![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vampyresheepTuesday - leaving Leipzig, discovering Dresden
So soon, WGT was over and it was time for us to check out of our hotel and catch a train back to Dresden
Rob complained that we'd not had enough icecream, so breakfast was had at the icecream parlour in the Hauptbahnhof.
At least my icecream had some pretence at being healthy!
We had prebooked an ICE train to Dresden, to assure some comfort after the festival, although on reflection from our incoming trip, this wasn't really neccessary as that regional train was just as good (and cheaper!).
On arrival, we weren't sure of the scale of the city, so we took a chance and walked to our hotel, which was do-able, despite the heavy luggage!
Stayed at the Park Inn, Dresden Neustadt - the only thing I can recommend about this hotel is the location. Standard/decor was a bit disappointing for what we paid, but it was a base, in a quiet residential part of the Neustadt with a pleasant leafy walk to the historic area.
We decided to spend this first afternoon in the Neustadt, to save the historic/infamous Altstadt for a full day and roughly followed a suggested walking route from my guidebook.
Every day we passed these glorious fountains in the Albertplatz
This one is apparently "Still Water"
and this one "Stormy Water"
both looked pretty frenetic to me!! :-)
Obligatory Trabi pic!
Visited the Dreikönigskirche, where we came to the first poignant reminder of the damage inflicted during WW2. This stunning baroque altar has been left in place, unrestored.
there was also a rather cool Dance of the Dead frieze across the back wall
There was a viewing platform at the top of the tower where we got to see our first view of Dresden - on reflection, maybe not the best first impression, as the historic part looks very small from this angle! However the ascent was an experience to say the least!
Altstadt:
Neustadt:
fortunately we were at the summit when the bells chimed, however the movement of the clock mechanisms every minute scared the crap out of me! :-)
Headed down the elegant, baroque Königstrasse towards the Japanisches Palais
So named for its' fantastic grotesques in the courtyard. I took a few photos of these :-) here are a couple of them:
and then out along the Elbe watermeadows, to get the classic view of Dresden
Canaletto's famous painting - with added Rob!
it is most definately a city of strange sculpture
stopped for a break in a Biergarten, ideally located next to Augustus Bridge, with the perfect view to enjoy the most amazing beer
we returned to this spot quite often to enjoy both aspects! :-)
The Golden Rider statue - very gold indeed!
headed back up Hauptstrasse - a leafy avenue with a bizarre mix of communist blocks, historic brauhauses and high street shops but with a very peaceful, tranquil vibe - and then onto the Aussere Neustadt, the so called alternative/bohemian area. Maybe we were tired, maybe the wrong time of day but we didn't like it round this district. Not quite as grim as Hamburg's Reeperbahn but along those lines! Maybe it was bohemian at one time but these days it is lined with bars of the sort you'd see in Majorca and it really wasn't a place we fancied spending the evening in.
We did however make it up to the Kunsthof Passage. A small maze of courtyards and shops, all decorated in eclectic themed styles. Quite cute but did feel a bit artificial - fake boho!
By now we were exhausted AND hungry, not wanting an aimless wander for food, we headed back to Hauptstrasse and opted for the Bavarian restaurant in the Kügelgenhaus Touristy, maybe (all the other diners were Americans!) but the food was lovely and it was pleasant to sit outside as the evening drew in.
Strolled back down to the riverside to catch the cityscape as the sun went down
The traditional pic of Rob with something coming out of his head :-)
Rob then got attacked by what we first thought was a swarm of moths, only to discover that they were in fact very large, beige, nocturnal bees! Creepy and quite unlike anything I've seen before. Beat a hasty retreat away from the bridge and back to the Beergarden to recuperate. Very tired though, we called it an early night and walked back to our hotel to find the fountains lit up in full splendour
edit: just found the website for the beergarden: Augustusgarten - highly recommended if anyone is visiting Dresden!
So soon, WGT was over and it was time for us to check out of our hotel and catch a train back to Dresden
Rob complained that we'd not had enough icecream, so breakfast was had at the icecream parlour in the Hauptbahnhof.
At least my icecream had some pretence at being healthy!
We had prebooked an ICE train to Dresden, to assure some comfort after the festival, although on reflection from our incoming trip, this wasn't really neccessary as that regional train was just as good (and cheaper!).
On arrival, we weren't sure of the scale of the city, so we took a chance and walked to our hotel, which was do-able, despite the heavy luggage!
Stayed at the Park Inn, Dresden Neustadt - the only thing I can recommend about this hotel is the location. Standard/decor was a bit disappointing for what we paid, but it was a base, in a quiet residential part of the Neustadt with a pleasant leafy walk to the historic area.
We decided to spend this first afternoon in the Neustadt, to save the historic/infamous Altstadt for a full day and roughly followed a suggested walking route from my guidebook.
Every day we passed these glorious fountains in the Albertplatz
This one is apparently "Still Water"
and this one "Stormy Water"
both looked pretty frenetic to me!! :-)
Obligatory Trabi pic!
Visited the Dreikönigskirche, where we came to the first poignant reminder of the damage inflicted during WW2. This stunning baroque altar has been left in place, unrestored.
there was also a rather cool Dance of the Dead frieze across the back wall
There was a viewing platform at the top of the tower where we got to see our first view of Dresden - on reflection, maybe not the best first impression, as the historic part looks very small from this angle! However the ascent was an experience to say the least!
Altstadt:
Neustadt:
fortunately we were at the summit when the bells chimed, however the movement of the clock mechanisms every minute scared the crap out of me! :-)
Headed down the elegant, baroque Königstrasse towards the Japanisches Palais
So named for its' fantastic grotesques in the courtyard. I took a few photos of these :-) here are a couple of them:
and then out along the Elbe watermeadows, to get the classic view of Dresden
Canaletto's famous painting - with added Rob!
it is most definately a city of strange sculpture
stopped for a break in a Biergarten, ideally located next to Augustus Bridge, with the perfect view to enjoy the most amazing beer
we returned to this spot quite often to enjoy both aspects! :-)
The Golden Rider statue - very gold indeed!
headed back up Hauptstrasse - a leafy avenue with a bizarre mix of communist blocks, historic brauhauses and high street shops but with a very peaceful, tranquil vibe - and then onto the Aussere Neustadt, the so called alternative/bohemian area. Maybe we were tired, maybe the wrong time of day but we didn't like it round this district. Not quite as grim as Hamburg's Reeperbahn but along those lines! Maybe it was bohemian at one time but these days it is lined with bars of the sort you'd see in Majorca and it really wasn't a place we fancied spending the evening in.
We did however make it up to the Kunsthof Passage. A small maze of courtyards and shops, all decorated in eclectic themed styles. Quite cute but did feel a bit artificial - fake boho!
By now we were exhausted AND hungry, not wanting an aimless wander for food, we headed back to Hauptstrasse and opted for the Bavarian restaurant in the Kügelgenhaus Touristy, maybe (all the other diners were Americans!) but the food was lovely and it was pleasant to sit outside as the evening drew in.
Strolled back down to the riverside to catch the cityscape as the sun went down
The traditional pic of Rob with something coming out of his head :-)
Rob then got attacked by what we first thought was a swarm of moths, only to discover that they were in fact very large, beige, nocturnal bees! Creepy and quite unlike anything I've seen before. Beat a hasty retreat away from the bridge and back to the Beergarden to recuperate. Very tired though, we called it an early night and walked back to our hotel to find the fountains lit up in full splendour
edit: just found the website for the beergarden: Augustusgarten - highly recommended if anyone is visiting Dresden!