The last part of the trip didn’t have the smoothest beginning, we got into Dresden later than expected because the Flixbus was delayed leaving Leipzig. After getting off at the wrong stop I tried to navigate my way back via Dresden’s tram system. The plan wasn’t going too well, I got lost and wasn’t anywhere near where I needed to be.

I was in contact during the course of the day with my friend Iure from Brazil, who I met while I travelling through Brazil. We’d been messaging each other quite a bit while I was busy getting lost as he tried to help me get back on track (no pun intended!). He helped a lot considering I didn’t give him much to go on.

He finished work and asked if I wanted to meet him for a burger at Hans im Gluck with his friend Michel. By pure luck the stop I needed to go to meet him happen to be on the same line as the tram station I was at, problem solved! In no time I met up with Iure and got to try a cheese and pesto burger for the first time. All I can say is pesto in a burger is really underrated.

All fed and calm after a bit of drama, I checked into Hostel Lollis, it’s in a really good location if you’re planning to go to Dresden. For some reason I was in a shitty mood by the time I got here, I don’t know why. I think it was more tiredness from the day than anything else. I was looking forward to dumping my bags and sleeping.

I stayed in a few Hostels during this trip and this one was one of the most sociable ones I stayed at. On first thought it seemed like everyone hangs out with everyone at some point during the day. Before I knew it I was out having drinks with some of the other guests in the streets of Dresden, similarly to how people in Naples socialise and drink with one another.

My plan to stay in and laze about didn’t quite work out. Nahuel from Argentina and Sebastian from Romania asked if I wanted to go out with some of the other guests for a couple of beers. It took them a few attempts but they managed to persuade me in the end. I’m glad I changed my mind because sometimes a drink or 2 can help perk you up.

At Lollis Hostel they had 2 maps, one of the Neustadt area and the other for the Altstadt area with places to visit. They were essentially self guided exploring tours which was perfect for someone who likes to go around exploring at their own pace, and see everything in their own time.

The majority of places were close to each other. The highlight of the Neustadt area is The Kunsthofpassage, which consists of 5 courtyards, each has their own theme. The most popular one is the yard of the elements which has a blue building with rainwater pipes. The unique thing is the pipes become musical when it rains. It wasn’t raining at this point so unfortunately there was no music.

As soon as you cross the Augustus Bridge into the Altstadt, you’ll be able to see half the places as they’re within 5 minutes of each other. Going through Theaterplatz area is the best parts of the Altstadt walking tour. The surrounding area of Theaterplatz has some beautiful architecture, and ideal spots to hangout where you can chill and admire.

The last stop on the self guided walking tour was The Hygiene Museum. This is a medical museum which regards itself to be a “forum for science, culture and society”.

On the first floor there was a new exhibition on the sun and its history. As soon as you enter the exhibition you’ll see what looked like a big piece of space inspired art. The room was packed with a lot of stuff, from ancient Egypt and worship rituals to astrology. I haven’t got the faintest clue about any of that. There were research areas which allow you to look deeper into the history of the sun and its cultural significance to the world.

It gives you food for thought when you realise how the sun contributes to our well being and how much more it contributes other than just keeping us warm, lighting up a holiday destination or topping up our tan…as nice as those things are!

It was a bit weird walking into a museum with “hygiene” in the title name and then walking into a room with a range of exhibitions on the sun, astrology, worship rituals, ancient Egypt and space probes.

We weren’t allowed to take pictures so you’ll have to make do with your imagination unless you fancy going on Google and seeing if anything comes up. I have no idea what anything in the sun exhibition has to do with hygiene, but if you’re going to a museum you may as well check everything out, even if the exhibitions isn’t part of the theme of the museum.

The main exhibition was huge and is split into 4 rooms. The majority of it had nothing to do with hygiene apart from a small section of the wall in the first room. It basically went over the origin and evolution of hygiene.

The rest of the museum is geared to the human race, body, mind and health from a cultural and social perspective. There are interactive displays and games to test you on your mind and senses. The Hygiene Museum is the most interesting I’ve visited, there’s so much to see and learn. There’s always something completely different wherever you look.

I went around Neustadt on my way back. The first thing you will think of going around here is how unique the area is. It’s one of the more hip areas, kind of like Dresden’s version of Haight Ashbury in San Francisco.

Before the trip I kept in touch with Iure, who over time gave me some great tips on things to do. I met with him at lunchtime at Dresden Market for a bratwurst before being taken around on a tour of Dresden. Having spent time studying in Dresden before moving here, Iure was the right person to show me around, and give me a history along the way.

