So I am now a resident of Dresden, complete with host German family, real German children to look after, and an official residency confirmation from the town hall.

It’s not even been a week yet, but I’ve already found plenty of time to to learn how to say important words like ‘blueberry muffin’ and ‘mole’ in German (If you were by any chance interested, it is Blaubeer Muffin and Maulwurf), to explore the beautiful Altstadt, and to subsequently visit the Frauenkirche not once, not twice, but three times.

Dresden is a city with a contentious and delicate past. The legacy of WWII may have once fallen heavily upon its shoulders, but it seems as if it is now used as a celebration of German craftsmanship and architecture, as many buildings have been rebuilt and replicated in the old style, resulting in a wonderfully new-but-old city centre.

The Frauenkirche, as my leaflet reliably informs me, was finished and consecrated in October of 2005 and since then over 14 million people have visited the reconstructed church. It’s really very beautiful, both inside and out, and I enjoyed the opportunity to wander inside during open church hours, and to visit the dome at the top, where you get a great view of the cityand the river Elbe.