"In and Around Dresden & Prague"

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Thomas greeted me like a long lost relative before whisking me away to his flat on the outskirts of Dresden before it was back to town to end the day with a nice cold ale at a local beer garden... Thomas had a lemonade of course. Dresden is divided something like East and West by the river Elbe which famously flooded the city and outlying areas in 2002. Flattened by allied bombing in 1945, most of the historical town has been rebuilt, starting under communist rule but with increased pace after unification since 1990. The "old town" which stretches along the banks of the Elbe gives rise to the often used term "Florence on the Elbe".

Thomas had planned a number of excursions over the next few days as we explored the regions myriad of castles, historic places and countryside. Justifiably proud of his heritage, Thomas imparted a thorough account of the areas recent history along with the history of the east and the greater area including the emergence in the late 80's from communist rule to a "unified" capatilist state. One of his favourite places here is Saxony Switzerland which encompasses some 350sq/km of unique rock formations rising out of the ground. Needless to say, we spent time scrambling over a number of them.
A visit to Prague was in the offing so we booked at train for the relatively short trip south-east. Leaving Germany it became apparent that we were entering less affluent territory as order gave way to higher levels of decaying infrastructure. Arriving in Prague on a hot Friday afternoon, we were keen to find some accomodation quickly. Somehow the city felt strangely similar to Vienna but perhaps more lively. As we trekked uptown, Thomas gratefully humping my backpack along, I took a punt on a Lonely Planet recommended Hostel approx 20 min walk from the train station. "Sorry Full" was the reception. Bugger this thought Thomas, experiencing an accute sense of deja vue. "Can you help us find something else" he enquired? The cheerful local recommended we try a part time hostel about 5 mins walk away. During winter it's used as a residence for the mentally infirm and is turned into a hostel during the busy summer months. We were duly welcomed and oddly, I felt right at home..
We freshened up and set off for a look around the city. It was lively and buzzing with locals and tourists alike. I was keen to find a place to eat and most importantly, sample the reknowned local beer. It did not disappoint, like nectar from the gods and must be sampled from the barrel. After walking ourselves to a standstill over the next hour or so, I ended the evening with another couple of Pils... Thomas another lemonade and discussed doing the tourist route the following day, taking in Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. For the second time in as many days we managed to get told off for walking on the grass...

Back in Dresden and with Thomas's workload increasing I didn't stay more than a couple of further days before journeying back down to Bavaria to catch up with newly acquired friends Gunter and Nikola.

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