Thursday, July 16, 2015 - Pirna Germany.

Well this was one more interesting day that was put on top of other interesting days. The day started at the train station buying a ticket to Decin in the Czech Republic. The train representative gave me many reasons not to go that way and instead he sold me a ticket to Bad Schandau on the Elba just inside Germany. I bought  it and wondered if I had made the correct decision. My room for the night was in Pirna, one of the first T4 sites where the Nazis implemented their euthanasia program. That is a polite was of saying they murdered people with disabilities. They later used the technology developed for this program on the Jews in the final solution. The train ride was easy but discovering the plan for the Dresden Hauptbahnhof (Main train station) took some time. After I got on the training I met a lady just little younger than myself. Actually she came up to me to talk. She was very nice and had a downs syndrome young man with her. They were on the way to visit her 90+ year old mother. We talked for about 45 minutes all the way to Pirna. She was a native of the Dresden area. Her father was a POW in the US for five years and most interesting she was a member of The Society of Friends. Her family also were members and very devout. We talked about God and other stuff.  She gave me a brochure as she got off the train. That night I read it and it was not church related but from her medical practice. She wanted me to write her as I travel home. It turns out she is a cardiologist. I thought that was interesting.




Pictures from The Dresden Hauptbahnhof. This is just the  
S-bahn section. It was hard to get to.






I got off at Bad Schondau and started a ride south to the Czech Republic. It was on my agenda to ride there so I did. This is the border point. A former check point for travelers. Now just a point. I took my picture there so you would know I was there.

The scenery from there back to Pirna was awesome. The bike path was paved with good smooth asphalt. There was some uphill and downhill. Nothing to push on. I had a tail wind going to the Czech Republic but a head wind for thirty-five KM coming back.








I arrived in Pirna and started toward my hotel. I began looking and I found a building that was looking at me. My hotel turned out to be on top of the hills outside of town 300 feet higher. It was a big push.
The views from my room window were great. The nearest restaurant was 3km away down hill. I chose to eat from my snack package and write postcards and work on blog. My body did not miss the food. I slept a full eight hours without a problem. It was great.

My host and hostess were a couple who moved here from Western Germany. I apologized to them for being so rude as to go straight to my room and not come out until Breakfast. But I got a lot of stuff done and did not miss not eating. The room had black out shades.  That was great. The sun has not been setting until 9:15 and sun rise has been about 5:15 or so.