2011 - My Tiki Tour (Part 14 - Dresden, Germany)

Saturday 21 May - A day of travel from Krakow to Dresden, via Wrocław. Arrived on time (as you would expect from both the Polish and German railways) and found the hostel. An afternoon walk around the Neustadt part of town.

Sunday 22 May - A day of wandering around the restored city centre. Most of the city centre was bombed flat in February 1945 with huge civilian casualties. It has been rebuilt over the years, especially since the reunification of Germany in 1990. The Frauenkirche was not completed until 2008. They are doing a good job of rebuilding it and the city centre looks very good although they will continue the rebuilding process for many year to come. The parts of the city over the Elbe, the Neustadt (new town), was not as badly damaged and so is actually older than the Altstadt (old town).

August the Strong (1670-1733).

The River Elbe and the Opera House.

The Opera House.

The new roof to the castle.

The Royal Castle.

The Frauenkirche.

Martin Luther (1483-1546).

Rebuilt attic windows.

The Frauenkirche.

The Frauenkirche.

The River Elbe.

Germany's best one man band (according to him anyway).

The Altmarkt.

A real beer!

Sunset along the Wilsdruffer Strasse.

The Frauenkirche and Munzgasse.

The Threaterplatz.

The Schlossplatz and Augustbrucke.

Monday 23 May - A day trip to the town of Meissen (or Meißen using the German orthography) via a paddle steamer down the Elbe. It took about 2 hours to slowly meander the 25 km to Meissen. The route is quite scenic with small villages and vineyards on the way. Meissen is what a lot of tourists consider to be the stereotypical German town, with a large castle on the hill, a cathedral next to the castle, a couple of nice squares with colourful buildings housing small bars and restaurants and lots of little narrow streets to get lost in. Meissen is also the home to the porcelain industry, founded in 1710.

The River Elbe through the centre of Dresden.

A vineyard on the Elbe.

The Albrechtsburg castle.

The river boat.

The Albrechtsburg Castle.

The Albrechtsburg Castle.

The Frauenkirche with its porcelain bells.

The post has arrived.

The Marktplatz.

The front of the Cathedral.

The other side of the Elbe in Meißen.

The red roofs of Meißen.

Hostel review: The Kangaroo Stop hostel is very German. Very clean, lots of rules, push button showers so that you do not stay too long, and no shower curtains at all. The receptionist said that was to discourage long showers, but the sight of naked arses as you walk around the shower is not that pleasant. Its location is quite good, right next to the Neustadt Bahnhof railway station and close to the many bars and restaurants.
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