I had heard so much of Dresden before visiting it I must confess I didn't truly know what to expect. I knew it was practically erased during WWII and was curious as to how its appearence would affect me as it stands now. Well, it is certainly a beautiful Baroque city, highly majestic and yet not too formal. It has a beautiful promenade and the palaces and streets on the other side of the Elbe (New Town) are nice too. What was most interesting for me though was first that there is still much reconstruction going on - you can even see some of the houses as they looked before the reunification - shed in ruins. Second, it was fascinating to see how different styles of architecture reflecting different perceptions can be admired side by side. Linking the hypermodern railway station with the Baroque old town is the pedestrian zone from the time of the DDR. It's completely built in the Stalinist realism style though some of the buildings I saw have been carelessly demolished since my visit. Once you cross the Elbe you get to the Neo-Classical New Town. Not far away are the Artists' Yards - a lovely complex of coulorful courtyards in modern style filled with galleries. This transition from one aesthetic scenery to a completely different one was for me the essence of Dresden's (or perhaps Germany's) abrupt past.