Dresden Day 1.
The next morning we made our way out of Berlin and over to Dresden.
Dresden’s tourist area really only consists of a few block radius from the Frauenkirche (old Protestant church) to the Hofkirche (old catholic church) and Zwinger (palace turned museum) up against the Elbe. Everything was very nicely rebuilt within the past 5 years or so – new hotels, new restaurants, but even the more modern elements fit in nicely with the classic style of the old buildings.
We arrived just in time for a late lunch after which Mom, Lethy and I went for a walk to get the lay of the land.
As night approached we reconvened for a spectacular dinner in a newly opened restaurant nearby with a great courtyard.
Dresden Day 2.
The next morning up and out at 8 for what at first seemed like an overpriced breakfast that turned out great. Fresh fruits, jams and honey with croissants and rolls.
From there we crossed the square to the Frauenkirche. It had been almost completely destroyed in WWII and was just finally rebuilt and reopened.
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Then we went down the alley with the large mural showing pictures of the various benefactors of the city and poked our heads into the Hofkirche. The difference in styles was immediately obvious. I did find the modern sculpture depicting 3 souls (Purgatory ascension, condemnation left to right) in the left side chapel to be odd.
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From there we headed towards the Zwinger. Parked out in front was a Trabant limo. For those not familiar, Trabant was an East German car, renowned for its… crapitude. Mom was determined to have her picture taken with it, alas she came up short.
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The Zwinger grounds were still under quite a bit of reconstruction and repairs. Some areas were closed off completely while others had the statues missing as they were being cleaned (from fire damage in 1945).
After walking about, we went inside the armory where I learned 2 things:
1. Just because you see a reflection with your eye, does not mean it will come out (or look cool) in a photo.
2. No pictures allowed inside the armory!
From there we headed to a group of 6 other exhibits including medieval science instruments, coins, and more… but alas it was closed. We drowned our miseries in lunch and pastries.
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Yes, they were as good as they looked. Before heading back to the Zwinger, we made a dinner reservation. In the afternoon we went through the gallery at the Zwinger, but Dad and I had to leave early for a conference call.
Back at the restaurant…
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Yum. Lethy and I decided to walk some of it off…
Lethy found a cool ride!
The next morning we would be packing up and heading to Decin and then on to Ceska Lipa as we made our way to Prague. All Dresden photos can be found here.