Dresden is a tale of two cities.Recalling our visit in Dresden last May, I still think that its one of my favourite city amongst the others. From the other side of the Elbe river lies the romantic Gothic city where monumental architecture dominates the skyline.I have quite enjoyed daily strolls admiring the architecture in this city, its like mini-Vienna.To think that Dresden is one of the city that has been heavily bombed from World War II, it´s opt to say that it´s a phoenix city.A city that rises from the ashes.Up until now, it stand proud and beautiful.

I have seen a different new side of Dresden, the Neustadt. A hip, bohemian, colorful, a very carefree part of the city where Graffiti says it all.Seeing this side of the city, it reminds me of Berlin, somewhat like the Vignali district in Milan and the hip colorful districts in Brussels.

It was already on my list to find Kunsthofpassage—the name itself says “Kunst” or art and a passage or alley/street. True to its name, this street has it all.I was keen on looking for this blue building, an eyecatcher.

My favourite was this Blue Courtyard of the Elements. This courtyard is blue and for me the most epic of them all.On the blue facade, various pipes (the rain pipes) are shaped like musical instruments. Whenever it rains, the water runs through this water feature until it is finally collected. Because all of the rainwater from the Kunsthof is still used, for example for a fountain or for flushing toilets.Imagine on a rainy day listening to the music this building makes!
The artists Annette Paul, Christoph Roßner and André Tempel were inspired by the downpipes in St. Petersburg, which are thicker there than we are used to in this country.

The other building opposite to the blue one is a bright gold. It is decorated with golden scrapes of metal, i imagine it like butter spread on a toast!I think it´s a great idea to turn this courtyards into something like this.I could see that the vibe in this area is quite open and liberal.the photo above shows an after-school daycare center and the outside walls were totally covered with strange art.

The courtyards are located in the Outer New Town, several kilometres from the Old Town (city centre) of Dresden. The Kunsthof (Art Court) was completed in 2001 and consists of 5 individual courtyards.It is a nice walk in these courtyards and my daughter enjoyed trying to depict every hieroglypic signs on the wall.Well as for me, I´ve got busy trying to understand all these sprays and graffiti art.

There are lots of trendy shops lined in this passage as well as some hip eateries. We came a bit early in the morning so most of them are still closed so we didn´t have the chance to explore them.

This caught my attention since everytime I see shoes outside, it reminded me carefree living.Also, what´s surprising is to find a Durch pancake house in Dresden. At first i thought it was a shop selling glass tulips but then the indoor decorations were so colorful and so–Dutch!Pancakes were good and yes-we ate that for lunch!

Though I love to explore cities, I still prefer the raw beauty of nature like the towering peaks of the Bastei.But this cicty sightseeing is also a good way to get to know the city and its history.If there´s something that is unforgettable from our Dresden trip, that would be our hike through the Schweden Löcher and seeing the Bastei, the Grand Canyon of Germany, but then, I am glad I have the chance to see the other side of it.

Do you like city sightseeing or are you more of nature tripping?

Until then,Tschüß!