Die Bastei

Wednesday – my final day – and I was forced to choose between the Basteibrücke and Festung Königstein (a massive fortress on a cliff). Having initially decided to come to Bad Schandau after having seen photos of the Bastei, I decided that I’d have to go there. Petra and Karl warned me about the vast numbers of tourists there – they bus them in daily from Dresden - but it didn’t put me off. On their recommendation, I caught the bus to the station, then the train to Stadt Wehlen, then the ferry over to the right bank. From Stadt Wehlen, which is a really pretty little town, there’s a walking path to the Bastei that goes through lots of forest and is not that steep. It took a bit over an hour and a half to walk to the Bastei, and for an hour of that I met only two people and heard lots of birds. It was lovely.

Stadt Wehlen from above, with the ferry returning to the station

Lovely, lovely area to wander through

Having a bit of fun with the self-timer......

......seeing that there was no-one else around

The forests never cease to delight me......

......especially when the sun is at the right angle to show off that vivid, vivid green

There were heaps of people at the Bastei lookout, but that was okay. I just had to wait a little for a spot at the railing each time. The rock formations here are astounding. It’s such a beautiful area. 

The Bastei lookout.  And, yes - lots of people

From the lookout looking south-east. Lilienstein is the outcrop

Looking north. Dresden is about 30km away

The view inland

The current sandstone bridge was built in 1851, replacing a wooden bridge that was built in 1824. 

People everywhere, speaking more different languages than I'd yet heard in Germany

Yeah, I know - too many photos of the bridge!

I walked further down to Felsenburg Neurathen, the ruins of an old rock fortress, which was first mentioned in documents in 1289. Not so interested in this, but the walk around provided some spectacular views of the Basteibrücke, the National Park and the Elbe.

The rock outcrops are amazing. They turned them into a fortress

Die Basteibrücke was erected later

Der Felsenburg has been turned into an outdoor museum......

......with aerial walkways that are fantastic

Stunning views into the National Park

Just incredible

From the Bastei I headed for Schwedenlöcher, a path downwards through a gorge. Again, many, many steps, and looking at the people climbing up, I was very glad to be going down! 

Running out of superlatives, here!

Ah, yes.  More fun

The gorges are gorgeous (!!)

Magical

And again - the vivid green

Trees grow directly out of rock, here......

......and their roots are often interesting

The path leads to the Amselsee, which is a small, dammed lake where you can hire rowboats or pedalboats. I grabbed a rowboat for half an hour, and there were some lovely views of the overhead rock formations from the water. 

First, a short detour to the Amsel Falls, small, but pretty

Looking up towards the Bastei. The Amselsee can be seen from up there, too

This outcrop is called die Lokomotive

It's nice out on the water

From here it was only 5 minutes walk to Kurort Rathen, another small town. I paddled in the river while waiting for the ferry, which took ages. Across the river to the train station, back to Bad Schandau station, ferry to bad Schandau, then bus back to Postelwitz. Today was 30 degrees, but I didn’t feel hot until the ferry at Rathen. I arrived back just before 6pm – and yes – straight into the river again!

View to the north whilst waiting for the ferry at Kurort Rathen

And in the river once again!

Just to finish, a word about Petra and Karl, my hosts.  They were amazing. Nothing was too much trouble – watermelon or an icy-pole in the heat of each day, washing, planning outings, tips on transport. They allowed me to hook up to their personal wi-fi, which is not usually available for guests, so that I could keep in touch with family. They spoke German really slowly and clearly for me, and I actually understood most of it! They even picked up that it was my birthday on Sunday (I had to write my DoB on the rego form) and gave me a present and a cake. Wonderful, wonderful people.

The breakfast nook with views over the Elbe