Dresden

Back to work for the last stint! Over half term my wife and I visited Dresden. Those who know their history will understand the significance of this German city. Considering the damage that was inflicted in February 1945 the altstadt (old town) has been amazingly restored. We were even more taken aback when we discovered that most of the rebuild has only taken place over the last 15 years or so! Up until the 'wall' came down this church was still a pile of rubble. 

Fortunately, a lot of the treasures in the museums had been removed during the war and have since been returned. A beautiful, friendly city and very easy to get around - recommended!

went to the zoo

For our end of year trip we are planning to go to a reasonably local zoo. I went on a recce yesterday to gather info for the 'risk assessment' because you can't just take the kids out on a whim these days. I know there are pros and cons about keeping animals in zoos but for a bunch of young children the educational aspects of such places are huge. Spotted these chaps all parked up in a row. I thought they'd organised themselves very tidily!