Prague has some of the most beautiful libraries in the world, and although most of them are off-limits to the public, there are tours during certain times of the day which allow bibliophiles to soak up all the history and literary treasures that lie inside these old buildings.
The first place I wanted to visit in Dresden was the fabled “Green Vault”. The Green Vault or *Grünes Gewölbe* is Europe’s largest collection of precious, historical treasures. It was the first public museum in all of Europe featuring a collection of crown jewels, royal bowls carved out of crystal, agate and ivory, golden figurines with multicoloured gems inlaid within and the ‘Dresden Green’ – the largest green diamond in the world. When walking up to the Green Vault, I suppose you expect to see a big green building but in fact, the gallery got its name a different way. During it’s original construction, the columns and bases which held up the vaulted ceiling were all painted green – giving the entire place an Emerald city like vibe.