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Published: December 2nd 2007
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When I first arrived in Dresden, even though I was exhausted and sick, I got a good vibe from the city. Something about it just seemed
right somehow. Although nothing special - no crazy parties, no falling in love with German men, no big adventures in the Altstadt - ended up happening, and in fact it was incredibly cold and I was very sick the whole time, my opinion of Dresden just escalated the longer I stayed there. I felt really comfortable: the streets made sense to me, like they did in Dublin, the East Germans were fabulously friendly, and I just felt like I belonged. I loved it so much that I asked at the hostel for information on finding a room in a student flat in Dresden; I found out that to live in the centre of the Neustadt, with a place that is as big as mine in Hamburg, is the same price although I live 45 minutes out of Hamburg´s city centre. I kept wishing that I had "discovered" Dresden earlier in the year, so that I could have moved there, because how I felt about the city made me sure that Hamburg was not the right
city for me at all.
Dresden is divided into two halfs on either side of the Elbe (the same river that flows just a 20 minute walk from my house in Hamburg), joined by beautiful old bridges. On one side of the river is the stunning Altstadt, with its towering baroque architectural masterpieces, which reminds me a bit of Prague. On the other side of the river is the funky Neustadt, with is collection of turn-of-the-century buildings, interesting street art, small design shops, and heaps of clubs, bars, and restaurants; this reminded me of Berlin´s good side, without Berlin´s pretentiousness.
When I checked into my hostel, Lollis Homestay, I slept most of the afternoon. The hostel was in the Neustadt and was like staying in someone´s apartment, with all the comforts of home: highly recommended! When I finally left at dusk (which is really not so late, considering the sun sets before 16:30 in the winter), I walked all the way down through the Neustadt and across the Elbe into the Altstadt. Watching the sunset behind Dresden´s beautifully elaborate skyline made my heart melt, so I stood on the bridge for quite a while watching the sky change
colours. I then wandered around the Altstadt for a time, checking out the Christmas market - which was not as nice as Leipzig´s, more like the PNE - and admiring Cathedrals and Castles. Sigh.
On my second day I did a self-guided tour around the Neustadt, and if I finished early, I planned to head back down to the Altstadt and take a tour of the famous Semperoper. I didn´t finish early. Instead, I spent the whole day slowing taking myself through the tour: looking at all the different architectural influences around the city, popping into funky little shops and cafes, and taking photos of giant graffiti murals. Fortunately for Dresden, not many houses were built during the time of the DDR, so the buildings even in the Neustadt (which is new only by comparison, most of it was built starting in the mid-1800s to early 1900s) are quite lovely. This walk around the area that I could potentially live in solidified my view of how well I would fit there. For part of the walk, an Aussie guy named Cam came with me, but he´d had hardly any sleep the night before and headed back to the hostel
after a bit of the Neustadt called the Kunsthof Passage. This is a little collection of courtyards that have permanent art installations in them based on theme. It´s inspiring and beautiful. Other highlights of the Neustadt included "Panorama", an interactive playground for kids that was begun in 1992; Dresden´s largest street mural, which is down the street from a row of Nazi-built houses that look as if they belong in a suburb; a hidden Jewish cemetery across from a Lutheran church; and the plenty of random and peaceful courtyards (containing ballrooms or pools) that you could find by wandering down alleys that look like private entryways but are actually public property.
In the evening, Cam and I, plus this other single traveller at the hostel named Will, bought dinner together, but Cam cooked the whole thing. I went to a sauna nearby to try to sweat out my cold: it was called the Nordbad, and it was located in one of those random courtyards through a hidden public passageway. In the early 1900s, when the Neustadt population was rapidly increasing, most people had outdoor toilets but no showers. So, the municipal government created all sorts of little neighbourhood pools
Frauenkirche
Dresden´s most famous landmark was completely rebuilt after the bombing of February 13th 1945. & saunas, with lots of shower facilities, so that people could be hygenic. The small sauna was lovely, with two incredibly hot Finnish saunas, a lukewarm bath, a cold tank, and a steam room. It was a very relaxing way to spend the evening.
On my last day in Dresden I spent most of the day in the Altstadt. It took me a while to get everything organized for my train that evening, so by the time I got going it was already midafternoon. I took a tour of the Semperoper, which was in German although they gave me a little booklet in English; I don´t have the vocabulary for a tour of the inside of an Opera House. It was stunningly constructed and made me wish that I was leaving Saturday instead of Friday night, so that I could have seen "Faust" performed on Friday evening. Another year perhaps. After the tour I wandered around the outside of the Zwinger fortress, where Dresden´s major museums are, and then headed inside to see the Old Master´s Painting Gallery. My favourite was the Rubens room, with more Rubens in one place than I saw at the Prada or the Rijksmuseum!
I didn´t have time to finish the whole museum, but I did also see the "Sistine Madonna" by Raphael, which was huge and breathtaking. As I was leaving the Zwinger fortress to head to the train station, there was a band in the Theatreplatz (the square outside the Semperoper) playing Christmas music, and I felt so sad to be leaving this city that made me feel so at home.
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