Medieval town Dresden

Christmas Eve saw us moving on to the last state in Germany, Dresden. Bunked into A & O hostel and it is an excellent choice for backpackers. It costs about 10 Euros per night and i would gladly rate it a 4.5/5 in terms of service, cleanliness, efficiency and overall layout. I have high expectations usually for accomodation and I must say, I am impressed. Made some friends in the process, more backpackers from Canada, Japan, Brazil and Mexico. It felt like a mini backpackers community :)

We reached Dresden in the late afternoon on Christmas Eve and I was appalled at the sight that laid before my eyes. Dresden then, could only be described in absence. No shops as their windows were shuttered, no proper vegetation save for some dried weeds by the roads, no flowers, no people, no crowd, no restaurants. Zilch, nada, nien.



I was so amazed by the empty street, I felt like I owned it. Occasionally, one or two cars whizzed by, other than that, the roads were quiet. Wine bottles that rolled on the floor sounded almost eerie. To freak myself out further, I pretended to be a zombie from the movie '28 days later'.
;)
:: Christmas dinner ::

This year is interesting because it's the first year I've spent Christmas without (not only without turkey) dinner! How ludicrous aint it? Christmas without dinner? Boy, I was sufffering from hunger pangs. But misery loves company. All the other backpackers in my room arrived to find only closed restaurants on X'mas eve faced similar plight. We pulled our resources together and snacked on a meagre dinner comprised of some chips, an orange and 4 slices of wheat bread.

I tried not to think about home, hot cocoa and turkey. Or Christmas ice-cream cakes with peppermint mocha. This is how it goes, some days we had to rough it out, some days we allowed ourselves some epicurean indulgence. Afterall, a backpacker's got to have some good fuel too right? Try lugging all that luggage around in the harshness of winter whilst trying to find your hostel ! :(

:: As the name spells it, 'Theaterplatz' ::

:: A peek of King August the Great from the arches that darkened against the glinting sunlight at 'Theaterplatz'::

:: A bird's eye view of Zwinger Palace. Indeed Baroque style- vast space, fountains (though not spurting in winter) and gardens ::

The next day, we took a tram down to the famous 'Zwinger' and 'Theaterplatz'. Apart from being a ghost town, derelict as can be on Christmas Eve, there is actually a very distinct old world charm about Dresden. Magnificent castles, garbled fountains and horse carriages trotting on the streets, actually just walking around the medieval town felt like I was transported back in time. Afterall, time is only relative, as Einstein puts it.Once in a while, a gentleman opens the door for you, or takes off his hat and bow. Seriously, how often do you get that?

Dresden makes a good stopover if you're coming from Berlin or Leipzig. By car, it's only about 2 hours' drive or less. It is close to Prague as well. What I personally adore about Dresden is the architecture it boasts. And of course the Baroque style that speaks of the very essence of the architecture.
I love Baroque art. English gardens, sculptured fountains, vast space and the very fact that Baroque architecture is made with the intention to impress an audience.

:: An interesting fact. These buildings were once plated in shiny copper, before time and weather rusted them into a peculiar shade of green ::
:: The princess surveys her city beneath her ::
:: And she walks down to greet her people ::