After the hellish climb to the campsite yesterday, I decided to cycle to the city centre via a diversion with less steep gradients. Turned out Komoot had again guided me via the shortest but most difficult route yesterday.
But maybe I should have taken the bus after all.... I had forgotten to fasten my quick tie and about halfway through, it slipped between the derailleur. With some turning back and fiddling, I got most of it out, but one hook was stuck between the flywheel and the first sprocket, which kept the pedals spinning all the time. So carefully cycled to the nearest bike shop in the city centre. Which turned out to be in a mega-sized 'Globetrotter' outdoor shop located, so I could keep myself usefully occupied while waiting. In fact, I was planning to buy a second light and quick-drying T-shirt anyway, as one is not much when walking around a city for several days in this heat.
By now, noon had passed a while. I cast a quick glance into the Frauenkirche - an interior with high pastel colours - and visited the permanent exhibition on the city's history at the Stadtmuseum, with many photos and videos of the bombing on 13 February 1945 and the GDR period.
During 'orange hour', I got some more beautiful light effects in town.
For tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, I have a museum pass
On the ground floor, the giant Albertinum gallery sculpture from Rodin to the present and on the upper floors paintings and sculpture from the Romantic era to the present. For the 20th century, many mainly German expressionists. The series of one Max Slevogt about his trip to Egypt I found worthwhile.
Max Slevogt - Sandstorm in the Libyan desert
The Albertinum also has a Gerhard Richter research centre with two rooms featuring mainly photographic and serial work.
The Lipsius building in itself is worth a visit. The exhibition did not particularly appeal to me: gaudy gold relics from Prague churches in dialogue with some contemporary artists, but of "The ruins of Humanity", a slow-paced video presentation of Julian Rosefeldt in the basement, I enjoyed it all the more. Maybe that was because of the comfy reclining bags after the exhausting Albertinum visit .
The video showed people in sterile white suits strolling slowly and seemingly aimlessly through withered natural and industrial landscapes in the post-anthropocene.
I closed the day with the 'Fürstenzug' (prince's procession), a 101-metre-long wall picture showing the history of the Saxon ruling dynasty of the House of Wettin, as well as artists and scientists of the period. The work consists of over 24,000 ceramic tiles and shows nearly 100 life-size figures.
Furstenzug
For those who don't read my (long) texts to the end, I'm going to start with what I did last because I found this a really cool site: Kraftwerk Mitte Dresden, a former power station from the 19th century that is now a cultural destination.
As my museum pass was still valid today, I first visited some of the tourist 'must-sees' which close at 6pm and only cycled to Kraftwerk Mitte, which is a bit away from the touristy Altstadt, by 5pm. At that point there was nothing left to do, outside of a hip café-restaurant in a room that still has some big boilers. I drank a big fresh pint there.
What did I visit before that: the giant Swing Palace, specifically the museum with scientific instruments from the 17th century (clocks, measuring instruments, moving carousels, world and sky globes...) and the mega-sized painting gallery with works from the Renaissance and later, as well as a section of antique sculptures, where suddenly a work by Antony Gormley was lined up between.
Antony Gormley
Then a quick stroll around at Theaterplatz, the large square between the Semper opera, the cathedralof the Holy Trinity and the Royal Palace. The place was crowded and noisy because of the Canaletto city festival that took place throughout the old town this weekend.
The restored Semper opera was not reopened until 1985. Gottfried Semper (19th century) was also the architect of the Jewish synagogue destroyed by the Nazis in 1938. The approximately 5,000 Jewish residents of Dresden still living in the city in 1933 were expelled or later deported to concentration camps. After World War II, 41 Jews still lived in the city....
Semper Opera
My last museum pass stop was the Royal Palace (Residenzschloss), whose courtyard is still under restoration. Curiously, there is also a small contemporary art department there, with nevertheless a work by e.g. Christian Boltanski.
At 8pm I was back at the campsite, nicely in time to go for a swim after a hot sweaty day.
16 September: Opening the door at Diamondway Buddhist Centre in Tallinn The centre's meditation sessions are open
