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Published: June 19th 2015
Of course, with so many unexpected predicaments in our European rail track record, leaving Berlin for Dresden, we made absolutely sure AGAIN, that we were at the station early enough to avoid any mishaps. Folks, I should look more closely at my train tickets but more on that in a while. There were so many people on the platform and lots of scurrying to find seats. Someone in the cabin nearest to us saw that we were looking for a seat and beckoned us to sit in two apparently vacant seats. And so we obliged hoping that neither was reserved. As luck would have it, nobody showed up to claim them and we were on our merry way to Dresden. There must have been a reason that we picked those particular seats since we just happened to sit next to a very friendly German with whom we conversed for most of the two and a half hour trip.
He gave us many useful tips about rail travel in Europe which we will retain for use in the future. Nobody knows the ins and outs better than a local. While we conversed, the passage way quickly became clogged with unseated passengers and
while it really did not matter in the end, we finally looked more closely at our tickets to learn that
we had indeed paid for reserved seats. We forgot that it was a weekend so naturally traffic would have been heavier. Another lesson for us. Anyway, we had a good laugh as we later rolled into Dresden Main. It seems that most people just sit anywhere until a passenger with a reservation shows up and they simply vacate the seat. Smart indeed. Conductors don't seem to care as long as you have a ticket.
As usual,
Jeanette had booked us into a strategically located hotel, the middle one of three
Ibis properties all lined up next to each other on a wide pedestrian boulevard and within easy walking distance to everything we needed. Quickly shedding our gear we hurried to the starting point for our
pre-planned guided walking tour of the old city. Dresden had been bombed extensively in World War11 but I learnt a few curious facts from the guide. One in particular concerned the Allies' strategy of targeting civilians in the heart of the city repeatedly, while leaving certain industry untouched in 1945 near the end
of the war. Nevertheless it sustained severe damage and great loss of life.
It might sound a tad boring to say but this city is beautifully restored as the pictures will show. The famous
Elbe River flows through it. According to my historical recollection, I believe that Napoleon's armies fought the Russians not far from here. Dresden is in the heart of Saxony and was at the centre of much conflict and war.
I hope that you enjoy the pictures. We really loved walking among those restored buildings and getting a sense of what it must have been like long ago. The historical facts are frankly, very interesting but simply too much to absorb and put on paper. I have always loved and been a student of history and I often surprise myself with my recall whenever I travel in Europe. Back in College then, I never dreamed that one day I would walk where Richard 1, Napoleon, El Cid and many others stamped their indelible marks on history.
We planned a
spontaneous side trip via rail to see what is purported to be
the oldest castle in Germany, Albrechtsburg, located on a hill overlooking the city
of
Meissen then move on to the beautiful castle Moritzburg, located on a picturesque lake but alas, rail work on one leg and the fact that it was a Sunday, meant that we could only see the Albrechtsburg. To get there we had to change to a local bus but it was certainly worth the trek. Walking past cafes and restaurants on narrow streets we climbed several steps up to the castle. Later we stopped at a quaint restaurant and enjoyed bratwurst, beer and calorie-adding dessert we couldn't resist.
Ruled for nearly 1,000 years by the Wettin dynasty, the most famous was August the Strong whose palaces in Poland we also visited. Dresden is less than three hours away from Berlin and worth adding to a travel itinerary.
I will also remember Dresden for a rather unexpected reason. I had the best egg omelette ever, right here, at Marche, a great restaurant located in the main train station. It even surpassed my own, so we returned for breakfast a second time. The main rail stations in all these cities are like huge underground malls which makes great commercial sense because of the enormous volume of people traversing them.
The Georgentor and the Procession of Princes
101 meter long mural of the Dukes, Electors and Kings of the Wettin dynasty. Commissioned in 1870 it consists of 24,000 porcelain tiles.I highly recommend Dresden. There is just something about that place.
As an aside, whenever we see other visitors, be it is in the lobby of an hotel, in a rail station or an airport, I in particular have a great chuckle of satisfaction. Towards the end of my blogging for this trip I will demonstrate what I mean pictorially, so watch out for that.
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Jennfer Sutherland
non-member comment
The architecture in Europe as usual is just beautiful. Very interesting blogs make me feel like I am there with you.