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Post date: Jun 12, 2017 3:9:57 PM
Another weekend another adventure with Jordan! This time we headed to Saxony Switzerland. That’s right, there’s a part of Germany that’s called Switzerland. It's on the border with the Czech Republic. It has a gorgeous national park with epic sandstone cliffs (half the park is in the Czech Republic), and some amazing climbing. But for this trip we just went for a quick trip to dip our toe into the waters, and we brought along two friends.
Julia is a PhD student in my lab, and the tiny hiker is her 2 year old daughter, Lima. Both of them were awesome to travel with, and we had a great weekend!
But first we had to get there, which turned out to be a bit of a struggle. We had grand plans to get up early and hit the park early. I overslept, Jordan overslept, Lima overslept, Julia was ready to go! But then packing the car took a hot minute, Lima was very insistent that she pack her own bag. It was a bit of a struggle. And adorable. A really adorable struggle.
But it was worth it. The view was gorgeous. The sandstone cliffs rise out of green forests and old school German towns dot the horizon.
We arrived and had to take a ferry across the river to start the hike. I love water, I love boats even more, so it was a delightful ride! Lima seemed to like it as well.
While she was somewhat insistent on walking occasionally, our littlest hiker spent a considerable amount of time being carried either on shoulders or in her hiking backpack. She refused to let me carry her (I was not offended in the slightest, stranger danger), but she was game to let Jordan carry her around.
Which was great, because the views were gorgeous once we reached the top! However, the trip to the top was very steep and a bit of a challenge for me without the pack. For Jordan (even with the pack and the baby in said pack), it was easy.
Choo choo!
Lima didn’t limit her acceptance of Jordan to letting him carry her. She also let him frolic through fields with her, and kept giving him flirty eyes. He has this effect on a lot of women.
She was also ENTHRALLED by the various animals we found along the way. Which may explain her love of Jordan….
We stayed at a lovely campground where I showed off my limited-resources-barely-working-not-my-utensils-cooking abilities. However, I did try to boil water on a burner that was turned on… so not my finest moment. Jordan tried to class up dinner by eating stale bread while cowboy facing a bottle of cheap rose. Because we are classy af.
The main attraction is this really cool bridge that was built forever called the Bastei. The area attracted tourists/visitors to the stunning sandstone columns, that they erected a bridge here to facilitate the visitor coming to visit. It was built in 1851. Which is absurd, to think about tourist attractions in any area that long ago. Knowing it was so popular, we elected to go as early as possible on Sunday morning to avoid the crowds, which was WELL worth it.
The bridge was empty when we arrived, perfect to enjoy the stunning scenery. By the time we left, the bridge and all surrounding peaks were swarmed with people.
We came across this ledge where pennies were stacked, for no discernible reason. I commented that there were likely just as many on the ground below. Jordan attempted to add to the pile (again, we have no idea what they were there for). He would like me to let everyone know that he was successful on the first try. I would like everyone to know he is a lemming.
Across the river, this castle was in view, which was fantastic. Years ago I asked Jordan what is dream home would be like, and he didn’t have to think at all. He didn’t hesitate before responding “a castle with a bat cave”. The first thing he said when he saw this “That castle probably has a bat cave”. Jordan might be planning a move to Germany...
Unfortunately, we weren’t prepared enough on this trip (and I didn’t have enough time off), to take advantage of the massive number of climbing routes (according to the guide book, over 15,000 routes). So Jordan wanted me to take photos of him looking like he’s climbing. He may never post to facebook, but he’s starting to get the hang of this instagrammable photos idea.
Jordan: “Make me look hardcore, like I’m struggling”
We had a great time camping, a good time hiking and got to enjoy some out of town time with friends. Next time, it’ll likely involve a lot more climbing and a bit more time, so stay tuned until then.
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