I don’t think most people will do what Kathy and I do when we travel, and that is, to travel into the unknown. We decide in advance, “que sera, sera.” We decide not to stress. Today, we headed out the door to go to Moritzberg to see the Saxon Royal Hunting Castle. We could have taken a tour for €100, but doing it our way cost €30 and we ended up doing so much more than the tour would have afforded. We had a marvelous adventure.

We headed out for the train station in the Neustadt (New Town). We had never been to this station before; yet, we decided to walk. The weather was perfect, and the walk was picture perfect. My city map was accurate. Our 25 minute walk took us over the Elbe River on a beautiful bridge and along fall-colored, tree-lined boulevards. We needed to catch a bus and were fortunate that it was at the stop when we arrived and the driver sold tickets. Therefore, we did not have to negotiate the ticket machine. The bus ride was delightful. It picked up school children as it went through wonderful Dresden neighborhoods. The houses were Dresden’s version of our more expensive neighborhoods in Texas, with the exception that these homes had turrets and towers on boxed roofs with slate shingles and window boxes with flowers and with vegetation that was gold and red and yellow and orange with the colors of fall. Our bus took us eventually along country lanes where we saw a goose farm with geese as far as the eye could see and through quaint country villages that were obviously untouched by WWII. The trip lasted about 30 minutes and stopped directly in front of the castle.

What a castle! I realized I had seen it before on HDTV on a showing of castles of the world. Sitting on an island in the middle of a lake, the castle holds a regal air. Symmetry was the architect’s goal. The rooms were filled with hunting memorabilia and with hunting trophies. I have never seen that many points on a deer head. It was enough to make some hunters I know go dizzy with giddiness. The walls were all leather, hand painted with paisley designs and huge paintings of hunting scenes or of animals. The main dining room wall was covered with hunting trophies with gold trim and some of the heads were gold with only the antlers being natural. Huge windows brought the outdoors in and looked out on the lake and a massive formal garden. The castle had housed the royal’s porcelain collection, the largest collection in the world. Some pieces remain, but most have been dispersed into the Dresden Porcelain Museum. Imagine a large castle filled with hunting trophies with golden heads and priceless porcelain! I told Kathy, it would have been my castle of choice. WEG

The Moritzburg Castle just outside Dresden, Germany

Approaching front entry of Moritzburg Castle, hunting lodge of Saxon royalty

Autumn splendor reflected in the moat surrounding the Moritzburg Castle, Dresden

Example of antlers, leather wall coverings, and porcelain inside the Moritzburg Castle that is being refurbished

Another view of the Moritzburg Castle, Dresden, Germany