In terms of change, I have always researched heavily and looked a lot at bike paths and train timetables (I nearly always take bicycles on holiday). I'm not looking forward to the time when I have to start hiring cars, for me not having a car is holiday enough.

Yes, I'm with you there bilboburgler. Hate driving on holiday, do too much of it here in TX. It's fun figuring out trains and buses and I try to keep my stuff down to wheelable proportions.

Peg, go to Meissen as a day from Dresden. Wonderful. And don't miss the Thomaskirche in Leipzig if you're a Bach fan. I sat there for hours! Potsdam has big parks perfect for walking and wandering and the lovely Sans Souci palace. And see if you can catch the East Side Gallery in Berlin before they knock it down...or have they already started?? There is a great Berlin Wall walk where you follow the course of it and there is information about what happened at various points.

Thanks for all the great replies.

Gertie, I was going to skip Meissen because I thought of it only as a place to buy china. Since I was born without the shopping gene, I don't shop. But if it is an attractive city, I'll make time for it.

I like the idea of the Berlin Wall walk. I'll do that. I was in Berlin in 1966 when it was very much a threatening presence.

Among the WWII sights I want to see are the Jewish-related ones, which I've never visited in the past. A couple of them are quite recent, and I especially want to see them.

As Ira says, I'm older and wealthier--though not very wealthy--so I travel more comfortably now.

Peg, I hate shopping too. Meissen is worth a day trip to see the town. An easy train ride from Dresden Hauptbahnhof. I skipped the china shops with their bus-loads of shoppers. As well as the Berlin Wall walk, find the Jewish Museum, it's great. Nice garden for sitting and ruminating in.