Dresden the Baroque capital

Some may be quite daunted when arriving in a non-English speaking nation. Germany for the most part will drop back to broken English if I tell them my German is quite limited. Some travellers will be happy to ‘window shop’ their way through unfamiliar places and cultures which is understandable. And others like me get amongst the folk and experience their daily lives so at least trying to communicate in their native tongue is pragmatic but also a sign of respect.

My first stage takes me north along the Elbe River all he way to Hamburg so I will use the Elbe cycle way through the pre 1989 GDR states (communist East Germany). This territorial legacy means finding English speaking citizens will be a challenge but I managed quite well in Japan and Korea by falling back on natural instincts for survival - you’ll surprise yourself when put to the test and most people will work hard to help you. Just human nature.

Dresden was a wonderful place to start on the Elbe River and I gave myself three days in this classical city. Most of the city's classic buildings were built in the Baroque era and like Prague it has a strong reputation as a centre for early European cultural significance. Chopin fled there after Poland's internal uprising - yes many people think he is French not Polish. There's also a famous painting of Napoleon crossing the Elbe River bridge in Dresden after winning one of his battles.

The allies conducted a massive aircraft bombing campaigns for two nights in Feb 1945 to help the Russian forces approaching from the east only 70 km away. An estimated 35,000 Dresden citizens died from the bombing - before this Hitler was considering this as an alternative capital if Berlin fell. This city is the capital of the German state of Saxony with Elbe running through it and flanked by some stunning architecture from centuries past. My favourite district where I stayed was the 'progressive' ethnically rich district of Neustadt. My morning's wander took in some quirky cafes where I could see how well I could clumsily negotiate my way to a good flat-white mit apfel tarte.

Globetrotter outdoor camping store with it's own first floor kayak testing pool for customers