Last Friday, I drove over the border into Germany, in order to visit the Bastei, a major landmark in the Sächsische Schweiz/Saxon Switzerland. The Bastei is a rock formation consisting of a series of eroded sandstone pillars, towering above the Elbe river.
Rather than drive to the nearest car park and almost certainly pay a substantial parking fee, instead I drove to the village of Rathewalde. However, even parking there cost me €2.00!
Walking down the main street of Rathewalde, I joined the yellow waymarked route which headed gently upwards into the forest and the National Park.
After walking for about forty minutes, I reached a viewpoint from which the following two photographs were taken.
Then it was onto Bastei itself from where there are spectacular views of the Elbe river below.
This is the view looking east, with the hills in the far distance, forming the boundary with the Czech Republic. Below, on the right side of the river is Oberrathen, where there is a station on the Decín-Dresden railway line. On the left side of the river is Niederrathen – the two being connected by a passenger ferry.
The view westwards shows the Elbe as it heads towards Dresden with the village of Stadt Wehlen in the distance on the right.
Several of the sandstone pillars are connected by the Bastei bridge, completed in 1851 and replacing an earlier wooden structure. My apologies for a bit of sun-glare in the photograph. At the far end of the bridge are the remains of Neurathen Castle.
Rather than retrace my steps, I decided to return to Rathewalde by the blue waymarked route. This descended steeply and far further than I was expecting 😉 into a deep valley. The path mainly consisted of a series of steps which I was very glad to have chosen to descend, rather than ascend!
At the valley bottom, the path turned left and headed uphill to this waterfall – Amselfall, adjacent to which was a very welcome cafe with outdoor tables and seating. Here I enjoyed lunch, accompanied by a large beer, which provided the sustenance I needed for the climb up the valley, back into Rathewalde.
A sign outside the village Lutheran Church was most welcoming. So I very much enjoyed exploring the Church, still beautifully decorated for Easter, taking time to quietly pray, before returning to the ‘Carly’ and driving back home, over the border.
