It’s mid-January and Dresden lies out covered in glistening white, soft snow having come down the last week. The is shining and so everything looks magnificent, but the thermometer shows only – 5° C (23° F ). There is a reason when Saxonians speak about this area as “Saxonian Siberia”! I have two youth groups from Germany and Italy who want to be guided through Dresden. When they arrive in their bus they are excited about the fairytale appearance of theatre square. But just some minutes after stepping out in the cold we all are in danger to turn to frozen statues as yet another decoration of the Saxonian capital.
Covered in hats and scarfs, not only youth groups like winter tours…
This is where I switch to the “emergency program” for cold days: I alter my tour a little and seek to find points to stand where no wind can harm us and search for places where we get a break of the freezing cold. We stand in the snow-protected arch of the Zwinger, from where we can see both the Zwinger courtyard as well as the theatre square. Then we walk through the Dresden castle where we get a little bit warmed up and later on take shelter in the archway of George’s Gate. After we have slowly passed the Prince’s Procession mural we enter the warm shopping center QF where many noble brands have their shops. Between expensive watches from the nearby Glashütte and handmade shoes from Gucci I give us the time to gain some strength and stop the uncontrollable shaking. Most of the medieval and barock city I explain here. After that we visit the reconstructed famous Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche).
Despite the freezing temperatures the guided tour was a lot of fun for all of us and I am really happy about my great winterproof guests. Hopefully they keep in mind not only the polar atmosphere but also some Dresden facts. When I have waved goodbye to the bus I return home and sit down in the warm. It’s such a blessing thet thanks to technical progress almost everyone here can afford to have a cosy warm home…