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We have just come back from a weekend break in Dresden, which I wish I had made longer but I had forgotten that Monday is a national holiday. Still, I was pretty happy with how much we got through, although there is definitely a need to return in future. Fortunately, it is equidistant between here and Prague (as our Ceske Drahy train home this evening highlighted) so getting back again shouldn't be too difficult.
Thursday and Friday were mentally busy days at work and at one point I feared I wouldn't be able to get out on time. In the end, I was pretty much done by 5pm on the Friday, meaning we got to Spandau train station so early that we walked around Spandau Arkaden for twenty minutes just to kill time. An RE8 train was sat on our platform for over twenty minutes too on account of them struggling to onboard a disabled passenger, meaning our train was switched to a different platform. Still, it was all pretty painless and once we had ejected the people who were sat in our seats, we were on our way.
The train journey was largely uneventful, although we did manage to grab some Currywurst in the buffet car. I had never eaten a full meal on a Deutsche Bahn service before and it was largely okay, although the sauce was quite molten. Foolishly, I had said I would eat it back at our seat before realising it may smell too much for my fellow passengers, meaning we opted to stay in the buffet car to eat. Sadly, I had neglected to get the lady behind the counter to open the beer so I had to eat boiling hot curry with no way to cool my mouth. Furthermore, they had ran out of chips so we had it with bread, which added a painful texture too. Still, it was tasty enough and the rest of the two and a half hour ride was agreeable. We pulled into Dresden shortly before 9:20pm.
The interesting thing about Dresden railway station is it's on two levels, with the middle platforms lower down and the platforms either side higher up. These platforms are straight through whereas the middle ones terminate in the station. Viewing this from the window of our hotel, which overlooked the glorious arched facade of this building, it was quite confusing until we saw the layout when we were about to board our train home. Upon arrival, we saw a member of Deutsche Bahn staff trying to mend a model railway exhibit in the station concourse before we hopped over the road and checked into the Meiniger Hotel. This was quite expensive considering it's a cheap and cheerful brand which even has dormatories, but it is a holiday weekend. The beds were a little solid and there were no cups in the room, but the vinyl record theme was unique and although the shell of the building allowed for a lot of walking noise to penetrate through, we largely had a relaxing sleep.
We decided to hit the nightlife, leaving the hotel around 10pm. We decided to have a quick look at the facade of the train station before hopping on a tram to the Neustadt area, where most of the good bars are. This was seven stops away from the hotel on the number seven line, with the tram stop being conveniently located just down the road. We were heading to Louisenstrasse, down which it was a short walk to a rather bohemian area of pubs and clubs. It was quite busy and I liked the vibe here, although the bar we wanted to try was rammed. This was HORST Vier Vogel Bar and had been recommended to us by Snowi, who had visited Dresden with some friends back in March. Indeed, she had provided a number of recommendations for us. One of them was the nearby Kunsthof Passage, which we visited before settling on a bar, but the darkness did not do it justice. Indeed, we came back again on the Saturday afternoon and saw a wonderous collection of artistic design including a building with gold leaf on its exterior, a blue building with big gold buttons painted on it and my favourite which was drainpipes shaped into trombones and trumpets, which dumped the water it collected into a fountain. There were a number of mosiacs dotted around too, while this alleyway contained a number of small artisinal shops including a very interesting looking craft beer shop. Alas, it shut at 10pm so this was a Saturday visit too.
Google told us that Zapfanstalt was the best craft beer bar in the city and this was certainly the case, with a range of about six draft that we hadn't had as well as a number of reasonably priced bottles too. The plan had been to go here for just one, but the range was just too good and we ended up with several. The barkeep was a really nice guy too and being sat at the bar (as the place was so busy it was the only place free) meant we could order pretty easily. It turned out that this was the right decision as HORST only had two unique beers, so there was far less incentive to be there. We did go though, at around 1am on our way back to the tram, and enjoyed those two while marvelling at the bird-themed artwork on the wall. The LGBTQ+ flag was also appreciated in a city that has links to the far-right, a situation that was made known with a number of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-leftist stickers we saw dotted around the place. We hadn't seen this to such levels before.
We left around 1:30am as this was when the trams started drying up. It was weird, coming from Berlin, to have to check for last public transport again but at least it's not Leeds where the last buses are before midnight. As we had only had Currywurst, a late-night Maccies was in order, but there was only one open in the city. Fortunately, it was on the way back to the hotel, so we called off there. It was average enough but two guys in the toilets triggered Wolfie's fight or flight response, causing him to sequester himself into the toilet cubicle until they had gone away. He said something didn't feel right. We discussed this on the way back to our lodgings but ended up having an argument as I spotted a Premier Inn and didn't really know what to say. I wasn't devaluing it, I just didn't know how to proceed and I am very much like a dog when I see interesting things, getting easily distracted.
Saturday, like Friday, was another grey day weather-wise and we ended up having a later start than anticipated, heading out at around 1pm. I had picked up a donut from the hotel bar in an attempt to force a poo out (which was partially successful, although I did feel pretty leaden for much of the rest of the day), while Wolfie and I headed to Backwerk at the station for a sausage roll. We then walked up Prager Strasse, which is basically a testament to 1960s architecture that wouldn't look out of place in Coventry or Milton Keynes. There was quite a bit of brutalism going on, as well as some metallic water features, although the bubble one was pretty pleasant. There was also some weird metal-themed artwork and a statue of a goat removing a girl's underwear. We also saw two Ibis hotels here before the area became a little more gentrified with a 1980s shopping centre. I did find Dresden quite an interesting mix as this area was modern, Neustadt was very much like Berlin with its pokey neighbourhood alleyways and then there was the Altstadt which was a grand testamony to the history of Saxony. In other places though there were wide open boulveards and uncared for concrete monstrocities which were relics of the former East Germany. I guess the entire tapestry of the city was woven into its different distinct districts.
