Medieval Tour to the Rock Castle Neurathen and the Swedish Caves

A really beautiful tour that takes you past the most interesting hotspots: Bastei, Schwedenlöcher (highly recommended!), Amselsee

Impressive landscape, unfortunately many people know. Better to come during the week and morning or evening. Otherwise definitely a highlight👍🌲🏰🌳🪨🥾

It must have been more than four decades since I last reached the bastion through the Schwedenlöcher ... by the way, these Schwedenlöcher should more appropriately be called Schwedentreppen, because apart from great views of the wonderful rock world, the route has something in abundance (besides the tourists ), then these are natural and artificial gradients and you get a convincing impression of your personal fitness level. I didn't invest any energy in counting the inclines, there are supposed to be (plausibly) over 700 per route. I forgot... On the Bastei plateau, of course, the devil - that is, the adventure-hungry day tourist - is loose, and so it takes a bit of assertiveness to get onto the newly designed legendary platform. The landscape panoramas give an idea of why every Dresden tourist feels like stopping by here - and that's why you accept the hustle and bustle. The Bastei Bridge (one of my ancestors worked there!) is also a must and always worthwhile (and of course completely overcrowded), and if you go up the stairs ... then down the stairs too. The way back to Rathen is a bit easier to walk than the sometimes narrow swedish holes. And back in Rathen you will understand - it is now high noon - why the greed cable ferry (not included in the Germany ticket) is designed for a payload of over 300 people. So if you associate Saxon Switzerland with dreamy, romantic and quiet nature - you better not come here. But if you can stand the hustle and bustle (for a day), you can hope for memorable and lasting memories!

Of course, before we started our journey home, we went to the Bastei today. At 9 am we started with the ferry and then dared to climb up to the Bastei. Had hoped that not so many were on the way, but unfortunately none. Despite everything, it is always very nice and a visit should not be missed. From the bastion we went through the Schwedenlöcher back to the ferry. The Swedish holes are definitely worth a visit. Very nice and recommendable small round. See you soon again beautiful Saxon Switzerland.

I was afraid that it would be crowded at the Bastei because we had a long, sunny weekend and others also had the idea of taking a bridge day and driving to Saxon Switzerland. However, I didn't expect it to be so full. By the way, I find the recording of the hiking route funny. It looks like a heart balloon. As always, there is also a video of the hike: https://youtu.be/bYmxCcfjcx0?si=fgedSr3rGDv2u24m

Today we left the bike behind and set off on foot. We wanted to see something in the area, so we went to the Bastei. According to komoot, the route was easy. Unfortunately, it didn't mention that there are a few thousand steps in between. There was a lot going on at the Bastei, despite it being Monday. There was a lot less going on on the way back via the Schwedenlöcher.

Today, on the last day of our tour, we headed to the highlight of Saxon Switzerland, the Bastei. So we drove to the Oberrathen ferry landing. Upon arrival, we could already see the line waiting for the ferry. The challenging climb up the mountain to the Bastei, an old rock bridge located at an altitude of about 300 meters, was surprising. We were amazed at how many people were hiking up there in ballet flats or white sneakers. Once at the top, we were treated to a magnificent view of the Elbe River and the rock formations. It's breathtaking what nature has created there. At the very top, you can get something to eat and drink. There's also a hotel up there. After a break, we took a different route back down. Then I remembered the ladies with their pretty shoes... oh, oh, I wonder if this will work.

The first hike in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains exceeded our expectations by far. The route followed Tour 4 from the "Hikeline Wanderführer Elbsandsteingebirge" to the Bastei, probably the most popular and oldest excursion destination in Saxon Switzerland, and through the Schwedenlochs, where the residents of the area found protection from the Swedes in the Thirty Years' War. Barely a few meters from the parking lot, the view opened up over the sandstone cliffs and the forests covered in autumn leaves - a sight that one could hardly get enough of! Again and again the path led past vantage points with great views of the rocks or the bend in the Elbe before descending into the valley. There we strengthened ourselves in the Leuschke trout smokehouse with a freshly smoked trout from the adjacent trout pond before we mastered the quite strenuous climb back to the parking lot through the rugged rocky landscape of the Schwedenlöcher. A great, varied round that I can only recommend, especially now in autumn with the colorful autumn leaves on the trees 🥰🍁⛰️🍂🥰.