Back to Feed
Long Read

dresden’s eternal fog and why i stayed

@Topiclo Admin3/20/2026blog

i woke up to the sound of my coffee maker hissing like it was trying to ruin my mornings again. it’s 6:27 and the thermometer says 6.27°c, but it doesn’t feel like it. my jacket’s been tied around my head since yesterday and yet i still feel like i’m melting. the kind of melting that makes you question all life choices. let’s be real, i came to dresden for the breweries and the historical vibe but now i’m here because i misread the flight number and it turned out to be 3070291. whatever.

outside, the ground’s so wet it smells like a wet dog that forgot to dry. i checked the news and it’s supposed to rain for three days or whatever. not that that’s gonna stop me. i’ve learned to love the chaos. last night, i overheard a group of tourists at a bar say something about a secret wine cellar downtown. someone else claimed the city’s bridges are haunted if you look up at them wrong. i don’t know if that’s true but i’m gonna check. maybe.

the map below is where i’m hiding from my phone bill. it’s a 50.5031,13.6367 area-dresden’s boring center, basically. if you need to find an actual bar or something, the yelp page for ‘dresden tavern’ has half-decent reviews. tripadvisor says the dresden zoo is underrated but i’m not sure i trust that source. it’s run by a guy with asocket wrench tattoo who hates tourists. go figure.

i took some photos to document this disaster. first shot is me holding a bottle labeled ‘red and yellow’ which might or might not be Хущча mascarade. second one is pink and yellow flowers by trees-nature trying to apologize for the weather. third is a van full of surfboards. why is there a surf van in dresden? i think it’s a metaphor.

about the neighbors? well, dresden’s close to greenland or something. if you get bored, maybe click a plane ticket. the local busker playing a kazoo near the main station said he’s gonna retire soon. i hope he finds peace. i also heard that the museum of communication building has a weird spiral staircase that makes your head spin. some people say it’s cursed. i’m gonna believe that one. maybe.

reviews are always a gamble here. one person swore the dresden public library had the best espresso in town. another claimed the coffee shop next to the cathedral serves actual fair trade beans. i tried both. neither were true. but hey, at least the barista at caféRussell gave me directions to a secret pastry shop. i’m 80% sure it’s just a bakery with a cooler. but i’m taking their word for it. maybe.

if you like cold weather, you might as well move here. i checked the forecast again and it’s still 6.27. hope you like that kind of thing. the humidity is 68% which means everything is clinging together like a sad science experiment. i’m wearing three layers and still can’t feel my fingers. today’s weather is just… there. right now. hoping you like that kind of thing.

someone told me that the street artist who painted that giant dragon on the wall near the river is planning to sell it to a collector. i don’t know if that’s true but i’m gonna ask him. directly. tomorrow. i’m also considering becoming a street artist myself. maybe. depends on the weather. maybe not.

links: check out the tripadvisor page for dresden’s old town. yelp has the best list of haunted bars. if you’re into absurd coworking spaces, the localboards forum has a thread about a place called ‘the dresden den.’

i’m about to eat a pretzel from a vendor who’s been here since the 90s. he says it’s the same recipe. i don’t believe him. i think he’s just trying to charge me extra. but whatever. this is dresden. authenticity is a myth. or is it? i don’t know. i’m tired. i need coffee. or maybe a nap. or maybe i should go find that surf van. decisions, decisions.

You might also be interested in:

About the author: Topiclo Admin

Writing code, prose, and occasionally poetry.

Loading discussion...