Wroclaw, Poland and Dresden, Germany

Travel to Wroclaw

We left Prague with what we thought was plenty of time to get to the central bus station. We hired an Uber and thought we would have time at a coffee shop near the bus. Not the case. The Uber driver drove by us twice and would not stop! Finally, he drove far away forcing me to cancel the ride. All our spare time was gone. Now we hustled with all our stuff on a tram and a metro and barely made it to the bus in time. It was the first time that Uber had failed us. At least we made it onto the roomy Flixbus. We each had two seats to spread out and the four hour journey went by quickly.

We checked into Old Town Haston and were so impressed with the modern room and comfortable beds. The view was great overlooking nearby churches and the street was nice and quiet.

It was time to explore! We walked a short distance to the old town and were blown away by the giant town square with its colorful buildings and beautiful architecture. Much of Wroclaw was rebuilt after WWII but still, what a lovely town.

No tour of Wroclaw would be complete without mentioning its gnomes. Small statues are scattered about town all busy doing different tasks. There is a tourist shop dedicated to them where families can pick up a scavenger hunt and find them all. It was cute watching kids match stickers and fill up their gnome cards. Here are a few of our favorites.

It was Friday night and locals and tourists were out in force. It was fun watching people dressed up and enjoying the pedestrian-only town.

We found a recommended pierogi restaurant for dinner and ordered a sampler plate for two. It was so much food! Each pierogi had a different filling. They were delicious but what a filling meal!

Mom took a break in the room for the night while I went out for a long night walk. The city was so lively and lit up. I walked around Cathedral Island, several parks, and the old town. There were so many people of all ages taking advantage of the perfect weather and beautiful city. The parks were filled with young people socializing and the cafes were to the brim. The town felt extremely safe, clean, and welcoming. I love this about so much of Europe and wish it was something I could enjoy in my hometown!

Full day in Wroclaw

I got up early and went for another walk to see the town in morning light without the crowds. It was so peaceful and a nice contrast to the busy evening. I found a local coffee shop and pretended I was a local.

I met up with mom and we explored a large indoor market. It is fun to see what produce is in season and what the locals are buying. We had coffee and a pastry before setting out to explore.

We started with Cathedral Island. There were so many churches in such a small area. We popped in one church after the other marveling at the stained glass and monstrosity of the structures.

We were on our feet for a couple of hours and decided to take a short boat tour. Wroclaw has many interconnecting waterways so we sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed a one hour ride down the river and canals. It was a pretty way to see the city from a different angle.

We made it back into the old town and shopped and wandered even more. I stopped at a famous church and climbed to the top where a small bridge connected two towers. it was called the Bridge of Penitents where a young girl was supposedly banished and told to sweep for the rest of her days as punishment for being lazy. The views were beautiful from the top.

Meanwhile, mom had an ice cream and took a break. I stopped for a quick doner box. I'd be in real trouble if doner was this cheap and accessible at home. It's so good!

We met up again and explored the main shopping street before realizing it was happy hour! It was extremely hot today.

Next up was the museum at the University of Wroclaw. I had heard that is wasn't an ordinary museum with its historic rooms and observation spot on top. We were lucky enough to hear a chamber group warming up in a beautiful concert hall.

We climbed to the top and found another beautiful view of Wroclaw.

It was getting late in the day and I wanted to see more than just the center of town. We took a tram many stops away with a brewery as our target. We had a familiar and tasty American IPA while listening to some live music. This part of town had a different vibe and we were surrounded by locals.

We took a short break in our hotel to regroup and decided on pizza for dinner. We found a very busy place just off the main square. Yum!

I ended the day with another night walk and a little gelato. I hope I return to Wroclaw someday!

Travel day to Dresden

I took one final walk around Wroclaw before packing up and heading back to the bus station. We had a nice breakfast at a nearby cafe. This time, we were not pressed for time.

The bus to Dresden was relaxing and we had room to spread out once again.

The first views of Dresden were striking with its giant spires and buildings. Our airbnb was in the new trendy part of town and was on the top floor of a building. It was a cute place but was painfully hot without air conditioning or a fan. The kicker was that the hot water didn't work. Freezing cold showers for two nights! It was a noisy place to sleep with the nearby bars and our open windows but we made the best of it. The place was cute enough but lacked in some basic amenities. You win some, you lose some!

We met up with DD#1 and her sweet British roommate for two nights. They took the train separately.

Dresden was crazy busy on this August Sunday. We started off at a little beer garden in our neighborhood before venturing further. The city had been overtaken by an amusement park complete with market stalls, food vendors, and rides. My mom scored some jewelry and a cute homemade fanny pack. We wandered the hot streets and finally settled on a beer garden for a traditional wurst dinner.

Everyone was dragging so we headed back to the hot apartment and I left again for one of my night walks. The area was trendy and seedy at the same time. There was a lot of street art (graffiti), broken glass, and colorful characters. It kind of reminded me of my home state! I found a jazz quartet and listened for a while before venturing back for some rest. The heat made the day seem harder than it really was.

Full day in Dresden

Mom and I got an early start and left the teenagers to sleep. We found cute places for pastries and coffee before heading to a unique dairy retail store. It was gorgeous! We didn't buy anything but enjoyed looking around and taking pictures.

We wandered down by the river and finally crossed a bridge to the towering old town. The grand buildings were almost intimidating with their dramatic stone facades. Many had been rebuilt during WWII but some did survive.

My favorite stop of the day was at the newly built Lutheran Church, Frauenkirche. The church burned for two days in 1945 before crumbling to the ground. Imagining something so massive falling to the ground must have been something. There's a piece of the old tower displayed next to the new church. The new church was built over the old foundation beginning in 1992. It was finally opened to the public in 2005. It was just beautiful inside.

We also saw the new crypt beneath the church which showcased some of the old foundation.

I bought a ticket to walk nearly 300 steps to the top of the dome. It was a great climb with some amazing views of Dresden! I absolutely loved it.

We took a quick happy hour stop. It was after noon by this point and beer was cheaper than other beverages so when in Germany... Haha! The girls finally met up with us and climbed the dome themselves.

We wandered around the old town seeing an incredibly historic mural, the giant Catholic church, and more beautiful buildings.

It was hot and Mom needed a break so we headed back to the apartment. I met the girls again for some shopping. The malls and shopping streets in Dresden are massive! We didn't really buy much but enjoyed poking around. We finally stopped for another drink and a snack.

Dinner was a highlight! Happy Bowls in Dresden was delicious and provided a familiar and healthy poke bowl. Perfect!

After scoring some German chocolate to take home, we called it a night and actually looked forward to returning to Prague. Dresden had its highlights but I have enjoyed other cities much more. Beautiful hot air balloons above the city. Goodbye Dresden.