Well I'm happy to say while it didn't continue snowing all the way to Dresden, they also had a big dump of snow the night before so there was lots of snow around. Getting off the train, we had to take a photo in the snow, while laughing at a Japanese tourist who fell into the snow, bum first. The only downside to snow when travelling, is pulling your suitcase through the slush on the footpaths. Small price to pay.

Dumped our bags at the hotel and headed out. This was always just going to be a quick stop over for us because mum was interested to see how the city had rebuilt itself after being pretty much completely bombed & destroyed at the end of WWII. We walked past the main Christmas markets which were slowly being packed up and moved out. Most people walked on the cleared pathway, I tried to walk in the snow. This is what a holiday in Europe in winter was meant to be about.

We went to Residenzchloss to see if we could get tickets for what is known as the Historisches Grunes Gewolbe. We knew they sold timed tickets and usually sell out but they were still available. We bought a combi ticket which allowed us to visit the Neues Grunes Gewolbe which is the New Green Vault. Some real treasures were displayed in here including a large green diamond (quite unique) and cherry pits, one having 185 faces carved into it. Someone had too much time on their hands. The other exhibitions we visited included one on Armoury and historic weapons, Turkish Chamber which had a huge collection of Ottoman art, including some really old tents. It was then time to visit the Old Green Vault.

There is a dust lock you must enter. Basically go through the door into a little chamber, the door closes behind you and a few seconds later the door in front of you opens, letting you in. I think it is because most of the items in here are not behind cabinets but out on open display. They gave you an audio guide but I swear those things are like university lectures. They start talking and I start falling asleep. Each room had it's own theme, including Amber, Ivory, Silver, Bronze, Jewelry and precious objects. My favourite was the Bronze room. Had a beautiful statue of Apollo in there which I loved.

We then headed over to Frauenkirche which collapsed after the bombing in 1945. It has been rebuilt and was only consecrated in 2005. Apparently it is a spitting image of the original. I paid to go to the top of the dome to get a view of the city. Mum decided against it and waited for me inside the church. The views were great and really is hard to believe this city had once been levelled.

As dark started to descend, we wandered around the buildings and enjoyed the snow. There was a small medieval Christmas market still open plus the odd stall here and there. We had dinner in a Canadian Steakhouse of all places before slowly heading back to our hotel for an early night. We're staying at the Ibis Budget which we only paid 38 euro for the night. Cheap but nothing wrong with it. Bargain!! It may have only been a quick stop, but it was worth it.