We are staying at a very old and picturesque town called Koge, 40 Minutes south of Copenhagen on a train. Copenhagen was yesterday’s adventure, but Roskilde and its Viking ship Museum was today’s. As we bought entry tickets, we asked about the boat trip, there were still places available, so we booked onto that as well. Possibly should have asked more questions about what was involved, but it was a fabulous adventure. Only 50 Minutes on a 100 year old boat, but we had to row, really row, and then some got involved in the sail and steering ..... the young fellow who guided us through was just brilliant. So calm, unflustered and competent. It wasn’t of course a howling gale or the middle of the Atlantic, but the clear blue Roskilde Fjord and a bunch of skittish tourists.

I think I last reported from Dresden, which after first impressions were overcome, turned out to be amazing. It was very hot the first night, so that at 9.30, everyone was still out and about seeking in vain for a cool breeze, but there was none. We had walked down to the rail station to purchase tickets for Prague, and then wandered around the squares and construction areas of Dresden. I had of course forgotten that Dresden was part of East Germany until 28 years ago, so that the vast shopping malls, bustling restaurants and rebuilding programs are all testament to a ferocious determination to establish themselves within an international context. It is quite marvellous. Dresden was also destroyed by allied bombing and the subsequent fires in WWII. In fact, although the East German government did contribute much to the rebuilding of the many significant buildings and infrastructure during the communist years, the Frauenkirche(?) a major cathedral, was left as a pile of rubble, a memorial to the death and destruction and the lives lost. It was finally reconstructed in 1995, and a piece of the rubble remains as a memorial.

Next day we went to Prague. The train was calm and comfortable, although we had to travel backwards. Two and a half hours later, we emerged from the Prague central station into the humid rain and cigarette fog. Lots of warnings about pickpockets. It was pretty shambolic really - lots of construction happening, masses of touristy tourists, mostly off cruise boats, so many people that you could hardly get across the bridge to go up to the palace, which was itself crammed full to the brim. People everywhere, and movement at a standstill. Had an afternoon tea on the main square (hugely expensive) and finally conceded, and headed back to the station. The train ride home was beautiful; we had seats facing forward and a good window view as we rolled along beside the river. Gorgeous scenery, stone pagodas, picturesque villages. Clearly we aren’t city people....

Anyway, next day saw us on the road to Potsdam, we were booked into a flat for 4 nights. Eventually we caught up with the owner, Ron, at the flat behind a door on the Main Street. Fantastic flat - especially the washing machine, and the plethora of windows that opened! No microwave, which seemed odd, but no issue for us. Potsdam was fabulous - Prussian palaces, lakes, Berlin Wall secret bridges, the palace where the agreement was signed at the end of WWII ..... a soviet war memorial. And I had to cook for the first time in ..... 5 weeks. We survived. We took a trip to Berlin, which ultimately proved very moving, but disappointed on first impression. Unter den Linden was enmeshed in construction work related to a new underground transport system, but when we took a walking tour with a local post grad student, felt much more enlightened and appreciated the Berlin story much more. A long day though.
After Potsdam, it was onto Rostock to catch a Ferry across to Gedser in Denmark, and up to Koge for our accommodation. Tomorrow we head for Sweden.....