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Published: August 4th 2008
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The Hotel and Residence
The Residence was just across the street from the Taschenberg Palais Hotel. The frieze and fountain were reconstructed with both salvaged pieces and reconstructed pieces, every detailed considered to bring this jewel back to its shining beauty. The striking thing about the exterior of the Palace - and typical of most of the restored buildings I see - is that in restoring, they left the soot on the stones from the massive fires after the firebombing of Dresden 60 years ago. Dresden was pretty much wiped out - the temperatures were so hot, that many of the huge sandstones that were used in construction, such as in the Frauenkirche, collapsed due to all moisture evaporating and reducing the stone to sand. The Royal Palace, the Zwinger Museum and the Semper Opera House, all located across from each other and across the street from my hotel, bear this mark of their tormented past. My research provided that this was intentional -scars as a reminder of this town's history to those who may one day forget the horrid devastation that war brings. This dark tinge was contrasted by gold-leafed touches on strategic points of the architecture brought a dramatic appeal to those who would appreciate it. Inside the Residence, I venture to the cloakroom, check my coat, and purchase a ticket for the "New Green Vault", since I have over an hour still before my tour for the Historic Green
The Residence Main Entrance
The main entrance to the royal palace faces the Elbe River, at the end of Buhl Terrace - the magnificent prominade along the Elbe. To the left of the entrance is the beginning of the Procession of Princes - the mosaic constructed of Dresden porcelain depicting all of the rulers of Saxony, from 1127 - 1918. Vault tour.
The New Green Vault housed interesting pieces, from metalwork to precious jewels and glassware, to ivory pieces. These were also owned by this royal lineage, but were not part of the original Green Vault - not the top showpieces in the holdings.
The Historic Green Vault is a restoration of 8 rooms in the Palace with their prized contents - as much as could be reclaimed or restored. Again there are photo restrictions, but can tell you that by the time I got through this exhibit, I was almost depressed. The Royalty had spent fortunes on this collection, as well as had been given millions and millions and millions of dollars worth of creations of gold, silver, precious gems, while the common people worked hard and got little in return. A carved chest of Amber, a cask loaded with over 5,000 diamonds, a coffee/tea service loaded with dozens of gemstones made of gold and silver - that was never used. Yes, it is wonderful that the artistry of those who created these magnificent pieces were able to produce their crafts and that if not for the wherewithal of the Royalty to protect the pieces, the artists' work would never had been seen. But at what cost? And while I realized this was occurring all over Europe and within Germany, it really hadn't struck me so vividly until I walked through this collection of excesses.
By the time I finished this tour, I felt like a fog had moved over me. Maybe I'm just tired, maybe I've exhausted my limit of learning about a different culture, and maybe the overcast day is catching up with me. What I know is that I'm done for the day - I'll find the Streizelmarkt and Dresdener Stollen tomorrow - and back to the hotel I go.
Unfortunately - these exhibits were yet another "no photos" location, but you can Google on "the Green Vault Dresden" and see many of the pieces that I gazed upon. So, I will just give you a few more exterior photos of many of the builds I ventured upon that afternoon.
After I called Jeff for the evening, I debated whether I wanted to go to dinner. I honestly did not want to leave my room - I was tired, a bit homesick and feeling a little overwhelmed. I sat and read a while, and decided that if I didn't go eat dinner, I would be starving later on. And besides - if I stayed in my room, my mood would not improve and I was not going to feel sorry for myself - this was just too awesome of an experience for that. So up and out I go, in search of the hotel restaurants.
The first one I found was rather formal and very expensive - and I was not going to be in the mood for either. I continued to walk and explore, and I found the bistro. The bistro was very cozy - almost northwestern, woodsey scheme. It had very whimsical decor - crystal chandeliers with random large colored Christmas bulbs plugged in them, a pop-culture Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus tucked in the corner. The service was great, and the food delicious. Tonight I opted for goose-liver soup, a cram based soup that tasted very much like cream of mushroom soup. My entry was duck breast (it was a themed "special" menu), and yes, I enjoyed my chocolate ice cream bonbons for dessert. The sweets in Germany and Austria are not as sweet as here in the US - so even with a filling meal, you can make room for the dessert!
The wait staff was very pleasant, and I found how much better my mood had turned once I was leaving (funny what 2 glasses of wine will do). I strolled around and found the entrance to the ice skating rink - which is in the center of the hotel, but outdoors. Since I didn't bring my coat, I didn't stay long, but it was fun to watch everyone skating, old and young alike. I was ready for a good night's sleep, to prepare myself for another whirlwind day tomorrow.
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