When riding the tram the night before, we had stopped off at a few of the main sights, but Saturday was the day we got to see them. Our first stop was the Kreuzkirche, outside which a beggar tried to grab our attention by whistling to us discourteously. We ignored him and went inside, the orangey marble walls being quite soothing. Strangely, we weren't allowed to take any photos, which was odd in a church, but of course we complied. In one of the apses there were photographs detailing the damage the building sustained during the Second World War. It's quite an imposing building, outside which there is a small memorial to the Dresden choir (Stiftung Dresdner Kreuzchor) as well as two stone blocks which are the Memorial for the Peace Forum. This was a candelit vigil which took place outside the Kreuzkirche on 13 February 1982, the 48th anniversary of the Dresden bombing. This was conducted by opposition, civil rights and peace movements, who believed the commemoration of the bombing between 1946 and 1981 did not acknowledge German responsibility for the war. The history is fascinating and is detailed here. They also wanted to protest against a perceived increase in militarization outside the Frauenkirche (which was still destroyed at the time), which the Stasi did not let them do. This peace demonstration outside the Kreuzkirche was seen as a compromise and was organised by the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony.
We headed towards the Altstadt after this, starting in the east and sweeping west, knocking off most of the main sights as we progressed. The view over the River Elbe towards the Festplatz at the Brühlsche Terrasse was incredible, but the viewing platforms had been overtaken by an old people's bus tour. At this point, Wolfie reminded me about a line in a porn movie I once saw, which had me cackling for over a minute, with most people there thinking I must be some sort of weirdo. Behind this stands the Albertinum art gallery with a number of grandiose buildings hugging the southern bank of the river. This included many dedicated to the arts, including my favourite which had the four original Ninja Turtles: Raffael, Michelangelo, Lionardo and Erwin von Steinbach. Of course, my favourite piece of art I saw in Dresden was the googly eye that someone had affixed to a disabled sign next to a ramp entering one of the government buildings.
The wonderful buildings kept coming as we walked along the Terrasenufer, but we were distracted by the honking of cars from the road below. Upon inspection, this seemed to be coming from a Querdenker demo that was masquerading as a peace demonstration. Certainly, there were a number of Russian apologists and AfD supporters in their number, so it suggested to me that their intentions were more about appeasement than anything else, while there were quite a few anti-vaxxers in their number too. You could tell as the flags and signs they were displaying highlighted this, but Dresden is the capital of this movement in Germany so it came as no surprise that this was the kind of thing we saw.
Back to the buildings and we were soon on Schlossplatz, which had deligthful architecture and art whichever way you turned. Interestingly, there were very few references to the bombing of the city, which was the opposite of what I had expected. There was also a man dressed as a giant panda. Arguably most striking was the Fürstenzug, a long tiled mosiac depicting all of the Saxon rulers up until 1873. It runs for the entire length of the wall of the Königlicher Marstall so you can follow it as you walk down Auguststrasse. There, we saw a street performer who was standing still, pretending to deliver a tray of food to two diners sat at a table. These diners were mannequins, but the performer was perfectly serene, at least to the point when an overly keen lady got involved and took his tray and he refused to take it back. The mural itself is of white and black tiling with gold background, with many of the rulers depicted in marshall or military scenes. There were many horses.
The Georgentor faces an old stone bridge which spans the Elbe and was clearly one of the main gates into the town. It's three stone arches suggest this, with a residency perched on top. It is quite similar to the gates we saw in Gdansk and as we traversed through it, we were greeted by the cobbled streets of the main city. Near here, on the left, there is the Camomdas chocolate shop, where we stopped off for some gooey white chocolate ice cream. We then retraced our steps to check out the towering Kathedrale Sanctissimae Trinitatis, built in the same weathered darkened sandstone as much of the rest of the city. Sadly this was closed, as was the nearby Semperoper, with the latter needing to book a tour in advance. I checked whether the once-daily English language tour was booked but we had already missed the Saturday one and there was only one space left for the Sunday one. It's something we are going to have to come back and do. The opera house is an impressive building and has a long history of hosting premieres. The works of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss have premiered here, with the building originally being constructed in 1841. It burnt down in 1869 and was rebuilt by the same architect, Gottfried Semper, in 1878. We had a nice walk around it, but couldn't get out of the modern car park, so we had to double back. It was a shame we couldn't go inside.
Semperoper sits in a cobbled pedestrian area just behind the Kathedrale Sanctissimae Trinitatis and next to the Zwinger, which was the royal palace. This is a continuous circle of buildings surrounding a manicured courtyard, although sadly they were reshaping the courtyard during our visit. Therefore all we could see was mud and bulldozers rather than gardens and water features. Still, we walked around on the top of the buildings overlooking the courtyard, meaning we got to see the wonderful architecture from many different angles. We got to pass under the golden dome of the Kronentor, which sits directly opposite the main entranc of the palace, while the small and intimate Wallpavillon was also nice to see, even if it too was undergoing reconstruction. Inside the Palace's walls, there are a number of museums and although we didn't have time to stop at all of them, the one dedicated to scientific and mathematical machines was of particular interest. The Saxon kings had significant wealth and so bought a range of intricate and ornate timepieces, many of them featuring some of the earliest autometa. There was also one of the world's oldest surviving mechanical calculators of Blaise Pascal, dating from circa 1650, with an explanation about how the complex series of dials worked. There was also an early Van der Graaf generator and a section dedicated to terrestial and celestial globes, including again displaying some of the earliest ones ever created. I found this section a little dry, but with my degree in the history and philosophy of science, the clock bit was particularly engaging. My favourite clocks were those which dealt with multiple timezones, as well as those which mapped celestial patterns as well as terrestial time. There was also a full-height mechanical bear that played a drum if you set it in motion. It was a bit creepy but must have been breathtaking in its day.
Having trailed around a fair bit, we needed to rest our paws, so decided to find a bakery. There was a rather posh looking one opposite the Zwinger which we suspected would be a might spendy, so we walked into the more modern bit of town. The juxtaposition between the ancient palace and the wide boulevard really highlighted the opulence of this city's past with its more recent communist history. The tram lines buried into the road only enhanced this. Fortunately, in the concrete and steel, we soon spotted the Backerei Mobius and decided to go upstairs to their cafe. There was a toilet here, which was one of our primary motivations, but also we needed to rest. The bakery was downstairs and had a lot of colourful cakes, but I couldn't quite work out how to order from the bakery from the cafe upstairs. I didn't really understand the charming lady who served us either, so I ended up having the world's most miniscule hot chocolate while Wolfie had a latte.
