This morning we made our way to the Hauptbahnhof for a 10.46 train to Dresden just over 2hrs away. Once we arrived it was only a short walk across the square to our hotel which excitedly had a fridge but didn't have tea & coffee in the room- a bit underwhelming for a 4 star hotel especially as our non-smoking room also smelt of smoke. With only the afternoon to explore we set off after a quick lunch of Thai curry. Most of Dresden was destroyed during bombing from the allies at the end of WW2 but you wouldn't know it today as we walked up the centre of town along a pedestrian street lined with shops & shoppers. As we got closer to the river the street opened up into a big square with beautifully restored building along three sides & a big square 70s communist style building on the forth side. Here they were holding a market selling material & sewing stuff which was surprisingly busy with all ages. Towering behind was Frauenkirche (Our lady's church) which has been restored since being almost destroyed in the war with original dark blocks & carved sections indicating the original parts of the building contrasted against the new stone. The church sits in the middle of a far prettier square than the last with pastel buildings lining the outside & cafes spilling out onto the cobble stones. We wandered through the square & past more huge old buildings to the river Elbe where paddle steamers chuffed away being filled with tourists. The river was lined with amazingly decorated old buildings dating from the height of the Saxon kings with statues of cherubs & angels looking down from the roof line. We wandered over the river & up the clearly communist era boulevard on the other side to the tram stop from where we returned to the hotel for a break. Later on we caught the tram back towards the old centre to see the Royal Palace or Zwinger which was very regal indeed. Setting the scene was the orchestra who were rehearsing at one end of the grounds surrounded by the opulent rectangle of the palace. Across the road was another fancy old building which had a long fresco with pictures of the Saxon Kings going back to the eleventh century. From here we wandered back to the church square for a typical German dinner where I tried an Apfelwein (apple wine) before we returned to the hotel.