Dresden, Germany

I went seeking some great treasures and I found them. Too bad I can't have any of them for myself.

Old Town Dresden was pretty much flattened during WWII and has now been rebuilt. Across the bridge the "New Town" wasn't even touched. The result is a look at two different worlds within one small town. The Old Town was rebuilt to look exactly as it was before the war, in the old Baroque architecture. Back to the days of Louis XIV and Augustus the Strong. The New Town was designed during Communist rule, and sure looks it. Stark concrete buildings with clean lines and no character. What a contrast to the other side of the bridge. While the architecture is interesting, the biggest draw for tourists are the jewels and treasures hidden in the Historic Green Vault and the New Vault.

The Historic Green Vault is a treasury collection started by Augustus the Strong in the early 1700's. Each room has a theme and displays the royal family's various treasures. There is the amber room, the ivory room, the silver rooms and the crown jewel rooms. I was drooling the whole way through.

Then came The New Vault with its much celebrated 6.2 carat green diamond, not to mention the mysterious way it just appeared in Germany, supposedly from India. Nobody seems to know how that happened. Lucky for Dresden. Wow, what an incredible piece of jewelry. I stood and stared for awhile, then had to come back for another look before I left. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed, but I did pick up a postcard with its picture on it. Just to see it was well worth the trip to Dresden.