Dresden – a hidden gem in Germany

The capital of Saxony

Dresden is one of the larger cities in Germany but honestly how many do you know has been there? I just knew a handful of people that been to the city and they were all impressed by the place. When I got there for the first time in late October to work also my expectations were high. Everyone said it would be very beautiful and now, 1,5 months later I am still amazed every morning when I see the cityscape. I mean, look at the below view – who doesn’t want to end a morning run with this scenery in-front of oneself?

Walking around Dresden

Unfortunately the city has been hit hard by Corona this fall and after one month here it became lockdown. My third one in a year. You cannot imagine how tired I am of it. Mostly not being able to visit the gym as I wish. But while missing tough workouts and quality training indoors I have spent those hours to take loads of walks and runs outside so I know the streets very well by now. After my run along Elbe this morning I went out for a long walk and discovered a new place, Dresdner Heide. It was a huge urban forest and I will for sure get back there for running. That was a perfect place for trailrunning.

New and old Dresden

Dresden has two sides. One old – that got bombed to 75% during the end of World War II (Altstadt) and a new side (Neustadt) that feels more like an alternative side. I like the contrasts of the both sides of Elbe. The new part of the city is quite rough and you find a lot of street art and hipster places. If you go there you should not miss out a visit to Kunsthof passage which host cafés and creative arty buildings. It’s not big but worth seeing. They also had the best burger I tried in a long time at the new side. Remember the name Zapfanstalt if you want to grab one.

Dresden is flat and spread out. The city center is like any other city center but not far from it you have many green spaces. One day I took a walk to Grosser Garten which is approximately 20 minutes from the old city and to my surprise it was a huge castle in the middle.

A few weeks after we got to Dresden we went on a guided tour in the city. After the tour the guide shared some recommended places to see and one of them was the worlds most beautiful milkshop. All of a sudden one day when I was out walking at the Neustadt side I passed by it and of course I went in to get some pictures. It was pretty cool and like something I never seen before.

Biking excursion along Elbe

The city is a like a Kinder egg filled with surprises. I mean, did you know there were wineyards on a biking distance from the city? I didn’t. When the weather still was warm we randomly visited one on a Sunday when we rented bikes. Luckily the wine was extremely cheap since they only accepted cash (like so many other places in Germany) and we had almost no cash with us. The walking and biking path along Elbe is literary perfect for sightseeing between the many villages along the river. So transporting yourself along the river and doing sightseeing is on the top of my recommendations of Dresden.

If going for excursions along the Elbe isn’t enough you can always take a dipp in it. I did. And survived. Although it was a grey November day. Cold. A bit crazy. But worth it.

Photogenic city

The old city is so beautiful. I don’t even wanna know how many pictures I have been taking. Luckily the time of old school cameras is over otherwise I would fill up my whole apartment with photos of Dresden when I get home. I just wished I had a better iPhone camera.

Last but not least Dresden has its famous Christmas market. By now we all know what happened to the 250 year old tradition in 2021 – it got canceled. Again. Due to Corona. That was the most sad thing since I got here. Everything was prepared and the stalls were ready to start their commerce but it all got called off two days before it begun. Now in mid of December everything except the Christmas tree itself is gone from the famous Striezelmarkt. Well, what to say, almost two years now when you see the light in the tunnel to get back to the world we were used to and the day after not seeing the end of the horizon.