Lifeboat drill

The land was very flat around Dresden, but as we sailed upstream we began to see sandstone formations of increasing size. Eventually the highest peak is only about as tall as the peak of Massanutten Mountain where we live (2,923 feet). Because the area to the north is so flat, even these low hills reminded a couple of 18th century Swiss artists of their homeland, and they coined the name Saxon Switzerland (Saechsische Schweiz), which stuck. (Our tour brochures called the area Swiss Saxony.)

People lived along the river banks in everything from isolated houses to small cities. About 9:30 we passed by the largest community we saw, the city of Pirna (pop. 40k). Pirna is the capital of the Swiss Saxony district and also the site of Sonnenstein Castle (15th century). Around 10:00 we passed Stadt Wehlen, a smaller and more picturesque town.


Half an hour later, we passed the exceptionally charming little village of Rathen. The 11th century castle of Altrathen (rebuilt in 1893) sits on the ridge above the village. (I'll mention this village again later.) About 11:30 we passed the Koenigstein Fortress, dating to the 13th century and one of the largest hilltop fortifications in Europe.


At 11:45 Jutta gave a short German lesson (very basic), and at 12:30 we had lunch. We were still eating when the ship docked at Bad Schandau, a very popular spa and tourist destination. We went ashore at 2:10 to board our bus to the Bastei. The Bastei is a jagged rock formation formed by water erosion. Although about 3,000 feet above sea level, that is less than 1,000 feet above the Elbe. When the bus dropped us off at the Bastei at 2:45, the weather was partly cloudy, windy and cold (high of 40 degrees). Foregoing the horse-drawn wagon waiting for tourists, we walked the short distance to the lodge, then out onto the viewing platforms.


We could see the Bastei Bridge, but didn't cross it. The original bridge (1826) atop the stone arches was wooden, but it was replaced by the present iron one a few decades later.  In addition to the tall sandstone formations all around us, there were several mesas rising from the valley floor in the distance. The view of the Elbe below was breathtaking, especially upstream in the direction of the village of Rathen.

 

Hohnstein village & Castle

The bus got us back to the ship in Bad Schandau about 4:40 and we sailed back downstream toward Dresden soon after. The traditional reception for GCT Inner Circle members was held at 5:30. We stayed in the lounge visiting until the port talk at 6:45. Dinner was at 7:00 and we stayed at the table talking until 9:00. That was about half an hour after the ship arrived at its destination near the Carola Bridge in the Dresden city center.

There were two unfortunate developments affecting me physically: the crown on one of my teeth fell out during dinner, and I was getting a sore throat that would bother me the rest of the trip.