Dresden, Germany

We finished the weekend with a trip to Dresden, Germany. Wahh, where is that? yeah. That was my first reaction too! This place is a city of travellers' paradise that few get to see, I have officially added it to my list of favorite places.

Dresden has some really great history. In February of 1945 the city was bombed by the Ally Forces crumbling the city. It's buildings dating back to medieval times collapsed. You can see the pictures here. The cool part is that the buildings were mostly restored using the pieces from the rubble! This creates almost a mosaic of light and dark across the face of each masterpiece. Something that I had never seen before. The most interesting part of the city is that in my head I couldn't place it. Sometimes when I go to a city I can say, "Oh, this reminds me of Madrid or this reminds me of Lucern." But I could not find anywhere that I had been that represents its whole.

On one side of the river you have the Old Town which has been, like I said, completely reconstructed and incredible buildings are, from the church the the opera house, lined up along the river-making this a backpacker's paradise! So much to see in such a small space! The landscape is absolutely incredible!

But while the Old Town lay in rubble the New Town flourished and the culture here is excitingly overwhelming. Funky shops line the streets as do coffee shops, art stores and music boutiques! The alternative vibe here is young and hip and is quietly pulsing with an underground flair of unique style. The night life in the area is laid back but alive and there are shisha bars and pubs everywhere.

Dresden gets made fun of by their German counterparts who say all the city inhabitants do is sit around and drink coffee. And I have to admit that there are a lot of cafes in the area and shops don't open til 11:00am each day (probably because everyone needs their morning coffee!).

Dresden has an abnormally high birth rate for its population and kids and strollers can be seen everywhere! At first I thought it was because it was a Sunday but this city has a calm, relaxing vibe that was a break from the bustle of the city! We also found some great street art and I have to say German people (especially here but also in Berlin) are a welcoming, kind and fun people and I loved their company and service! I went to bed this night overcome with joy at the weekends' end. It was a beautiful start to a long month a travelling. What beautiful cities this world has to offer, I think I even fell asleep with a smile on my face.

Here's a great map of Dresden (http://www.use-it.be/europe/)!

I didn't even need to enhance these photos!

view of the opera house