Dresden, Germany...

This is one of my favorite cities in Europe. Dresden was completely destroyed during the war, so this is a new city. However, they rebuilt it in the old style, so it's a "new" old city. The city is beautiful, clean, and not as overrun with tourists like in Berlin, Munich, or Paris. The city is cleaner than Berlin and perhaps even Munich. It was certainly a relief after being in the Balkans and Budapest because everywhere I went, it was clean (bathrooms, buses, trams, etc).

I don't remember seeing any beggars here either. The public trams are clean, new, and always seem to run on schedule. Right when you walk into the central station it is new, clean, brightly lit. It looks almost clinical. I came into the city from Budapest, so immediately after stepping off the train, I knew I was back in the first world. I felt a sense of relief as being in the Balkans, I was always a little bit uneasy because I was never quite sure what to expect. Germany is a country where everything pretty much works predictably and there is a process and structure to everything. Compared that to many places in Eastern Europe where anything goes. It is the last first world country before going into the relatively undeveloped parts of eastern Europe.

Put Dresden on your list if you want to go somewhere in Germany that is nice and not where a typical tourist go. Most of the tourists there seem to be German tourists.

Vienna (Wein), Maribor, Ljubljana, Venice, Munich, Zagreb, Belgrade...

I haven't made a blog entry since Prague. I got a bit distracted by various things and people. I'll try to make a quick summary of each city since then:

Vienna - The city looks like Paris light. Lots of great museums like Berlin. Vienna and Berlin were two of my favorite cities so far.

Maribor - Sleepy little city in Slovenia. I stayed with a Slovenian family and they were super nice to me. Thanks Grega! Save up your money so you can come visit me in Austin!

Ljubljana - Another relatively calm European city. It's pretty clean and quaint. There's a castle on a hill top that is worth going to.

Venice - The world's only pedestrian city. It must also be the world's biggest tourist trap. It's very crowded, some places are derelict. The city is a maze and I spent much of my time getting lost in the various alley ways. The city is safe, but walking through a dark alley reminds me of bad movies.

Munich - Beer, beer, and more beer. People here drink massive amounts of beer. It's the richest city in Germany. Munich has always been a wealthy city. Bavaria has thought of becoming independent many times.

Zagreb - Only stayed here for 5 hours, so don't know much about it.

Belgrade - One of the most dirty, ugly, and smelly cities I have visited in Europe. But I like it! The food is rich and they serve large portions. Some of the women are stunningly beautiful. There's also great night life and parties going on every night. It's also one of the more affordable places in Europe.