We awoke to find that the Elbe River water level had dropped even further. Rob noted that he could not see below the concrete lip of the stone river wall…until this morning. Apparently, there were rainstorms during the night. Rob claimed to have heard thunder and I found small pools of water beginning to dry in the early morning sun. But, as for a last minute miracle, the Elbe was forsaken.
Today, I dressed in my finest German tourist look: big brown walking shoes with gray socks! It seemed appropriate for a day dedicated to natural sites, some hiking and general sightseeing.
We arrived at the Saxon Switzerland National Park (nowhere near Switzerland, by the way) to explore the Bastei: a jagged groups of sandstone rock formations overlooking the Elbe. Besides the incredible views from these heights, the park is known for its medieval-looking stone bridge built to link several of these large rock formations.
On first view, they reminded me of the old Magic Moon Rocks science “toy” where you could “grow” an outer space garden of colorful stalagmites in a miniature domed environment “…like on the moon!”
Rob took the heavily-stepped hike to the bridge.
There was an observation area that provided a sweeping view of the Elbe River so very far below.
Our group downed another lunch en masse in the Panorama Restaurant.
As we returned to the bus, it began to drizzle. Within a few minutes, the drizzle had become a torrent…and then a violent hailstorm. Fortunately, even the slowest of our group made it on the bus before the first pings of hail started assaulting the vehicle. The metal roof of the bus resounded with the cacophonous pounding of large balls of hail as we careened down the narrow, winding mountain road to the reassuring embrace of dear sweet level mother earth.
Once the storm had subsided, we are informed that a special treat had been arranged for us. Since the river had been too low for us to budge from our Meißen pier, we were taken south of the Bastei where we boarded a paddlewheel riverboat (with a very shallow draft) that was to provide us with some actual river cruising—after all, it’s in their name: Grand Circle Cruise Lines—back to Dresden. I guess the squeaky (paddle) wheel does get the grease–as well as time on the water.
After a chilly cruise–with only bier to warm us up–the waterborne portion of our vacation concluded and we were once more on the bus heading back to Meißen where the Presidential (and final) shipboard dinner awaited us.
Tomorrow, we leave the former East Germany and enter the bohemian half of the former Czechoslovakia now going it alone as the Czech Republic.
A Taste of the Soviet Bloc 