Dresden

I confess that the principal reason I knew anything about Dresden was the notorious air raid near the end of WWII. But some Internet work suggested that it would be a nice place to visit. The boat trips on the River Elbe sounded most attractive.

Our Eurail pass was first class, and there was no pressure for seats in the premium coaches. Our first use of the pass was a very comfortable trundle through the East German countryside. We saw our first 'sun farms' as we called them. Entire fields with solar panels soaking up Sol's energy.

The hostel/hotel we had booked into was a hot and rather longer walk from the station than I had estimated. There was not much shade, but at least the magic map made sure that we did not get lost. And a lavishly decorated container on the roadside made sure we did not miss it.

Germany's hot dry summer meant that the river was very low and the boat trip we had earmarked did not have enough depth for the vessel. So we caught the hop-on hop-off bus instead.

Because of the wartime damage I had expected Dresden to be a very modern-looking city, but in fact it nicely blends new construction with restored original buildings.

After going round the bus circuit we promenaded the city centre streets. Which worked up a thirst. Unsurprisingly, cold beer was at hand to cure our distress.

The river was deep enough to permit smaller tourist boats to operate.