Lubeck in Pomerania, north Germany, is a medieval town surrounded by a moat and accessible via large gateways. Seven steep spires grace the sklyline. Many of the main buildings date back to the 12th and 13th centuries. The youth hostel accomodation we found was 650 years old - one of the oldest surviving buildings.

Much damage was caused to the whole town in WWII. Archive photos show the spires of the churches on fire, billowing with flames and smoke - then lying crumpled on the ground beside. It seemed that much of the town within the old parts (indside the moat) were burnt out. Aerial photographs from the 40's show a ruined city - just walls and rubble.

Much restoration work has been done to this beautiful little city. Some areas have been built new, but many of the original housing has been restored. Some of the oldest facades are propped up and reinforced, but still look precarously wobbly. It is a reminder of the impact of the war and provides some perspective on what the Iraqis must now be feeling with Bagdad and other cities and towns in ruins. Lubeck is still in the process of reconstruction some 50 years after the war.

We caught the train from Copenhagen to Berlin on Easter Sunday and had the chance to stop in Hamburg for a few hours. At the Danish coast, the train boarded a ferry and we were able to up on deck for 45 minutes so we enjoyed an unexpected cruise of the Baltic Sea. The coastlines of both Denmark and Germany are filled with windmills. The smoggy haze highlighted the fact that such technologies are still in the minority for energy production. Much of the fumes I suppose come from cars and industry, although public transport is superb in both countries and the use of biodiesel is growing.