Dresden – First Impressions

Wow. This really is a beautiful city. So many amazing buildings and tourists everywhere. Christmas markets out of control – seems to be one in every square and street – including the street my apartment is on. I only need to open my kitchen window to be overwhelmed by the smell of Gluhwein (a special heated and herbed wine for Christmastime), Bratwurst and other yummy things and the sounds of Carols and bustling crowds.

My apartment is right in the middle of the altstadt and is only a 5 minute walk from the restaurant / bar I’m working in. The restaurant has a really nice feel to it. It is across 2 levels and my music gets amplified through both levels as well as outside – I don’t feel like background music anymore! YAY! I’m already getting requests and tips and it is feeling really good – I can be a bit more upbeat than at the last few gigs. The old drum machine is working hard too – it works so much better with this sort of gig and an electric piano.

I’ve spent the first few days here recovering from the Contiki tour and the journey to get here, so I’m really looking forward to exploring the city more and investigating all of the sights and museums on offer. It’s definitely a great thing to be working in a city this time – I feel like I can have a life outside of work and reading / watching TV in my apartment. Tonight I was able to score a standing room ticket to the Opera to see Der Freischuetz. The opera itself is a bit crap in my opinion, but the production and the singing were good – and only 12 Euro! Apparently tickets are very hard to get, so I was pretty lucky.

I think this is going to be a great month and I am already excited that I’m booked to be here twice next year. Pics to come in the next few days.