You wouldn't even realize there was nothing but smoking rubble here.

Being a long time fan of Kurt Vonnegut I had heard a lot about Dresden, Germany. Fire-bombed in 1945, virtually nothing remained of what had been called one of the most beautiful Gothic cities in Europe. Today much of the historic Alt Stadt has been rebuilt to resemble it's former glory, and indeed it is a sight to see. Most prominent in the city center is the Frauenkirche (pictured), which was completely reconstructed only five years ago, using about 4000 of the original stones.

One of the nice things about a visit to Dresden is how close it is to Prague. At merely two hours away by train, it was no further than most of the Czech towns I've visited lately. But the moment you cross over that border you are greeted by the friendly sounds of the German train conductor, who is happy to have you on board, versus the tone of the Czech one, who would just as soon drive an empty train round and round all day. Despite my positive attitude towards the Germans, it was a bit annoying that for whatever reason my friend could not purchase a Currywurst until noon. No less than three places had the sausages sitting there, they just refused to serve them until later. Perhaps there's some custom I was unaware of. It was good to see Germany again, this was the first time I had returned since the big road trip last summer, and it might the last. So it goes.