Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
March 2013: Dresden
I first visited the historic state capital of Saxony (German: Sachsen) in May 2007. The opportunity for a return visit came to my attention in January 2013 when my friend and fellow-travel addict Bruce revealed that he had planned a week-long rail tour taking in parts of the Netherlands and Germany. Due to various circumstances at the time, I only felt able to join in the fun at one destination and even then, I booked the trip just two days prior to departure, making this one of my most hastily arranged jaunts ever. Nevertheless, I managed to plan an itinerary that overlapped with Bruce's in Dresden and which allowed me to include two new destinations in Eastern Germany from my famous 'to-do' list. Furthermore, despite having less than 48 hours to departure, I was able to arrange all this in a cost-effective manner while keeping every element of the trip on a flexible basis - quite a challenge for my frequent-traveller skills, I thought!
Whereas Dresden had been bathed in glorious spring sunshine during my first visit, my second bite at the cherry took place at a time when the whole of northern Europe was still in the grip of an unrelenting winter. Worse, the skies over the city remained leaden throughout this short stay, making me suspect that my photos would all turn out to be studies in grey. More positively, the off-season timing ensured that the city was relatively devoid of visitors and on this occasion we were able to visit a number of buildings where the sheer size of the queue had previously put me off the idea.
Overall, despite the weather, I thoroughly enjoyed my second visit to one of Germany's most attractive destinations.
| ZWINGER PALACE | |||||
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| FRAUENKIRCHE | ROMAN CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL | ||||
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Defying stereotypes, the RC cathedral's interior seemed a little austere after visiting the sumptuously ornate (and Lutheran) Frauenkirche. |
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| SEMPEROPER | |||||
| We enjoyed a guided tour of the Saxon State Opera House, including the auditorium and a number of decidedly plush reception areas. |
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| OTHER OLD TOWN VIEWS | |||||
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New Town Market Hall
This provided a colourful and reasonably warm temporary refuge from the cold outside.
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Base: Holiday Inn Express
Linked reports from same trip: