Dresden for the Day

This year, I received a surprise for Easter – a spontaneous visit from my mom! It was exciting to see my mom after 8 months and great to play ‘tour guide’ by showing her around Prague. She even came with me to school one day to watch me teach! The whole trip was a pretty surreal experience.

Since this visit was planned last second, touring Prague and then flying off to a second country was clearly not in the budget.

But hey- why fly somewhere and have to go through airport security when you can bus to a whole new country in under 2 hours for a fraction of the cost? The perks of living in a small country…

So where did we go?

Hallo, Germany.

Dresden, Germany to be exact.

Located at the Eastern boarder of Germany, Dresden is the capital city of Saxony. A perfect day trip from Prague. Unfortunately, Dresden does have a sad history.

On February 13 1945, Dresden was bombed by the Allied Forces. Americans then continued air raids for the next two days, completely destroying the Old Town city center and killing tens of thousands of people. With the end of WW2 in sight, the Dresden bombing is still a topic of controversy and sheds light on the tragedy of civilian causalities.

After the war, Dresden was left in a poor state for many years. However, the city recently underwent construction to build itself back up to its formal glory. Interestingly, this means that “Old Town” (Altstadt) is actually newer than “New Town” (Neustadt).

I had heard and read mixed reviews about Dresden- some people are fascinated by the city’s history and ability to bounce back after such a terrible past. It’s Christmas market has also gained fame throughout Europe. However, others have said that the city feels “fake” and its new buildings are too showy. Either way, I wanted to go to see what the city had to offer.

My mom and I left Prague early Saturday morning (the day before Easter). As I said, the bus drive was relatively short and we arrived in Dresden in under 2 hours. The bus station is located at the edge of the city and we were required to walk straight through a bunch of shopping outlets, cafés, and outdoor seating to get where we needed to go.

Seriously, a whole day could be spent just going through all the shops. Everything was built very futuristically and I immediately understood what people meant about Dresden’s attempts to “go big” to attract tourists.

However, please don’t read my words as criticism. I actually loved this twist to the city as it set a significant contrast to Old Town. Plus, the atmosphere here was so relaxed and friendly- as opposed to the tense and pushy atmosphere that often results from tourists wanting to take the “perfect photo” in Old Town.

It was quite apparent when we reached Old Town; all of a sudden, we were surrounded by magnificent structures constructed after the baroque fashion.

First, we went to the Zwinger Palace.

This was my favorite place in Old Town. It is enclosed by the Semper Gallery and has a huge courtyard to walk around in and admire the architecture, statues and fountains.

You can climb the stairs to walk along the perimeter wall and pass under the Kronentor.

Also in Old Town, we saw…

The Semperoper Opera House:

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The Grünes Gewölbe (the Green Vault) and Dresden Castle:

The Albertinum Museum:

Fürstenzug (The Procession of Princes):

This large porcelain tile mural shows past rulers of Saxony. Fortunately, it withstood the WWII air raids with only minimal damage.

And, of course, the Frauenkirche church:

Dome-shaped and towering above all the surrounding buildings, the Frauenkirche church is the most iconic landmark and image in Dresden. The inside is free to go in (no photos allowed though) and you can take a seat right in a pew to gaze at the pink pastel dome above you. You can also climb to the top of the dome, but this costs money to do, so we skipped it.

As much as I appreciate and admire Dresden’s efforts to restore its city center, I do have to say that I felt a little overwhelmed with the amount of grandeur in such a small space. Quite honestly, all the buildings began to appear the same and, thanks to the tour groups, I found myself wanting to get out of the area.

Fortunately, the last place we went to in Old Town- Brühl’s Terrace- offered a break from all the formality. Why?

One word-

Bubbles.

Two street performers were playing music and had buckets of liquid soap laid out before the Academy of Fine Arts building. They would wave huge rope wands to make a display of bubbles. It was fun to watch all the kids (and some adults) run after and try to pop the super-sized bubbles.

Maybe it’s the little kid in me coming out or maybe it’s just a symptom of being a teacher, but this was probably one of my favorite parts of the day.

Turning away from the bubble fun, you also get a nice view of the Elbe river.

Crossing the bridge, we then entered into New Town. New Town has a very different feel to it then Old Town- they might as well be 2 different cities. The people are even different in New Town; since most tour groups focus on Old Town, many don’t even cross the bridge into New Town. And so, the people you’re more likely to come upon are Dresden locals.

Everything in this side of town felt more “real” and less for show. Instead of appeasing you, the art is more likely to make you do a double-take and unsettle you:

Our first order of business in New Town was to find some food to eat. Fortunately, this part of the city contains a large number of restaurants and hipster cafés. We tried to find a more traditional German meal and settled for some sausages in broth, pretzels, and something that somewhat resembled chicken pot-pie.

After, we did some walking to reach the artsy Kunsthofpassage. Kunsthofpassage is made up of a series of interlocking courtyards with small shops and cafés throughout. Each courtyard has a specific design and theme to it.

The first one we came across was “The Courtyard of the Mythical Creature”:

Followed by “The Courtyard of the Light”:

Depending on the time of day, the metal mirrors can cast an array of reflections all over the courtyard.

Opposite “The Courtyard of Light” is the most popular wall to photograph- “The Courtyard of Elements”:

When it rains, water is collected in the funnels and creates a musical noise as it moves down the pipes. Essential, this wall transforms into a musical instrument during a rainstorm.

My favorite courtyard, however, was “The Courtyard of the Animals”:

Partly because green is my favorite color and partly because the café in this courtyard has amazing peanut butter milkshakes.

There was one more courtyard in the complex- “The Courtyard of Metamorphosis.” Unfortunately, the design of this courtyard was so subtle that I mistook it for a regular space.

After our mini art show, we decided to head back toward the bus station. This required us to leave the old “New Town,” cross through the new “Old Town” and enter the futuristic shopping center again (hope that’s not too confusing to understand). With the remaining time, we then shopped at Primark, which has quickly become my favorite clothes store in Europe.

As I mentioned before, people either seem to love Dresden or think nothing of it. Fortunately, the city is divided into 2 sections- historically and literally. Add in the futuristic section of town and I bet everyone can find something fun to do in Dresden for a day.

Personally, I preferred the New Town over Old Town. You’ll have to visit yourself to decide what you like better ;-)