After this, we decided to check out the wonderous Frauenkirche, which is situated in the main market square. There was a lot of life here as there were stalls a-plenty, and Wolfie was tempted by the Handbrot, with which we indulged ourselves. We ate it perched on the steps of the church after realising they were not open for tours, with this being a recurring theme of our visit. The cheese was oozing out of the bread, causing a molten river on our paper plates, which the fresh sour cream merely added to. It was a great snack though, with Wolfie wishing Handbrot was more readily available. It seems to just be something you get at German festivals. Anyway, the church itself is very impressive, but like most things in the city, it was destroyed in World War Two. It was reconstructed between 1994 and 2005, with the original church being built between 1726 and 1743. It has one huge central dome, with four clock towers surrounding it at ninety degrees. The church was largely rebuilt according to the plans of original architect Georg Bähr, with many of the materials being recycled from the destroyed church. The dome was newly constructed, but interesting, you can easily tell which stones are the old ones as these are covered in a darker patina due to fire damage and weathering through the years (you can particularly see this in the north side of the church, which has the largest collection of original masonry). Around 3800 stones from the original church were used. Two thousand pieces of the original altar were also cleaned and incorporated into the new structure. Sadly, because we couldn't get inside the church, we didn't get to see this.
With still some daylight left, we decided to try and hit the Kunsthof Passage again, not least because we thought the artisinal shops around there may be closing too. We hopped on a tram there, checking out the rather splendidly noisy fountain at Albertplatz. Finding the Passage was easy as it was the same route we had done before and I have already described above everything we saw. I wanted to go to the craft beer store for a beer as they had some outdoor tables, but Wolfie needed a poo and was worried they wouldn't have a toilet. I'll admit I somewhat overreacted when he told me this as I wanted to try a new place, but in the end, we ended up in Zapfanstalt once again. I did feel bad about losing my cool and I wish I can be more relaxed about things. I just put too much of my heart into things I guess and I am also far too controlling, but fortunately Wolfie doesn't take any of my nonsense. And, if I were being honest, I kinda wanted a poo too. Anyway, we didn't go back to the craft beer shop due to my weak bladder. If they didn't have a toilet then I would have been in real trouble pretty quickly as I had already started drinking in Zapfanstalt. Therefore, while we were there, we formulated an evening plan.
We were at a bit of a loose end on Saturday evening, what with most museums shutting at 6pm and very few interesting bars, but I had spotted on the tram the night before that there was a street food festival nearby. It was a short tram ride away from where we were at Zapfanstalt, so with little else going on, we decided to go. Getting there was pretty straightforward, but when we arrived in this non-descript field called Cockerwiese surrounded by tower blocks, it did look a little pathetic. It did say there was craft beer (which was true, but there were only two on tap and four bottles) and a free WC (which is a huge selling point in Germany), but for the 'biggest street food festival in Europe', it was quite small. It seems to be an itinerant thing where they tour from city to city and, to be fair, there were about thirty separate trucks all serving different food so maybe I am being harsh. The weather was a little cold and with Sunday and Monday both being much sunnier, maybe people were just holding off for better weather. There was a British fish and chip place next to an Argentinian place with an upside down flag, while we tried to hang around the kangaroo burger place as they were playing a mix of German and American/British heavy metal. This was in contrast to the live pianist who was playing songs from the likes of Billy Joel and Elton John. We started with a wander around and a beer, ending up with some poutine. This was surprisingly nice, although at €8.50 a portion, it was rather steep. Still, it was great to watch the sun go down here and although it was a little chilly in our thin coats, we had a good time. It was due to close at 10pm, but a security guard came along and told us 9:30pm was the new time, so we headed back to the rather nice craft beer lady to reclaim our Pfand on the plastic cups and bid the event farewell. Sadly, no-one was using the children's play zone and carousel, but the food was popular, although I don't think the insect place was particularly beloved. It was also in the toilets here where Wolfie pulled down a far-right sticker, such was his anger towards it.
Watzke is a sausage maker and brewer in the heart of Dresden and their main premises was just a ten-minute walk away through a council car park. This made sense to try, so we headed over there, initially going to the sausage place rather than the beer place next door. Still, they had the same beers in both, so we got to try a sampling tray although of the three, only two were available so we had to double up on the pilsner. We also grabbed a local sausage which was a pretty standard affair. Once we had had these, we left and realised the brewery was next door, so we popped inside for another beer as we had already made eye contact with the bar staff and I was too embarrassed just to leave, despite being quite drunk. The beer was the same as the sausage place but it was a pleasant way to end the evening, particularly as I got to discover that Wolfie looks like Gambrinus, the legendary icon of beer in European folklore. He still thinks he is King Wolf the Cha-Chomp, as he extolled often when we visited the royal place on Sunday.
We ended up in the hotel bar for a beer, partly as there was nowhere else to go and finishing things at midnight seemed strange, but also so we could get some cups/glasses for the room. In the hotel bar, they had a Japanese version of Mario Kart 2 which we were tempted to play, but a group of students got there first. We also ordered another delicious vanilla cream donut (called Filly Vanilli) before heading to bed just before 1am.
Upon waking up on Sunday, I realised check out was 11am rather than noon, meaning it was a little more rushed than I had intended. Once we had checked out, leaving our bags in the locker room behind, we went groggily to the train station to pick up some food, settling for a cheese and ham sandwich from La Crobag. We then walked up towards the Altstadt again to pick off the sights we hadn't had chance to see the previous day. Our first stop, though, was Camomdas to pick up some ice cream. We had visited the day before and had the white chocolate infused with vanilla, which was divine but had an odd gum-like texture for ice cream. This time, we had the proper chocolate as I had feared we had missed out on the star of the show by opting for the other one the previous day. This was equally delicious and equally viscous, but arguably more pleasurable as the weather was so much better. We walked over Augustbrucke with ice creams in hand, headed for the Goldener Reiter statue which was resplendent and blinding in the late-April sun. It had been cordoned off as there was a Family Festival going on, with the usual range of food and drink concessions. There was also German-made whisky interestingly and it was great walking up and down the main drag of the Neustadt just soaking in the atmosphere. We saw the main Markthalle, which was sadly closed as it was a Sunday (but looked very much like a modern market hall) as well as some coats of arms of nearby places which had been graffitied by disgruntled locals. On the way back over the bridge to the Altstadt, we saw a lady in a short dress who kept showing everyone her arse (which wasn't covered by underwear) due to the wind whipping it up. We also heard a mariarchi band encouraging runners in a marathon which was being run on the main road that ran along the southern bank of the Elbe. This was far more jovial than the Querdenker protest which had taken place on the same road the day before, with a number of Russian apologists, conspiracy theorists and far-right types disguising themselves as peace activists.
