Hot enough for you? What that joke still isn't funny? I tell you the main reason that I haven't written is that is hot, there are no fans in all of Germany, and did I mention it's hot. However, if I can ride 88 miles in this heat- that's right a new record yesterday- then I can type for an hour or so. Berlin was great. It was so nice to have someone- Syd- to do things with. We saw lots of museums and walked neighborhoods. Berlin is so big though. We went to an outdoor theatre and saw one of my favorite movies- thank Jane- Wings of Desire (in German Der Himmel Ãœber Berlin- The Sky Over Berlin). It was so cool to see sights from Berlin. Also, Syd has pretty cool friends that she is at the Goethe Institute with. It was fun to hang out with othre Americans drinking and talking. Then her friend David weent with us to the museum that houses lots of 18th and 19th century paintings. David is somewhat of an expert. He's an art history student and that's his field. So we had kind of a personal tour guide. It was great. It has occurred to me on more than occassion that this trip is about moving. And, happily, I'm happy moving. I feel good on my long haul days. But if there is one place in Germany to spend some time (16 days in all) it's Berlin. Nevertheless, the time came to move on and here I am in Dresden. I took the train back to Wittenberg, a city that I was in briefly and vowed to return to. But what I also returned to was the Elbe- rolling gracefully on south towards Dresden and the Czech Republic. I have been for weeks apprehensive about return to Saxony. It was where the trails were crap and it took me several hours to go 15 or 20 miles. But the Elbe Radweg is a wide, paved path- free of cars and quite ameneable to peddaling. Thus the 88 mile day. I feels natural as can be. A few times I stopped and thought "Well I could stay here" but then I pedaled on. As much as I like for things to be up in the air, there are ways that I decide where to stop and where to stay. One way, odd as this may sound, is that my map has little stars next to towns that ADAC (like AAA) has determined are worthy or stars on a map. Strehla had stars, Riesa did not. I was going to stop in Strehla, swayed for whatever reason by the little red star next to it's name. But Strehla did nothing for me. Except provide what I have found to be the only way to keep going on the hot days- cold spritzy water and ice cream bars from gas stations. I know now wha Germans eat so much ice cream- it's hot and there are no fans or ice in this whole country. Anyway, cold carbonated water and a fruity ice cream bar will fix you up every time. So far. But I left Strehla and it's refreshemnts behind and headed to Riesa. Riesa, despite lacking stars on my map was a very nice town. I guess it little left hat was real old. But it had a cheap, and surprisingly cool, room, good cheap food and people so friendly that they bordered on ridiculous. Now I must say a word about passivity- my great Seattle nemesis. I loathe passivity of course. When your not looking passive behavior will rob you of your soul, mind, and passion. Of course it does this sereptitiously and with little obvious effort. Nevertheless passivty is nasty. Well generally in Germany, alas unlike Seattle, passivity will get you nowhere. Be passive in line at the bakery and you'll go hungry. The don't play that. But, BUT, (in trying to be a good academic I must now contradict myself) there is one way in which I have allowed passivity to treat me as a shameless hussy. This I have found: If you stand, apparently on any street corner in Germany, and hold a map, curse lightly under your breath at the lack of signs, look this way and that, look at the map and repeat, then a friendly and helpful German will come to your aid. Of course when I first did this it was unintentional. But I admit I have since acted out this pantomime on purpose. For shame. Anyway, in Riesa, a man came to help and though I was more tired than confused he helped- sort of. He proceeded to tell me that my map was right, I was on the right street, and had but a few blocks to go. The he asked where I was going tomorrow and I told him. Then he took my map and said he knew the way. He showed me that my map was right and pointed out the marked pathway to the next day's destination.Essentially he recited what the map said, town by town. He was very happy to be of service. I was happy that he was happy. The next day, today, I came to Dresden. I expected a quick journey before the day was too hot. But it was already 85 degrees at 9 am and I got a slow start. I did however, find much needed tank tops at a flea market that were oddly cheap. Then I got bogged down in the surprise waiting for me in the small town of Meissen. I expected to just pass through but upon the approach I saw that there was a great gothic-looking spire and then no there were two. In fact there were three and I big castle too. It was left unbombed in the war and it it the most complete castle complex I've seen. It is what we think of, I think, when we think of European castles. It has a big church, walls, a big courtyard and turrets. It sits on a hill overlooking a river (the Elbe). It was beautiful. And it was overrun with tourists who had known more of Meissen than I. I satyed perhaps two hours walking in an around the hidden staircases, the church, and the grounds. When I left it was so hot I began to feel like I was seeing double. Salt was crusty on my arms and I was going through water faster than I could replenish it. A hot wind was blowing too and this stretch of the Elbe had no trees for shade. What I thought was going to be 25 miles turned into 40 and when I got to Dresden I was out of water a little sunburnt and wasted. I got that tunnel vision that we get when we're too overheated to make decisions. Then you only make bad choices. I paid tto much for the room I'm in but I couldn't face camping in this heat. I drank a half litre of water before breathing and then followed it with a cold half litre of beer in two swallows. Slowly my mind regained some sense. My room is 90 degrees, this cafe is hotter. I hope for rain. But I have begun the third great part of my journey and I'm very excited to be here. The name, Dresden, conjures thoughts of thousands of people burnt to death in the US and Britain's campaign to leave the German people's morale and their country in a pile of ruins. Dresden survived the war until Feb. '45 when it was soundly desrtoyed in the total bombardment which ironically killed far more refugees of the NAZI oppression than German civilians, the actual target. But Dresden is a testament to actual and metaphorical rebuilding. One church, the Fraukirche, was rebuilt brick for brick with the old bricks and with less than 10 percent of the masonry being new. It's a beautiful city. And it has amzing treasures that I will see tomorrow. The odometer is at 1349. I feel like I have pistons for legs. It feels pretty good.