Prague Astronomical Clock - Ph. by D. Santal

When I help travelers plan a trip, I advise them to do some research to make sure their destination will be what they are looking for or what they hope to find there.  With the Internet, this is an easy and very pleasant endeavor.  Paying attention to my own advice, having chosen to visit two new places I had never seen before, I went ahead and researched our destinations.

I am about to go back to Paris for my bi-annual family visit, and as always, selected an additional corner of France or Europe to explore.  Last fall, on the History Channel,  there was a documentary on Dresden in Germany: it showed how the allies, at the end of World War II, had unnecessarily bombed it, reducing it to rubble.  I understand that this was unnessary as the war had already been won and Hitler defeated.  Today, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has been restored to its medieval appearance almost completely; I find it interesting that the rubble of the original buildings, therefore the original stones, were used to achieve that. The capital of Saxony in Eastern Germany, looked so appealing that we decided to visit it.  Because it is only a two-hour train ride from Dresden to Prague, we also decided to return to the capital of the Czech Republic; we added Crakow (also spelled Krakow), in Poland, adding a much longer train ride further east, to our itinerary.

My first preparations led me to the internet: a quick search revealed untold treasures and photographs!  Each website gave me information about the layout, the must-see places, the museums, the restaurants.  Once I knew that, I could decide on a hotel, preferably not too far from the railroad station and a good fit for our budget.  I also found out that the Czech Republic and Poland, although members of the European Union, are not yet using the Euro as their official currency, that will occur on January 1, 2012.

Initially, we had thought of flying from Paris to Dresden, then driving to Prague, then to Cracow, and finally flying back to Paris.  It became quickly obvious that flying to and back from Prague was much more convenient with several daily and short, non-stop flights.  Driving between Prague and Cracow would have meant 6 to 8 hours on the road... as our main interest was the cities themselves, taking the train was the obvious option, so we took it.  Fares on European trains are quite reasonable, even the long rides are comfortable and generally pleasant; I was just sorry that there were no high-speed trains for our itinerary... but nothing is perfect.

Prague,CzechRepublic

Dresden (Saxony), Germany, Online photographs of Dresden

Krakow, Poland

     Prague on the Vltava River - M. of Contemporary Art                       Crakow Fortress in the center of the city