Up at a more civilized hour this morning. We left Dresden at 7:15 and were awakened by the gentle rocking of the boat as we made our way up the river.
Following a. Leisurely breakfast we camped out in the lounge to work on yesterday’s blog, chat, and watch the scenery go by.
Occasionally we saw a ferry in operation.
A motorized ferryOr a ‘chain ferry’
The chain ferry is interesting. It is secured by a long chain attached upstream. It moves back and forth across the river by using its rudder and the river flow. The problem is that when it is on the opposite bank the river is effectively blocked by the chain. That’s the situation we found ourselves in so the captain slowed our progress significantly to allow the ferry to onboard its passengers and move to the other side.
We passed the Pillnitz castle that Augustus tS built for is mistress Anna Constantia, Countess von Cosel – where she lived until he discovered that, while she was his favorite, he wasn’t hers. She left shortly thereafter and it became a significant place for him to host parties.All along the river are small villages with significant homes lining the banks.Note the church in front – and the ruins of the castle up the hill. Before the church was there the castle was in an ideal position to collect tolls from passing boats.At 10:00 Cruise Director Jamie hosted a Port Talk on Prague (our destination tomorrow) and details of our disembarkation (we leave the ship in the morning and travel by bus to Prague. It was a sad time.Along the way we greeted one of the paddle boats that ply the river.We also played chicken with a sailboat – they blinked.At one point we got a view of the Bastei bridge – a 200 year old bridge that replaced an old wooden bridge spanning the ravine.And a note about the sandstone. The sandstone in this formation has a high content of Manganese. Thus when it weathers it takes on a dark gray patina. In this photo you can see the difference between the stone on the left and the recently quarried stone on the right. This is significant because this is the sandstone that was used throughout history in the construction of buildings in Dresden – explaining why the old stone in those buildings is so dark. One of our guides explained how scientists are working to find a coating that will stop the oxidation of the manganese but be strong enough to withstand years of weathering (and human touching).
While we were at lunch we docked in Bad Schandau. Our shore excursion today was into the Saxon Switzerland National Park
That’s our guide (whose name we never got) explaining that the name ‘Saxon Switzerland’ was given by two Swiss artists who were teaching at the art academy in Dresden. They visited the area and decided that it reminded them of their homeland.Switzerland perhaps, but our guide was probably more accurate when she compared it to Bryce.In a closeup of that prior picture you will note the climbers on top of the formation. Because the formations are sandstone the use of privately set pitons is not allowed. There are some set by the park. Otherwise all climbing is free climbing.We noted that on the top of each butte is a box – containing a log book and pencil to record successful climbs.From the top we were able to look down on the river we had spent the morning traversing.We also crossed the bridge that we had noted in the morning.
But the real purpose of our visit to this ‘top of the world’ location was to view the remnants of a fortification that was built on top of those formations
This is an artist’s conception of what such a fortress might have looked like.We can see evidence such as these steps carved into the rock faceWe also saw that a cache of cannonballs had been recoveredMore likely they were thrown by a catapult rather than a cannon. The text scratched into the rock face refers to an attack by the Swedes in 1706.
We also saw evidence of a kitchen at the site.
These days there is an amphitheater in the valley – a great place for outdoor plays.One more view from the topAnd a view at the top.
Following the visit to the park we returned to the ship to upload photos, read, and rest before…
At 6:45 we adjourned to the lounge for a final cocktail party hosted by the captain. We were toasted by the captain, received final instructions by the hotel manager (it helps that the ship is currently covid-free) and as a surprise (to him as well as us) were serenaded by Jamie.
After that it was time for dinner, then back to the room to pack – tomorrow we leave the ship and bus into Prague for the final 3 days of our adventure.
It’s so fun to travel along with you guys!