There were a few things I wanted to check out before leaving the city, but the opera house had no tickets left and the church was proving difficult to enter. The marketplace outside was rammed with people, it being far busier than it had been on Saturday, assumedly because the weather was so much warmer. The atmosphere was electric though, with many people enjoying the German-style concessions, which were the usual ones you find at this sort of event. There was a big wheel for children though, with two groups of blokes shouting greetings to each other from across the gondolas. It was also here where we had grabbed some ham and cheese Handbrot the day before, with Wolfie being smitten by this delicious snack. He says you can't get it that readily, but it does seem to be at most of these types of places, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. The cheese had oozed out of mine significantly though, while the sour cream sauce added an additional challenge to eating it as we perched on the steps of the cathedral watching a dejected man with three used mop buckets trying to put on a performance. There was also a delightful lady playing some steel drums in an expert musical rendition.
The main thing we did on Sunday afternoon was visit the Grünes Gewölbe, which again had been recommended by Snowi. This Baroque Treasury housed some of the most beautiful and sumptuous items I have ever seen, often inlaid with jewels and gems. The timepieces were particularly striking and intricate, reflecting some of the collection we had seen in the Scientific and Mathematical Museum at the Zwinger the day before. We also saw some beautiful pieces carved out of ivory and the incorporation of tortoise shell into beakers and other drinking vessels. Considering this is from the Southern Ocean, it was exotic for the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with the place highlighting just how opulent the Saxon kingdom was. Unfortunately, our tickets did not cover the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe (Historic Green Vault), which has been historically recreated, something we only realised once we tried to get in. Most of the collection was in the Neues Grünes Gewölbe (New Green Vault), but as this was the last floor we did (as we worked from the top down) our visit was somewhat rushed.
As well as observing the treasures, there were many other things to see too. On the third floor there was a rolling exhibit, this one dedicated to the art of printing. This had exhibits from the likes of David Hockney and Edvard Munch, and was far more engaging than I thought it would be. On the second floor, we got to discover more about the obsession with the Saxon state and the Ottoman Empire in the early eighteenth century, with many of the exhibits here coming in the form of gifts from state visits. There was a section dedicated to the Ottoman style tent city they created in 1730 as a celebration of the country as well as a number of different weapons and equestian-themed clothing that was also displayed. This fit in well with the adjacent room, which was dedicated to jousting in that era. Interestingly, the German-style jousting was less risky and had more protective clothing than the English equivalent, but some suits of armour on display were still quite clunky. Fascinatingly, the wearers of this armour were often well-known, with many of the acoutrements identifying them having survived.
At the end of this section was the magnificent golden ballroom, a small white and gold entrapped space which took my breath away (and I have been in many places like this). It was truly wonderous, with its opulance also being seen in the regal red tapestry covered rooms which acted as the King's receiving chambers. There was a bedroom here but it was never used, as well as two waiting rooms which built up the grandeur before the audience with the king. The power politics here, as well as some of the wonderful pieces of furniture, dripped in status and prestige, with the set-up clearly aiming to project a level of importance and influence. The regal red really added to this, as did a number of the portraits, while the views from the windows across to the opera house and other aspects of the court merely demonstrated just how poweful this state and city was back in the day. All of this took three hours to visit and I haven't even mentioned the Munze or coin and medal collection, which I also found incredibly fascinating. The Greek and Roman coins were similar to those I have seen before, but having a wide collection on display of those from the German-speaking lands in the Middle Ages (particularly Luxembourg) was new and I ended up spending far too long in this part of the exhibit. It's weird as I have always found money fascinating, but the related topic of medals bores me to tears, so I did skip this bit. There was an interesting section on the etymology of the word 'dollar' coming from 'thaler' as well as the history of mining and money in the Saxon lands. The chronology of all the different heads of state with coins featuring their busts provided historical context, as did the piece on counterfeiting (which also asked the question when does an authentic counterfeit become of historical significance). There was also a cabinet case full of different notes, which would have been interesting too, but it was very popular and unfortunately I did not get chance to see it.
We had hoped to go into the Frauenkirche but by the time we swung by there at 4:30pm, it had already closed for the day. This was frustrating as we had been hit by the same issue on Saturday, while the queue on Sunday lunchtime was so large that it was fundamentally off-putting. This meant we didn't get to see it and we'll have to go back. I didn't realise there was an electronic board detailing opening times outside, but this was all quite vague. Anyway, we had two hours before our train and we had to swing back to the hotel to pick the bags we had left there, so we decided we needed some food. We ended up going to Gänsedieb, another of Snowi's recommendations, largely because it was in the Terrassen area en route back to the train station. The food was typical German, with us both opting for Steak au Four (pork medallion smothered in cheese with a mushroom sauce in between) as we had seen it advertised in quite a few places. It was served with a locally made Worcestershire sauce which was more malty and less tangy than the British equivalent. We also had croquettes and half a garden's worth of peas with it. It was pleasant enough without being spectacular, but we did enjoy our goose fat starter served with two different types of bread and raw red onion. It reminded us of our trip to Ambrojsia, the Polish restaurant back in Bradford (which has sadly closed down).
They served us really quickly so we had about an hour to kill. We walked back through Milton Keynes again, which seemed quite lively in the sunshine, before hanging around the hotel for half an hour. We were going to get a beer but they didn't bother serving us. We then headed to the station, delighted to discover we were going on a Ceske Drahy train rather than a Deutsche Bahn one, although the experience wasn't much different. We did get a beer from the bar though, which charged us in Czech crowns, while the gaggle of eight semi-drunken football fans by the bar did comment positively on my unicorn t-shirt but I was so tired, I didn't really acknowledge them until it was too late. Unlike when we returned from Hannover, the train was on time, although we did have to change at Hauptbahnhof. Our RE10 was conveniently on the same platform. We got back to Spandau around 9:30pm, which was oddly early for us, but I don't think there were many later options and I didn't want to risk being delayed again. All in all, then, Dresden was a great city to visit and we are going to have to go back. We crammed a lot in, yet I still feel a little deflated that we didn't get chance to do a few of the core things, particularly visiting the interiors of the Semperoper and the Frauenkirche. Still, it's an easy place to jump off for a few hours when going to or from Prague (which we intend to do at some point) while it's near enough to Leipzig too we can make it work. Its grandeur was certainly surprising and there was more to see than I realised, so hopefully we can make it there again at some point.
