Upon reaching Dresden from Nuremberg, we found our reserved apartment right next to the Frauenkirche, the church of our lady. The reception recommended parking our car at the Opera House Parking (Semperoper), a brilliant idea with a reasonable charge of 6€ for 24 hours.
After a pleasant stroll around the church square, we dined at Edelweiss, a Swiss restaurant facing the Frauenkirche, where my wife relished a Rösti with champignon/meat gravy, the kids savored delicious hamburgers, and I enjoyed merguez sausages with onion gravy, all served with crispy baked potatoes. Satisfied with our meal, we retired for the night.
The next morning, we had breakfast at The Dutch Pancake House on Galeriestraße, a modern restaurant where we placed orders through an App, offering gluten-free options like buckwheat flour pancakes. Later, we took a walk, but the scorching weather prompted us to return to the apartment until it cooled down.
Upon venturing out again, we visited the Frauenkirche and its reconstructed church, including the crypt. The Frauenkirche of Dresden is a breathtaking and historically significant Lutheran church, known for its stunning architecture and poignant reconstruction after being destroyed during World War II.
Then we explored the Zwinger palace. During our visit to the Zwinger gardens, we were delighted to explore the area, despite some ongoing repairs. Amidst the restoration work, we stumbled upon the beautiful Nymphenbad fountain, which added a touch of enchantment to our experience. As everything closed early, we joined the Arts Festival in the Frauenkirche square, enjoying food, drinks, and live tango music. The kids relished empanadas while I had a beer.
For dinner, we sought a place with gluten-free options, eventually finding Kutscherschänke - Uriges Wirtshaus near our apartment, where we had two goulash soups and a salad since the kids weren't too hungry after the empanadas. Accompanied by a beer, we turned in for the night.
In the morning, we went for a walk before our scheduled Semper Opera Guided tour in English at 13:00, which we highly recommend booking in advance because is the only tour of the opera in English and highly in demand. We highly recommend this tour, the beautifully reconstructed theater left us in awe.
Later, at 15:00, we entered the Green Vault (Grünes Gewölbe), which cost 14€ per adult (kids free). Inside, we admired valuable treasures and were required to store belongings in lockers as photography wasn't permitted. While there, we also paid to enter the Dresdner Schloss (Dresden Palace/Castle), another 14€ per adult (kids free). Due to its immense size, we had to prioritize our visit to make it to Berlin on time.
It's crucial to mention that Dresden endured severe destruction during WWII but has been impressively reconstructed. Many of the sites we visited, including the Frauenkirche, Zwinger Palace, Semper Opera, and Dresdner Schloss, stand as powerful reminders of Dresden's resilience and reconstruction efforts. This aspect of history was a significant topic of discussion with the kids during our time there.