In which the reasons for this trip are revealed

I got the travelling-to-Europe bug at the age of 15 when I spent most of the summer (of 1968) in Central Europe. (That's me in the picture, standing by a war memorial near Freiburg, Germany.) Ever since then I've wanted to travel to Europe. But until our kids were grown and gone it wasn't possible. Now we put aside travel funds whenever we can, and so far it has worked out that we can afford a trip every other year.

In 1998 Karen and I made our first trip together, to Germany and Austria, visiting many of the sites I'd seen in 1968. In 2000 we went to England, and in 2002 we got to go to Turkey. Our Turkey trip has a website.

After 2002 we decided that our future trips would feature longer stays and less travel from city to city. In 2004 we went to Rome, and yes there's a website.

So here in 2006 we're going to Berlin, Dresden, and Prague.

Why Berlin? In my reading (I do a LOT of travel reading) I've learned that Berlin has become an incredibly popular destination. It offers a unique combination of ancient and very modern architecture. People seem to really enjoy this city.

Why Dresden? Dresden is celebrating their 800th anniversary this year (2006). They've just rebuilt and rededicated the Frauenkirche (the main church in town) after it was bombed to rubble in 1945. It's halfway between Berlin and Prague.

Why Prague? Like Berlin, Prague has a fantastic reputation as a destination. Plus, I was there in 1968, and I want to see what the city looks like now that the Russian tanks aren't positioned at the border. The Czech Republic is now free of Soviet rule, and they have prospered. They just joined the EU, but they don't have the euro yet, so it's an interesting point in their development as a nation.