A Day In Dresden

The weather was delightful, as was the train journey ,so what a thrill to arrive in Dresden and discover the city festival in full swing. It's a city with a history which goes way back as can be seen in the architecture still being carefully and painstakingly restored. The WW2 carpet bombing of Dresden destroyed much, but not the will to hold onto the amazing and cultural heritage. eg) Wagner's Tannhäuser and Richard Strauss's Der Roskenkavalier premiered at the Semper Opera .Robert Schumann lived in the city and wrote much of his work here. In order to view one of the finest collections of Old Masters I must return. The Gemaldegalerie housing these is to be found in the Zwinger, one of Dresdens most beautiful palaces. A steamer trip to Schloss Pillnitz not to mention the steam train to Schloss Moritzburg... These are but a few of the 'must visit' places on my agenda. Note,during the week there are many splendid organ concerts and of course Pfunds Molkerai will either give you the energy for the day or refresh you at the close. Tram 11 from Hauptbahnhof takes you almost to the door .Not only did this astonishing place survive the WW2 bombing but it came through the austerity of the DDR years. To walk in there is to step back 119 years ..... Dresden has much to see and savour . Take the 's' out of strain and use the 'train' to get there.