It was nearing dusk, but there was still ample sunlight to illuminate the spires of the age-old buildings that populate the Altstadt. Dresden was quiet, and few people were out in the street. For an American, there is a strange pause in the day there. The time between when the business close their doors for the night and about 10pm, when the city comes alive with people out for a good time.

I had been wandering back toward the Zetrum (or Centrum depending on where you are) along the wandering Elbe. I had passed around the Zwinger and then past the giant mosaic portraying the great warriors of the Saxon empire. As I pass into the square in front the Frauenkirche, I notice some men assembling a frame of some sort in the street along side the transportation museum. I decide to wait around for a while and see what was brewing.

At this time my German was quite weak (not that it got much better) and had no idea what was going on. As they assembled the object I began to see automotive markings. They were assembling a podium or sorts with ramps on both sides. They then hung a banner across the podium which read "2000km Durch Deutschland". "This must be some sort of race?" I say to myself. Within minutes the population in the square increased from myself and a few men busily assembling some sort of podium, to a few dozen people wandering about and hanging ropes along the street.

Within an hour the square was bustling with people. One man approached me and spoke in German, to witch I replied '"Ich spreche kine Deutsch". A phrase I had learned from my customer meaning "I speak not German." He seemed embarrassed and yet disgusted at the same time.

Just then, I hear a rumbling amidst the bustle of the crowd and an ancient Audi sedan with magnificent grace slipping through the people toward the now cheering crowd. As the car reached the podium I had to hold my camera above my head to clear the onlookers. The following is a sample of the cars that came through the Dresden checkpoint that night. It took hours and I had to retire for the night before the cars had finished rolling in.