to share what our Polish friends and members of the church experience. It is a sacrifice for many of them to come, and that made it all the more rewarding for us to be with them.
Mark wanted me to capture some of the sites on the German autobahn as we journeyed back home to Warsaw….since our GPS didn't work until we met the Polish border, we were quite happy with the occasional signs telling us we were heading in the right direction.
At one point the traffic in the opposite direction was backed up for a couple of miles due to a wreck. We were glad to be heading east and not west at this time.
Mark said that ever since he heard about the German autobahns when he was a boy, he had been curious about what it would be like to drive on one.
As seen in the picture above and video below, the autobahns look much like a four lane, divided freeway in the US.…but in Germany there are long distances with no speed limits. Although some drive at very high speeds, it is very orderly, with slower traffic staying to the right and faster traffic passing by on the left.
Mark asked me to take some video of the experience. The main point of the video is that we are traveling 80 mph or more, and cars fly past us on the left as if we were going 10 mph.
As seen in the picture above and video below, the autobahns look much like a four lane, divided freeway in the US.…but in Germany there are long distances with no speed limits. Although some drive at very high speeds, it is very orderly, with slower traffic staying to the right and faster traffic passing by on the left.
Mark asked me to take some video of the experience. The main point of the video is that we are traveling 80 mph or more, and cars fly past us on the left as if we were going 10 mph.
Finally there was a small sign that we would soon be crossing into Poland….where for long stretches they drive just as fast as in Germany.
Our first experience driving outside the city of Warsaw, and into another country went very well. We enjoyed traveling to Freiberg and Dresden (another blog post), and we especially enjoyed attending the temple and having simply positive experiences.
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