September 7, 2024

September 7, 2024

Months ago I bought train tickets for the journey from the Berlin airport to Dresden. Unfortunately the German train system is not as reliable as it once was and I received notice our train no longer starts here nor ends where we wanted. After checking out of our hotel, we walked to the conveniently located airport train station and took a commuter train to the nearby Schonefeld station. Schonefeld was the old airport of East Berlin. There we caught our original train. I am happy to find that the train is nice and has free Wifi onboard. As we approach Dresden the conductor announces (in German only) that the train is changing its final destination again. Fortunately it is back to the original one we booked. We exit at Dresden-Neustadt or New Town. We find our vintage 1855 hotel conveniently located just down the street.

We were too early to check in, so we dropped our bags with the front desk and set out to find lunch. We eat at a nice restaurant not far away. We both have a Radler beer and a cup of Goulash Soup. It was delicious and rivals my German neighbor’s version. She won’t be happy to hear that. We top it off with ice cream. We were surprised how inexpensive it was. I think we are going to like Dresden.

Needing some exercise, we did some exploration of the New Town. Because it had little industry, this section of Dresden was spared destruction during WWII. It seems to have an artsy vibe. That is emphasized when we walked by one courtyard that had converted its exterior gutters to musical instruments. Another had animal decorations.

We also visited the small Pfund’s dairy shop decorated with hand-painted tiles. It is the most beautiful as certified by the Guinness Book of Records.

Afterwards we walked along the Elbe River. The shore is lined with palaces and government buildings. Historic paddleboats carry tourists down it. The Elbe Valley used to be a World Heritage Site, but was delisted in 2009 after the locals built a new bridge across it. That seems like an over-reaction.

We crossed the bridge into the Old Town and walked along Bruhl’s Terrace, an old castle rampart that has the nickname Balcony of Europe. It is lined with highly decorated palaces. Dresden is surprisingly beautiful for a city that was fire-bombed. It must have undergone significant reconstruction.

We next visit the Zwinger Museum Complex. It is a major two-fer. The buildings have highly decorated Baroque exteriors and are a must-see destination. Unfortunately the central garden courtyard is under construction and full of equipment.

The Zwinger interior contains the collections of the local king Augustus the Strong and his powerful Wettin Dynasty. They ruled the Kingdom of Saxony for centuries. The Zwinger Museum is divided into three main sections. We start with Porcelain. Europeans went gaga over this expensive Chinese art once explorer Vasco Da Gama brought the first pieces home in 1499. Everybody tried to copy it. They were all unsuccessful until two Dresden alchemists discovered the winning recipe in 1708. It went into production in nearby Meissen. This museum section has an incredible collection of porcelain products, both utilitarian and decorative.

The next museum section is called Mathematics and Physics and starts with a historical collection of clocks, then moves into globes and finishes with scientific instruments. It is interesting that since only the rich could afford these objects, they were both functional and works of art in themselves. I kind of laughed when I saw these large burning glasses. The royals probably had great fun focusing beams of sunlight to burn things. Archimedes of Greek Sicily is thought to have invented it as a way to destroy an invading Roman Navy.

The last Zwinger section is the Old Masters and what a collection it is. Despite having been to many art museums, I thought it very impressive. The Wettins of Saxony were big collectors. It is not the largest but I think some of the pieces are of great quality.

We start with the ancients. There are some nice Egyptian Ptolemaic Era painted funereal heads and a very nice Etruscan sarcophagus that still retains its colors. There are lots of Roman sculptures. I especially liked a bust of Emperor Caracalla and some Herculaneum female statues that kicked off the discovery of Pompeii.

We then went upstairs to see the incredible variety and quality of Renaissance art. No wonder Dresden was known as Florence on the Elbe. During the bombing of WWII the art was protected by storage in underground mines and cellars. Much of it was stolen by the Russians as retribution for the war. Thankfully they gave back most, but not all, of it after Stalin died.

We are reaching art-overload, so we exit and decide to walk back to the hotel. Aimee wants to stop at a neighborhood craft show under a golden statue of Augustus the Strong. Surprisingly or maybe not considering Saxon heritage, it is entirely locals selling pottery that is likely hand-made.

We are thinking we pounded the hard pavement too much today. So we eat dinner nearby on Konigstrasse, which is full of restaurants. We dine al fresco with the locals. The weather is hot and sunny, just how we like it.