Thursday and Friday were mentally busy days at work and at one point I feared I wouldn't be able to get out on time. In the end, I was pretty much done by 5pm on the Friday, meaning we got to Spandau train station so early that we walked around Spandau Arkaden for twenty minutes just to kill time. An RE8 train was sat on our platform for over twenty minutes too on account of them struggling to onboard a disabled passenger, meaning our train was switched to a different platform. Still, it was all pretty painless and once we had ejected the people who were sat in our seats, we were on our way.
The train journey was largely uneventful, although we did manage to grab some Currywurst in the buffet car. I had never eaten a full meal on a Deutsche Bahn service before and it was largely okay, although the sauce was quite molten. Foolishly, I had said I would eat it back at our seat before realising it may smell too much for my fellow passengers, meaning we opted to stay in the buffet car to eat. Sadly, I had neglected to get the lady behind the counter to open the beer so I had to eat boiling hot curry with no way to cool my mouth. Furthermore, they had ran out of chips so we had it with bread, which added a painful texture too. Still, it was tasty enough and the rest of the two and a half hour ride was agreeable. We pulled into Dresden shortly before 9:20pm.
The interesting thing about Dresden railway station is it's on two levels, with the middle platforms lower down and the platforms either side higher up. These platforms are straight through whereas the middle ones terminate in the station. Viewing this from the window of our hotel, which overlooked the glorious arched facade of this building, it was quite confusing until we saw the layout when we were about to board our train home. Upon arrival, we saw a member of Deutsche Bahn staff trying to mend a model railway exhibit in the station concourse before we hopped over the road and checked into the Meiniger Hotel. This was quite expensive considering it's a cheap and cheerful brand which even has dormatories, but it is a holiday weekend. The beds were a little solid and there were no cups in the room, but the vinyl record theme was unique and although the shell of the building allowed for a lot of walking noise to penetrate through, we largely had a relaxing sleep.
We decided to hit the nightlife, leaving the hotel around 10pm. We decided to have a quick look at the facade of the train station before hopping on a tram to the Neustadt area, where most of the good bars are. This was seven stops away from the hotel on the number seven line, with the tram stop being conveniently located just down the road. We were heading to Louisenstrasse, down which it was a short walk to a rather bohemian area of pubs and clubs. It was quite busy and I liked the vibe here, although the bar we wanted to try was rammed. This was HORST Vier Vogel Bar and had been recommended to us by Snowi, who had visited Dresden with some friends back in March. Indeed, she had provided a number of recommendations for us. One of them was the nearby Kunsthof Passage, which we visited before settling on a bar, but the darkness did not do it justice. Indeed, we came back again on the Saturday afternoon and saw a wonderous collection of artistic design including a building with gold leaf on its exterior, a blue building with big gold buttons painted on it and my favourite which was drainpipes shaped into trombones and trumpets, which dumped the water it collected into a fountain. There were a number of mosiacs dotted around too, while this alleyway contained a number of small artisinal shops including a very interesting looking craft beer shop. Alas, it shut at 10pm so this was a Saturday visit too.
Google told us that Zapfanstalt was the best craft beer bar in the city and this was certainly the case, with a range of about six draft that we hadn't had as well as a number of reasonably priced bottles too. The plan had been to go here for just one, but the range was just too good and we ended up with several. The barkeep was a really nice guy too and being sat at the bar (as the place was so busy it was the only place free) meant we could order pretty easily. It turned out that this was the right decision as HORST only had two unique beers, so there was far less incentive to be there. We did go though, at around 1am on our way back to the tram, and enjoyed those two while marvelling at the bird-themed artwork on the wall. The LGBTQ+ flag was also appreciated in a city that has links to the far-right, a situation that was made known with a number of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-leftist stickers we saw dotted around the place. We hadn't seen this to such levels before.
We left around 1:30am as this was when the trams started drying up. It was weird, coming from Berlin, to have to check for last public transport again but at least it's not Leeds where the last buses are before midnight. As we had only had Currywurst, a late-night Maccies was in order, but there was only one open in the city. Fortunately, it was on the way back to the hotel, so we called off there. It was average enough but two guys in the toilets triggered Wolfie's fight or flight response, causing him to sequester himself into the toilet cubicle until they had gone away. He said something didn't feel right. We discussed this on the way back to our lodgings but ended up having an argument as I spotted a Premier Inn and didn't really know what to say. I wasn't devaluing it, I just didn't know how to proceed and I am very much like a dog when I see interesting things, getting easily distracted.
Saturday, like Friday, was another grey day weather-wise and we ended up having a later start than anticipated, heading out at around 1pm. I had picked up a donut from the hotel bar in an attempt to force a poo out (which was partially successful, although I did feel pretty leaden for much of the rest of the day), while Wolfie and I headed to Backwerk at the station for a sausage roll. We then walked up Prager Strasse, which is basically a testament to 1960s architecture that wouldn't look out of place in Coventry or Milton Keynes. There was quite a bit of brutalism going on, as well as some metallic water features, although the bubble one was pretty pleasant. There was also some weird metal-themed artwork and a statue of a goat removing a girl's underwear. We also saw two Ibis hotels here before the area became a little more gentrified with a 1980s shopping centre. I did find Dresden quite an interesting mix as this area was modern, Neustadt was very much like Berlin with its pokey neighbourhood alleyways and then there was the Altstadt which was a grand testamony to the history of Saxony. In other places though there were wide open boulveards and uncared for concrete monstrocities which were relics of the former East Germany. I guess the entire tapestry of the city was woven into its different distinct districts.
When riding the tram the night before, we had stopped off at a few of the main sights, but Saturday was the day we got to see them. Our first stop was the Kreuzkirche, outside which a beggar tried to grab our attention by whistling to us discourteously. We ignored him and went inside, the orangey marble walls being quite soothing. Strangely, we weren't allowed to take any photos, which was odd in a church, but of course we complied. In one of the apses there were photographs detailing the damage the building sustained during the Second World War. It's quite an imposing building, outside which there is a small memorial to the Dresden choir (Stiftung Dresdner Kreuzchor) as well as two stone blocks which are the Memorial for the Peace Forum. This was a candelit vigil which took place outside the Kreuzkirche on 13 February 1982, the 48th anniversary of the Dresden bombing. This was conducted by opposition, civil rights and peace movements, who believed the commemoration of the bombing between 1946 and 1981 did not acknowledge German responsibility for the war. The history is fascinating and is detailed here. They also wanted to protest against a perceived increase in militarization outside the Frauenkirche (which was still destroyed at the time), which the Stasi did not let them do. This peace demonstration outside the Kreuzkirche was seen as a compromise and was organised by the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony.
