Cycling around Großräschener See – Lusatian Lakeland

This morning at the breakfast table we thought about what we could do with the day when the best wife of all comes home from work. Steep mountains are not yet so good for her, so "suddenly and unexpectedly" the idea of flat land in the "Lusatian Lake District" was born...it is light for a long time and there are neither children nor cats to look after, so we can return late. As a precaution we packed a few things for a spontaneous overnight stay. In case we found something cheap. So I put the bikes on the bike and the bike bags with a few things in them in the car and drove up to the train station pharmacy in Löbau at 12 o'clock. While we were still in the parking lot in Löbau we booked a room in the best house in town in Großräschen...running there in cycling clothes is something special. Just before Bautzen we realized that I had not packed my wife's bike helmet. So we got a new helmet from Little John Bike in Bautzen. The head and its contents must be protected, it is impossible without it. After checking in, we saddled up our bikes and took a ride around the Großräschener Lake. Almost at the end, we treated ourselves to a delicious dinner in House 4. If we're going to have a spontaneous blast, then we should do it properly. The Lusatian Lake District is fantastically beautiful and only about 2 hours by car from Zittau. We do it far too rarely. I have childhood memories of this area. My dad was born in Schwarzkolm and grew up in a train house in Lauta, right next to the tracks. My grandparents lived there until 1997, I took my first steps there and spent a lot of carefree time there. Unfortunately, the house is no longer there, the forest is reclaiming the area. But I had to stop by, as I always do when I'm in the area. My grandma's little brother also lived in Lauta with his family. After Gerda and Max died, the children sold the house. It turned out beautiful and modern. Without the house number I would not have been able to find it or recognize it. The first 5 photos are very private memories of my childhood and rather meaningless for the rest of the community. 6-7 were a chance find in the garden city of Lauta and are not part of the actual tour.

Very boring tour, no restaurants/snacks, but pure nature 😆

Perfect weather and what a coincidence...I'm on vacation 💪! Of course, it had to be about a lake in the Lake District! I'd had my eye on Großräschen for a long time. 🧐 Thought, done. Like at almost all lignite lakes, the bike path was top-notch. 👍😀 A section is being renovated and was closed. I rode it anyway. 😀 Luckily...otherwise, I would have missed the second highlight: the Reppister Höhe. A rest area on a hill with a fantastic panoramic view. The first highlight (if you can call it a highlight) is the IBA terraces with vineyards and harbor. Unfortunately, all the restaurants were still hibernating, so there was no coffee. Too bad, because at the end of my ride, it would have been worth it to look out over the lake again with a cup of coffee and enjoy the sun. I did, just without coffee. 🥲 Oh well, next time.

Unfortunately it was quite windy that day, but still a pearl in a badly battered landscape