Sarah had an online class at 08:30 so we breakfasted together an hour earlier and had a leisurely ride to the station. It’s a big place and after the long wait for the lift when we arrived, we allowed plenty of time and bought sandwiches for lunch before dropping down to platform 1 with 45 minutes to spare. We were surprised how many were waiting, it transpired that the previous train, two hours earlier, had been cancelled so two train loads had to squeeze into one. Luckily we were able to claim our reserved seats. The train arrived 10 minutes late and left 27 minutes late, reaching Dresden 40 minutes behind schedule. Another old train hauled by a Czech electric locomotive, and with good views from the window but high steps from the platform making bike access difficult.
We checked in to the Premier Inn and spent most of the remaining afternoon finding a bike shop to replace a mudguard bolt that had detached itself from my bike. We popped into the nearby Thai restaurant for a quick dinner then looked round the city. It was extensively bombed during the later stages of World War 2 but the authorities have made finance available for reconstruction of the most notable buildings and work is still progressing.