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Published: February 19th 2007
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Hotel Taschenberg Palais
Just a glimpse of the former Palace turned hotel. So I arrive at Hotel Taschenberg Palais and begin to understand the "Palais" piece of this. The website description of this hotel mentioned that it was a refurbished palace of the mistress to August the Strong, but I had no idea. I later learned that in the year 1705, August the Strong commissioned to construct a palace for his favorite mistress, Countess Cosel - who he later imprisoned. In one of of the photos, you will see the bridge that connects the Royal Residence to the Palace. How convenient.
The bell captain opened my taxi door, welcomed me to the hotel, grabbed my bag and escorted me to another bellhop, who escorted me to checki n. The first bellman returned to his post - a small one-man building, similar to the small guardhouse you see at Arlington for the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He just stands there waiting on the next car/taxi to arrive and open the door for the next guest. The second bellhop left me with my bag as I registered, but immediately reappeared as the desk clerk was handing over the key. The bellhop was handed the key by the desk clerk, and
Entry Courtyard
Between the front gate and the front door is a courtyard. My back is to the front door, so that I can snap a shot of one of the many restored sculptureworks (in the corner) and show the proximity of the Royal Palace, across the street. Just outside of the gate is the small guard stand, where the bellman awaits the next guest. by this time he had reclaimed my bag and invited me to be escorted to my room. Yes, I have had this level of service before, but not at the price I was paying - so far it reminded me of the service at the Ritz Carlton. I almost stayed at the Dresden Hilton at $100 E more per night, because it was closer to Frauenkirche. Glad I opted for the cheaper route - a 2 night package which included breakfast (in my room if I chose) for only $330 E. Hilton wanted $215 E per night.
So as we make our way we chat - again, me with my bad German and he with his bad English skills, but we are communicating, and he is explaining the basic layout of the hotel and features. There is an indoor pool, sauna, steamroom and an outdoor ice skating rink within the hotel. Um, OK, not that I am prepared to enjoy any of those things, but hmmm, maybe next time, right? Oh darn, forgot my swimsuit and ice skates.
So we get to the room. This room is HUGE by comparison to my other hotel rooms - and enormous
Zwinger to the Left
This picture was taken in front of the hotel - immediately to the left was the Zwinger Museum. A "Smithsonian" of sorts - huge and full of wonderful pieces of artwork. This is only a small corner section that you see. by European standards.....high ceilings, a separate entry area, seating area with 2 cushy, tuck-your-legs-under-you-sink-in-them chairs, a large glass-topped desk, and a double bed. He explains how everything works and where everything is, including how to open and close the curtains - no kidding. So, I reward his efforts with a tip and off he goes. Now after staying in charming and nice, but very small, more "budget" minded hotels - and being a little road weary - I am feeling a bit like a queen. And somewhat giddy. I check out the bathroom.....THERE ARE WASH CLOTHS AND TOILETRY ITEMS!!!!
Now you may not know this, but in Europe it is a rare thing to find a washcloth or toiletry items in hotels. (I learned that when going to Europe, take cheap Walmart washcloths that are 10/$4 that you can use a couple of times and toss them along the way). So to see washcloths in the bathroom - well, this is luxury for sure. AND, I have 2 bath towels - and 2 hand towels - not the standard issue 1 each. And - individual toiletry items - no soap dispensers on the walls here - which is the
The Royal Residence Palace
The Royal Palace in Dresden norm in Germany and Austria.
There is a deep soaking tub and a separate standup shower......and here's the cool thing. As I'm standing there in my stocking feet taking all this in, I notice my feet are warm.....the tiled floor is heated! I happened to think.....I wonder....I reach out and touch the towel bars - they are also heated. OK, I think I'm gonna like staying here a couple of nights. As a matter of fact - I'm treating myself and calling room service instead of finding a cafe or restaurant. Total bill including service charge for my burger, fries and bottled water, and tip? A whopping $15 (not Euro - dollars). Well worth the wheeled, white linen table with the fresh rose, silver (not stainless), and a white-jacketed server.
While eating my lunch, I find a documentary on TV of how this Palace turned Hotel had been restored. It was amazing - in 1992, the bombed-out remains were still here. Nothing had been cleared or torn down - again, the communists "message" to avoid war in the future. Truth be known - they just didn't have the money to clean it up. Anyway - this hotel only
Lions Club Meets Here
On one of the gate columns of the Hotel Taschenberg Palais, I see a Lions Club sign....this photo is for my father, who is a long-time Lions Club member. had partial remains of outer walls, and a lot of rubble in the middle - clear to the basement. The documentary showed how they removed each piece, restored what they could, shored up remaining walls....from walls, to statues to staircases - the hotel was rebuilt to the original plan as closely as possible. It was amazing - even if the entire documentary was in German. I picked up some of it, but the visuals on the screen told most of the story.
I'm feeling quite like the Queen today, and I have an appointment at the Royal Palace at 4:00 to tour the Green Vault - the newly restored area within the former Royal Palace that housed and displayed the Royal Family's most precious treasures. It's now 2:00, and it gives me time to explore a little around the hotel before my tour.
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