Iure isn’t a local by any means but he may as well be with the amount of knowledge he has about Dresden. I’ve paid for guided tours in some places I’ve travelled to and the majority of the tour guides, if not all weren’t anywhere near as knowledgeable as Iure.

A lot of our time was spent at The Zwinger. It is an old Palace that is now an artwork of architecture, sculptures and paintings. a museum complex with several galleries, and has the largest porcelain collection in the world.

The highlight of The Zwinger is Nymph’s Bath. It’s hidden and ideal if you want to avoid the big crowds. Sitting in the garden reminded me of a much bigger version of The Pavilion Gardens, if you’re from Brighton, live in Brighton or been to The Pavilion Gardens you’ll know what I mean.

After some more exploring, we took a tram to Loschwitz which took between 30 – 40 minutes. Loschwitz is located at the slopes, north of the Elbe River. From there we took a Schwebebahn, a century-old suspension monorail to the top of the viewing platform for a panoramic view of Dresden. It wasn’t packed and for a short period had the place for ourselves.

Below the viewing platform at the restaurant there was a wedding. Looking at it, if you’re in Dresden and getting married, this place would be the ideal to have the reception.

After heading back into the city for an ice cream and a bit of reminiscing, me and Iure part ways. There was a cultural festival going on all over Dresden. Near the Hostel there was a place hosting a live jazz music event as part of the cultural festival which I went to with some of the other guests. I’m not really into clubbing but any chance of a live jazz night and I’m there.

To start the last full day, I went to the only place left I wanted to see, The Military History Museum. This is the military museum for the German Armed Forces and one of the bigger military history museums in Germany. I left this till last because it was the other direction compared to the other places I visited.

You take a lift to start on the to the fourth floor and work your way down which makes a nice change. This isn’t a simple rundown of World War I and World War II, the museum focuses on German military technology, and the human aspects of war.

There was a special exhibition dedicated to gender and violence. It was a real eye opener and puts things into perspective. If you’re heading to Dresden and the exhibition is still there I encourage you to see it.

I met up with Robby, from LA around lunchtime to go for some more exploring. Me and Robby were in the same room at the Hostel and got on as soon as we met. There aren’t many occasions where I can recall getting on well with someone as soon as I met them.

Having had a personal tour of Dresden the day before with Iure, and with me and Robby not being fussed about what to do or where to go, I thought I’d put the tour and what I learnt the day before into good use. Truth be told, I struggled to remember every little bit but I gave it a good go.

It was a chilled one and Robby seemed to appreciate seeing the main parts of Dresden. I finally got to try a schnitzel from the market. It wasn’t quite traditional as it came in the form of a sandwich but it’s another one of the traditional foods I can tick off the list.

In the evening there was a big dinner at the Hostel. Agatina, a volunteer at the Hostel from Poland, made a dish from Poland (I can’t remember what it was called) accompanied by sauerkraut. Huge props to Agatina (and her assistants Nahuel and Sebastian), the food was delicious!

I wasn’t too fond of the sauerkraut. At least it’s another one from the traditional food list ticked off, but it’s definitely one I’m not going near again.

After dinner me, Robby, Nahuel and Rose, from Washington State played several card games accompanied with some booze. If you know me, you will know how ultra competitive I am. The main goal (apart from winning) was trying to curb my competitiveness. I’m not sure how well I did with this, but for a while it went ok. There’s only so long I can keep my competitive nature hidden, in the end I thought I did well considering.

I went for a last stop at Altstadt Market for a bratwurst brunch before catching a bus to Berlin Airport. Just like that 5 weeks flew by! I learnt from this trip that you don’t have to always get out of Europe to experiences a different culture. There’s somewhat a misconception from what I’ve heard from fellow travellers about how the majority of Europe is the same…it definitely isn’t!

If there’s one thing I can take away from this trip, it’s how much more I appreciate Europe, and that you don’t need to go outside of Europe to experience something new.

Dresden, like Hamburg is underrated. It’s beautiful and one of the more historical places in Germany. One thing you’ll notice is how people from East Germany and West Germany tell you different versions of German history. Being someone who wasn’t all that familiar with the history around here, rather than debating with the locals, it was better to listen and ask questions and take an interest. You never know what you can learn.

Back to how nice Dresden is, there’s enough to fill your boots for a few days and some. There were places I couldn’t get around to seeing but that’ll be saved for another trip. I can’t imagine how nice the markets are during Christmas. Dresden is in a good location with direct access on public transport to Berlin and only a couple of hours from Prague.