Schloss Pillnitz and ferry

While in Dresden we took a couple of trips across the Elbe river on the ferry to Schloss Pillnitz. It's a beautiful place and has interesting Chinese-styled ornamentation and artwork.

When the river floods, the water comes way up here. You can see the high water marks and various dates, the highest mark having been hit in the 2002 floods, and before that not since 1845:

The inner courts have gardens, more palaces, a Japanese camellia tree protected in a glass house in winter, and an "orangery", an indoor tropical garden not pictured here.

Erin's brother Colter visited later so some of us went back with him:

The local Dresdner are mostly observing a boycott of Schloss Pillnitz because it was always free of charge until recently but now costs a few Euros per person in the off season when we were there, but is more expensive starting in May when the buildings open for visits.