Dresden called

Traveling is an art form.  I imagine that every lone voyager is filled with a certain amount of trepidation at the prospects of ‘failing’.  Failure may comprise of the following events.  1) Being ripped off; 2) missing your plane/train/bus; 3) Being unable to start and hold an interesting conversation which goes further than “where you from”, “where you going to” and “how long you traveling for”.

Thankfully – assesing myself on the above criteria – I have been reasonably successful.

I boarded the Berlin-Prague train yesterday afternoon at 14:45.  I selected a compartment which only had one tame-looking young man in it.  I stumbled in noisily and very aware that I was ruining his ‘potentially’ peaceful journey.  I started a conversation (where you from/going to etc).  Turns out he is a vietnamese studying economics in Berlin.  He travels once a month to meet his girlfiend for a weekend in Prague.  She lives in Prague.  Shortly into the journey he opened his sachel and produced to tins of German bier and offered one to me.  I kindly and politely accepted his offer.  I, in return, delved into my rucksack and produced 2 orange kit-kats.  He accepted like a true student.  We chatted (and laughed) non-stop for over 2 hours covering everything from German politics and theology to the health risks of smoking.

As the trained pulled into Dresden, my new friend (Zuong), informed me that it was a very impressive small city/large town and it was well worth a visit.  So I decided to delay my trip to Prague and spend 22 hours in Dresden.  It was nice.

22hours later and I’m back on the train to Prague and got talking to a Black American lawyor who works in Dresden and owns an apartment in Stutgart!  He seems to have his finger in many pies.  Runs a small internet buisness out of Bangladesh with 19 employees and owns the domain names to over one hundred ‘dot com’ companies! – Rich Man.  I prayed that he’d give me some of his ‘well earned cash’.  Not so!