April 16-17, 2016-
Another adventure weekend with the Davis' and Shawn. Trying to see another place on Shawn's list before he leaves Germany, headed back to the USA to work as a Park Ranger at Yosemite! So excited for his next step, but sad to see him leave us and Germany.
We drove the short three hours on a rainy morning arriving in Dresden to sunshine! This was our first time to Dresden, it was gorgeous. We headed first to the Frauenkirche Dresden, the Lutheran Church, which was built in the 18th Century Baroque style architecture. The Church was right in the Neumarkt square; plus we stayed downtown so we were walking distance to everything. We walked around the church and were able to go inside to admire the beauty of the church, no pictures can be taken inside. The Church was destroyed in the bombing of Dresden during World War II. The remaining ruins were left for 50 years as a reminder and war memorial. The Church was rebuilt after the reunification of Germany, starting in 1994. One can see the difference in the stone colors as when they rebuilt this church they used some of the old stones from the previous structure.
Continuing on our exploration of Dresden with our personal tour guide, Bianca, who has been to Dresden multiple times. We walked across the Augustbruke with a great view of the Semper Opera to the right of us and Hofirche to the left. The gorgeous and well maintained to its originality the Hofkirche, known as the Dresden Cathedral, since 1980. Previously known as the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony. It is located right along the Elbe River in the historic city center. The Semperoper is the Opera house of the Saxon State Opera and the concert hall of the Saxon State Orchestra. The Opera house was originally built by architect Gottfried Semper in 1841; but after a devastating fire in 1869 it was rebuilt and completed in 1878. Semperoper, is grand inside, although it is only open for performances. Bianca actually sang in this Opera house in the past! She is an incredibly talented friend and we love her!
Next along our path is the Dresden Palace built in Rococo style called, Dreden Zwinger. The location was formerly part of the Dresden fortress, where the outer wall is preserved. From archaeological research the wall dates back to the 12th Century. The word Zwinger is a German word meaning "an enclosed killing ground in front of a castle or city gate." The Zwinger was not enclosed until the Semper Gallery was built on the Northern side. Today the Zwinger is a museum complex, which includes the Old Masters Picture Gallery, the Dresden Porcelain Collection, and the Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments. Within the immaculate gardens there are fountains, flowers, and benches to enjoy the garden on a nice day. The Meissen Porcelain Clock is gorgeous with the bells going off every half hour and the clock is made of Porcelain!
Our walk did have a destination- lunch! We ate at the Wenzel Prager Bierstube, brewery, starting off with Czech beers.
After food and beer we walked along the Elbe River with all the flowers blooming and trees budding. It was gorgeous and no rain!
Back to the city center we walked past young adults singing under the bridge which made the acoustics unique and booming down the street. Next stop was the wall mural, the Procession of Princes. In total 93 people are portrayed in this mural that extends down an alley street in Dresden city center, with tourists and souvenirs lining the street. Of the 93 people, 35 noblemen- princes, dukes, and kings, who are shown on horseback. The name of each ruler is displayed below his image. The procession starts with Konrad the Great, who ruled from 1127 to 1156 and ends with Friedrich August III who ruled from 1904 to 1918 as Saxony's last King. The painting was originally painted in approximately 1870 by artist Wilhelm Walther to celebrate the 800 year of the Wettin Dynasty. It replaced an older painting of a procession that had been painted almost 300 years earlier with limewash. Today the procession is maintained with ceramic tiles which were designed and portrayed in the 19th century and miraculously survived the bombings in 1945. From a distance you would never guess that would be the basis of the mural. Each small tile connects perfectly together to reflect the bigger picture.
In Dresden there are some many places to eat and with a great variety of cuisines. After a full day of being a tourist we decided to grab a drink in the sunshine setting back in the Neumarkt by the Frauenkirche Dresden. We decided on Thailand food for dinner with was excellent.
In the morning we had brunch reservations at Feldschlosschen Stammhaus, check it out excellent buffet with both breakfast and lunch dishes. Jeremy and Shawn ordered a beer flight since it also a brewery, which was the largest flight I have ever seen! Very good variety of beers.
After brunch we walked around the University district with really cool handmade shops, bars, cafes, and restaurants. This is considered the Art district so there is a lot of graffiti on the walls, some very creative and artistic others not so much. We were in search of the Kunsthofpassage Dresden- which when it rains the pipes play music! Of course no rain at the time we make it to the wall and supposedly they play music every half hour but that did not happen... Still really cool design and so happy we found it. It is tucked back in a residential neighborhood. After exploring Dresden for a day/ night, we drove 30 minutes on Sunday to the National Park Swiss Saxony, Sachsische Schweiz, and the famous Bastei Bridge! Next post, stay tuned.
