Wilkommen to Deutchland.

Monday 9th September 2024. When Pigs Fly Day!

Decin to Dresden, Germany – 68km.

I knew it was coming….the rain. It was heavy and persistent from around 5.30am. As it happens it seemed to rain only for the morning.

In good weather the route would have been lovely and I would have taken more photos but every time I took a photo the phone got so wet I didn’t take any more. There were a few piccies though.

I was soaked to the skin and hardly stopped till I found a coffee shop at Pirna. You could instantly tell the difference between Germany and Czechia instantly.

I was determined not to make any smutty jokes about the German word ‘farht’. My resolution only lasted to the outskirts of Dresden….

I knew that Dresden had been substantially rebuilt since the Allied bombings in the Second World War and I knew it had been reconstructed to its previous glory. It is twinned with Coventry (for obvious reasons), Rotterdam, St Petersburg and Florence. Rotterdam was also badly bombed by German planes in the War.

The weather just dried up as I arrived and I couldn’t do anything other than gawp at the buildings in all directions in the Altstadt (Old Town).

It was outside the church, near the statue, that an Aussie chap asked me if I spoke English! ‘Only just’ was the answer and a great spontaneous conversation started. He was Jack from Darwin and he initially asked me why the Luther statue was here in Dresden. Of course I didn’t know but that didn’t stop us talking about allsorts. We said our goodbyes but I saw him again 10 minutes later.

I crossed the bridge from the Altstadt to the Neustadt where I was staying but I saw all the tables in the road. I asked a lady who told me that there was an event on tonight. Organisations would provide food for the public for free! I thought to myself, only ‘When Pigs Fly’ will they give away food for nothing. I continued in search of my hostel.

The hostel seems good. I am in a private room. A dorm room is not so good when you have clothes and shoes to dry out, especially when everyone else is trying to do the same thing. It gets a bit sniffy!

I thought I would go back into the city to see what the event actually was….

I had a wide selection of savoury and sweet foods from different stalls. Apparently business’ and organisations combine to run the event as a community evening once a year. It is a ‘Banquet for All’. No alcohol or take away food (it is eaten there and then). Nothing commercial and no payment. I was amazed….what a good idea. How lucky was I to arrive today. It was a real challenge to tear myself away from it.

As a distraction I saw a sign for the Dresden Zwinger Experience! It peaked my interest for reasons I can’t explain.

The Zwinger turned out to be a courtyard surrounded by grand buildings. The central courtyard was under redevelopment but it was still amazing.

I walked back over the bridge again whilst the event continued. There was a dance group doing the Argentinian Tango and a mad swing band in full flow.

A day that started badly finished sensationally. Need I say more.