We headed towards the Altstadt after this, starting in the east and sweeping west, knocking off most of the main sights as we progressed. The view over the River Elbe towards the Festplatz at the Brühlsche Terrasse was incredible, but the viewing platforms had been overtaken by an old people's bus tour. At this point, Wolfie reminded me about a line in a porn movie I once saw, which had me cackling for over a minute, with most people there thinking I must be some sort of weirdo. Behind this stands the Albertinum art gallery with a number of grandiose buildings hugging the southern bank of the river. This included many dedicated to the arts, including my favourite which had the four original Ninja Turtles: Raffael, Michelangelo, Lionardo and Erwin von Steinbach. Of course, my favourite piece of art I saw in Dresden was the googly eye that someone had affixed to a disabled sign next to a ramp entering one of the government buildings.
The wonderful buildings kept coming as we walked along the Terrasenufer, but we were distracted by the honking of cars from the road below. Upon inspection, this seemed to be coming from a Querdenker demo that was masquerading as a peace demonstration. Certainly, there were a number of Russian apologists and AfD supporters in their number, so it suggested to me that their intentions were more about appeasement than anything else, while there were quite a few anti-vaxxers in their number too. You could tell as the flags and signs they were displaying highlighted this, but Dresden is the capital of this movement in Germany so it came as no surprise that this was the kind of thing we saw.
Back to the buildings and we were soon on Schlossplatz, which had deligthful architecture and art whichever way you turned. Interestingly, there were very few references to the bombing of the city, which was the opposite of what I had expected. There was also a man dressed as a giant panda. Arguably most striking was the Fürstenzug, a long tiled mosiac depicting all of the Saxon rulers up until 1873. It runs for the entire length of the wall of the Königlicher Marstall so you can follow it as you walk down Auguststrasse. There, we saw a street performer who was standing still, pretending to deliver a tray of food to two diners sat at a table. These diners were mannequins, but the performer was perfectly serene, at least to the point when an overly keen lady got involved and took his tray and he refused to take it back. The mural itself is of white and black tiling with gold background, with many of the rulers depicted in marshall or military scenes. There were many horses.
The Georgentor faces an old stone bridge which spans the Elbe and was clearly one of the main gates into the town. It's three stone arches suggest this, with a residency perched on top. It is quite similar to the gates we saw in Gdansk and as we traversed through it, we were greeted by the cobbled streets of the main city. Near here, on the left, there is the Camomdas chocolate shop, where we stopped off for some gooey white chocolate ice cream. We then retraced our steps to check out the towering Kathedrale Sanctissimae Trinitatis, built in the same weathered darkened sandstone as much of the rest of the city. Sadly this was closed, as was the nearby Semperoper, with the latter needing to book a tour in advance. I checked whether the once-daily English language tour was booked but we had already missed the Saturday one and there was only one space left for the Sunday one. It's something we are going to have to come back and do. The opera house is an impressive building and has a long history of hosting premieres. The works of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss have premiered here, with the building originally being constructed in 1841. It burnt down in 1869 and was rebuilt by the same architect, Gottfried Semper, in 1878. We had a nice walk around it, but couldn't get out of the modern car park, so we had to double back. It was a shame we couldn't go inside.
Semperoper sits in a cobbled pedestrian area just behind the Kathedrale Sanctissimae Trinitatis and next to the Zwinger, which was the royal palace. This is a continuous circle of buildings surrounding a manicured courtyard, although sadly they were reshaping the courtyard during our visit. Therefore all we could see was mud and bulldozers rather than gardens and water features. Still, we walked around on the top of the buildings overlooking the courtyard, meaning we got to see the wonderful architecture from many different angles. We got to pass under the golden dome of the Kronentor, which sits directly opposite the main entranc of the palace, while the small and intimate Wallpavillon was also nice to see, even if it too was undergoing reconstruction. Inside the Palace's walls, there are a number of museums and although we didn't have time to stop at all of them, the one dedicated to scientific and mathematical machines was of particular interest. The Saxon kings had significant wealth and so bought a range of intricate and ornate timepieces, many of them featuring some of the earliest autometa. There was also one of the world's oldest surviving mechanical calculators of Blaise Pascal, dating from circa 1650, with an explanation about how the complex series of dials worked. There was also an early Van der Graaf generator and a section dedicated to terrestial and celestial globes, including again displaying some of the earliest ones ever created. I found this section a little dry, but with my degree in the history and philosophy of science, the clock bit was particularly engaging. My favourite clocks were those which dealt with multiple timezones, as well as those which mapped celestial patterns as well as terrestial time. There was also a full-height mechanical bear that played a drum if you set it in motion. It was a bit creepy but must have been breathtaking in its day.
Having trailed around a fair bit, we needed to rest our paws, so decided to find a bakery. There was a rather posh looking one opposite the Zwinger which we suspected would be a might spendy, so we walked into the more modern bit of town. The juxtaposition between the ancient palace and the wide boulevard really highlighted the opulence of this city's past with its more recent communist history. The tram lines buried into the road only enhanced this. Fortunately, in the concrete and steel, we soon spotted the Backerei Mobius and decided to go upstairs to their cafe. There was a toilet here, which was one of our primary motivations, but also we needed to rest. The bakery was downstairs and had a lot of colourful cakes, but I couldn't quite work out how to order from the bakery from the cafe upstairs. I didn't really understand the charming lady who served us either, so I ended up having the world's most miniscule hot chocolate while Wolfie had a latte.
