Saturday 27 July 2013

Thur. 25 July to Sat. 27 July. Meissen.

The last 3 days we have been in Meissen have really been too hot, even for sightseeing, typically around 33C.

However we have battled on. On Thursday we spent 4 hours walking around the Albrechtsburg castle/palace. The thing that sticks in my memory is a beautifully carved spiral staircase. Shiel was impressed with the size of the rooms, all with carved stone ceiling supports. It was home to the Meissen porcelain factory in its early years.

An audio guide in English covered the first two floors but note that there are 3 floors! The German audio guide covers all three floors. There are however plenty of signs in both English and German on the third floor.

Friday we made a 3 hour walking tour of Meissen with an audio guide. The guide pointed out many things we might have missed but was a bit too childish in its presentation rather than just being factual. We then did a tour of the Cathedral. Sadly there were no guides in English and the only signs were in German.

On Saturday we made a tour of the Meissen factory. I have to say the old Meissen porcelain is not to my taste but some of the more modern pieces are. However with a coffee jug costing over £1000 and expresso cups at £50 each I fear I will never complete my coffee set.

There was a lot of flood damage in the lower areas of the town but some shops have bounced back pretty quickly. We had two evening meals in an Italian restaurant that had been underwater just over a month previously. Good meals they were too, with friendly service.

Meissen is a pleasant old town and not too busy but would have been much nicer in the mid 20's C. If you've been to Dresden it's worth visiting Meissen to see the contrast.

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