Picking up from Prague the following day I went to see Prague Castle. While it was OK it did not measure up to the ornate stuff I had seen in say Vienna or Florence but it was still OK. One thing that was quite grand though was the church inside the castle grounds. Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I do leadlighting back in Oz (very badly but I do it...) and the leadlighting in this gothic church has to be seen to be believed. I took alot of photos and I think most of them will not show how magnificent this glasswork is. After cruising around the church I headed up to the top of the church tower (all 287 steps of it). The kicker with this tower is that there is only one way up and down and they have blocked all the windows with plexiglass probably for when it gets quite cold in winter but when its 30+ and you are wearing jeans and there is no air circulation and its packed with people going both directions then its easy to understand that people could potentially pass out. Once I got to the top though it was OK and I caught my breath but I pity people who could pontentially suffer from claustrophobia.

After sitting in the castle grounds both before and after attacking the church I thought I best wander down to meet up with Joanne - one of the girls who I was sharing the room with at the hostel the castle I wandered back down to the city. We had probably the worst dinner you could imagine - just a note to anyone travelling if there are pictures of the food i.e. one meal per page in what is essentially a magazine for a menu do not eat there. The pictures never marry up to the actual meal.

The next day I wandered around the new town in the morning - New Town as its known was new back in the 14th century but I suppose when something works you stick with it. Frankly there wasn´t much to see from my perspective so just cruised around and checked out a bit more of Old Town then had an early dinner and headed back to the hostel. Luckily I did because five minutes after I got in there was a huge thunder and lightening storm so that was good because things started to cool down rapidly after that.

That brings me to today. Today I caught the train to Dresden Germany since I had finished with Prague and frankly why not (its also on the way to Berlin)? Steve B warned me that there wasn´t much here and guess what at first glimpse I think he may be right.... It doesn´t bother me either way since I can keep myself occupied with shopping but I will be going to see the Hygiene museum because in the words of Lonely Planet....

...One of the oddest museums is the product of a mouthwash baron....it is awash in displays relating to the ravages of venereal disease, the theory of eugenics and the reasons to bathe....

I figure this is a definite departure from the renaissance stuff I have seen for the last three months so why not.

I am sure you will be in bated breath to find out more since it was either this or the sex machines museum in Prague but I figured I can always go to Fyshwick when I go to Canberra when I am back in Oz. Or I am sure that there would be one in Amsterdam....

Thats it for now.

Cheers
Toni