After this, we decided to check out the wonderous Frauenkirche, which is situated in the main market square. There was a lot of life here as there were stalls a-plenty, and Wolfie was tempted by the Handbrot, with which we indulged ourselves. We ate it perched on the steps of the church after realising they were not open for tours, with this being a recurring theme of our visit. The cheese was oozing out of the bread, causing a molten river on our paper plates, which the fresh sour cream merely added to. It was a great snack though, with Wolfie wishing Handbrot was more readily available. It seems to just be something you get at German festivals. Anyway, the church itself is very impressive, but like most things in the city, it was destroyed in World War Two. It was reconstructed between 1994 and 2005, with the original church being built between 1726 and 1743. It has one huge central dome, with four clock towers surrounding it at ninety degrees. The church was largely rebuilt according to the plans of original architect Georg Bähr, with many of the materials being recycled from the destroyed church. The dome was newly constructed, but interesting, you can easily tell which stones are the old ones as these are covered in a darker patina due to fire damage and weathering through the years (you can particularly see this in the north side of the church, which has the largest collection of original masonry). Around 3800 stones from the original church were used. Two thousand pieces of the original altar were also cleaned and incorporated into the new structure. Sadly, because we couldn't get inside the church, we didn't get to see this.
With still some daylight left, we decided to try and hit the Kunsthof Passage again, not least because we thought the artisinal shops around there may be closing too. We hopped on a tram there, checking out the rather splendidly noisy fountain at Albertplatz. Finding the Passage was easy as it was the same route we had done before and I have already described above everything we saw. I wanted to go to the craft beer store for a beer as they had some outdoor tables, but Wolfie needed a poo and was worried they wouldn't have a toilet. I'll admit I somewhat overreacted when he told me this as I wanted to try a new place, but in the end, we ended up in Zapfanstalt once again. I did feel bad about losing my cool and I wish I can be more relaxed about things. I just put too much of my heart into things I guess and I am also far too controlling, but fortunately Wolfie doesn't take any of my nonsense. And, if I were being honest, I kinda wanted a poo too. Anyway, we didn't go back to the craft beer shop due to my weak bladder. If they didn't have a toilet then I would have been in real trouble pretty quickly as I had already started drinking in Zapfanstalt. Therefore, while we were there, we formulated an evening plan.
We were at a bit of a loose end on Saturday evening, what with most museums shutting at 6pm and very few interesting bars, but I had spotted on the tram the night before that there was a street food festival nearby. It was a short tram ride away from where we were at Zapfanstalt, so with little else going on, we decided to go. Getting there was pretty straightforward, but when we arrived in this non-descript field called Cockerwiese surrounded by tower blocks, it did look a little pathetic. It did say there was craft beer (which was true, but there were only two on tap and four bottles) and a free WC (which is a huge selling point in Germany), but for the 'biggest street food festival in Europe', it was quite small. It seems to be an itinerant thing where they tour from city to city and, to be fair, there were about thirty separate trucks all serving different food so maybe I am being harsh. The weather was a little cold and with Sunday and Monday both being much sunnier, maybe people were just holding off for better weather. There was a British fish and chip place next to an Argentinian place with an upside down flag, while we tried to hang around the kangaroo burger place as they were playing a mix of German and American/British heavy metal. This was in contrast to the live pianist who was playing songs from the likes of Billy Joel and Elton John. We started with a wander around and a beer, ending up with some poutine. This was surprisingly nice, although at €8.50 a portion, it was rather steep. Still, it was great to watch the sun go down here and although it was a little chilly in our thin coats, we had a good time. It was due to close at 10pm, but a security guard came along and told us 9:30pm was the new time, so we headed back to the rather nice craft beer lady to reclaim our Pfand on the plastic cups and bid the event farewell. Sadly, no-one was using the children's play zone and carousel, but the food was popular, although I don't think the insect place was particularly beloved. It was also in the toilets here where Wolfie pulled down a far-right sticker, such was his anger towards it.
Watzke is a sausage maker and brewer in the heart of Dresden and their main premises was just a ten-minute walk away through a council car park. This made sense to try, so we headed over there, initially going to the sausage place rather than the beer place next door. Still, they had the same beers in both, so we got to try a sampling tray although of the three, only two were available so we had to double up on the pilsner. We also grabbed a local sausage which was a pretty standard affair. Once we had had these, we left and realised the brewery was next door, so we popped inside for another beer as we had already made eye contact with the bar staff and I was too embarrassed just to leave, despite being quite drunk. The beer was the same as the sausage place but it was a pleasant way to end the evening, particularly as I got to discover that Wolfie looks like Gambrinus, the legendary icon of beer in European folklore. He still thinks he is King Wolf the Cha-Chomp, as he extolled often when we visited the royal place on Sunday.
We ended up in the hotel bar for a beer, partly as there was nowhere else to go and finishing things at midnight seemed strange, but also so we could get some cups/glasses for the room. In the hotel bar, they had a Japanese version of Mario Kart 2 which we were tempted to play, but a group of students got there first. We also ordered another delicious vanilla cream donut (called Filly Vanilli) before heading to bed just before 1am.
Upon waking up on Sunday, I realised check out was 11am rather than noon, meaning it was a little more rushed than I had intended. Once we had checked out, leaving our bags in the locker room behind, we went groggily to the train station to pick up some food, settling for a cheese and ham sandwich from La Crobag. We then walked up towards the Altstadt again to pick off the sights we hadn't had chance to see the previous day. Our first stop, though, was Camomdas to pick up some ice cream. We had visited the day before and had the white chocolate infused with vanilla, which was divine but had an odd gum-like texture for ice cream. This time, we had the proper chocolate as I had feared we had missed out on the star of the show by opting for the other one the previous day. This was equally delicious and equally viscous, but arguably more pleasurable as the weather was so much better. We walked over Augustbrucke with ice creams in hand, headed for the Goldener Reiter statue which was resplendent and blinding in the late-April sun. It had been cordoned off as there was a Family Festival going on, with the usual range of food and drink concessions. There was also German-made whisky interestingly and it was great walking up and down the main drag of the Neustadt just soaking in the atmosphere. We saw the main Markthalle, which was sadly closed as it was a Sunday (but looked very much like a modern market hall) as well as some coats of arms of nearby places which had been graffitied by disgruntled locals. On the way back over the bridge to the Altstadt, we saw a lady in a short dress who kept showing everyone her arse (which wasn't covered by underwear) due to the wind whipping it up. We also heard a mariarchi band encouraging runners in a marathon which was being run on the main road that ran along the southern bank of the Elbe. This was far more jovial than the Querdenker protest which had taken place on the same road the day before, with a number of Russian apologists, conspiracy theorists and far-right types disguising themselves as peace activists.
There were a few things I wanted to check out before leaving the city, but the opera house had no tickets left and the church was proving difficult to enter. The marketplace outside was rammed with people, it being far busier than it had been on Saturday, assumedly because the weather was so much warmer. The atmosphere was electric though, with many people enjoying the German-style concessions, which were the usual ones you find at this sort of event. There was a big wheel for children though, with two groups of blokes shouting greetings to each other from across the gondolas. It was also here where we had grabbed some ham and cheese Handbrot the day before, with Wolfie being smitten by this delicious snack. He says you can't get it that readily, but it does seem to be at most of these types of places, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. The cheese had oozed out of mine significantly though, while the sour cream sauce added an additional challenge to eating it as we perched on the steps of the cathedral watching a dejected man with three used mop buckets trying to put on a performance. There was also a delightful lady playing some steel drums in an expert musical rendition.
The main thing we did on Sunday afternoon was visit the Grünes Gewölbe, which again had been recommended by Snowi. This Baroque Treasury housed some of the most beautiful and sumptuous items I have ever seen, often inlaid with jewels and gems. The timepieces were particularly striking and intricate, reflecting some of the collection we had seen in the Scientific and Mathematical Museum at the Zwinger the day before. We also saw some beautiful pieces carved out of ivory and the incorporation of tortoise shell into beakers and other drinking vessels. Considering this is from the Southern Ocean, it was exotic for the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with the place highlighting just how opulent the Saxon kingdom was. Unfortunately, our tickets did not cover the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe (Historic Green Vault), which has been historically recreated, something we only realised once we tried to get in. Most of the collection was in the Neues Grünes Gewölbe (New Green Vault), but as this was the last floor we did (as we worked from the top down) our visit was somewhat rushed.
As well as observing the treasures, there were many other things to see too. On the third floor there was a rolling exhibit, this one dedicated to the art of printing. This had exhibits from the likes of David Hockney and Edvard Munch, and was far more engaging than I thought it would be. On the second floor, we got to discover more about the obsession with the Saxon state and the Ottoman Empire in the early eighteenth century, with many of the exhibits here coming in the form of gifts from state visits. There was a section dedicated to the Ottoman style tent city they created in 1730 as a celebration of the country as well as a number of different weapons and equestian-themed clothing that was also displayed. This fit in well with the adjacent room, which was dedicated to jousting in that era. Interestingly, the German-style jousting was less risky and had more protective clothing than the English equivalent, but some suits of armour on display were still quite clunky. Fascinatingly, the wearers of this armour were often well-known, with many of the acoutrements identifying them having survived.
At the end of this section was the magnificent golden ballroom, a small white and gold entrapped space which took my breath away (and I have been in many places like this). It was truly wonderous, with its opulance also being seen in the regal red tapestry covered rooms which acted as the King's receiving chambers. There was a bedroom here but it was never used, as well as two waiting rooms which built up the grandeur before the audience with the king. The power politics here, as well as some of the wonderful pieces of furniture, dripped in status and prestige, with the set-up clearly aiming to project a level of importance and influence. The regal red really added to this, as did a number of the portraits, while the views from the windows across to the opera house and other aspects of the court merely demonstrated just how poweful this state and city was back in the day. All of this took three hours to visit and I haven't even mentioned the Munze or coin and medal collection, which I also found incredibly fascinating. The Greek and Roman coins were similar to those I have seen before, but having a wide collection on display of those from the German-speaking lands in the Middle Ages (particularly Luxembourg) was new and I ended up spending far too long in this part of the exhibit. It's weird as I have always found money fascinating, but the related topic of medals bores me to tears, so I did skip this bit. There was an interesting section on the etymology of the word 'dollar' coming from 'thaler' as well as the history of mining and money in the Saxon lands. The chronology of all the different heads of state with coins featuring their busts provided historical context, as did the piece on counterfeiting (which also asked the question when does an authentic counterfeit become of historical significance). There was also a cabinet case full of different notes, which would have been interesting too, but it was very popular and unfortunately I did not get chance to see it.
We had hoped to go into the Frauenkirche but by the time we swung by there at 4:30pm, it had already closed for the day. This was frustrating as we had been hit by the same issue on Saturday, while the queue on Sunday lunchtime was so large that it was fundamentally off-putting. This meant we didn't get to see it and we'll have to go back. I didn't realise there was an electronic board detailing opening times outside, but this was all quite vague. Anyway, we had two hours before our train and we had to swing back to the hotel to pick the bags we had left there, so we decided we needed some food. We ended up going to Gänsedieb, another of Snowi's recommendations, largely because it was in the Terrassen area en route back to the train station. The food was typical German, with us both opting for Steak au Four (pork medallion smothered in cheese with a mushroom sauce in between) as we had seen it advertised in quite a few places. It was served with a locally made Worcestershire sauce which was more malty and less tangy than the British equivalent. We also had croquettes and half a garden's worth of peas with it. It was pleasant enough without being spectacular, but we did enjoy our goose fat starter served with two different types of bread and raw red onion. It reminded us of our trip to Ambrojsia, the Polish restaurant back in Bradford (which has sadly closed down).
They served us really quickly so we had about an hour to kill. We walked back through Milton Keynes again, which seemed quite lively in the sunshine, before hanging around the hotel for half an hour. We were going to get a beer but they didn't bother serving us. We then headed to the station, delighted to discover we were going on a Ceske Drahy train rather than a Deutsche Bahn one, although the experience wasn't much different. We did get a beer from the bar though, which charged us in Czech crowns, while the gaggle of eight semi-drunken football fans by the bar did comment positively on my unicorn t-shirt but I was so tired, I didn't really acknowledge them until it was too late. Unlike when we returned from Hannover, the train was on time, although we did have to change at Hauptbahnhof. Our RE10 was conveniently on the same platform. We got back to Spandau around 9:30pm, which was oddly early for us, but I don't think there were many later options and I didn't want to risk being delayed again. All in all, then, Dresden was a great city to visit and we are going to have to go back. We crammed a lot in, yet I still feel a little deflated that we didn't get chance to do a few of the core things, particularly visiting the interiors of the Semperoper and the Frauenkirche. Still, it's an easy place to jump off for a few hours when going to or from Prague (which we intend to do at some point) while it's near enough to Leipzig too we can make it work. Its grandeur was certainly surprising and there was more to see than I realised, so hopefully we can make it there again at some point.
