Are We There Yet!
Saturday September 8, 2007
Last weekend (the last weekend before school started) I took Hannah and Mitchell on a riverboat cruise to Sachsische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland). We went with Clint, Carole and Lena. We started out with enthusiasm but when Hannah began to realize just how long 4 hours on a boat would be, she began to complain.
Mitchell explored the boat and soon found the engine room where you can see the giant pistons pumping endlessly. They’re so clean and well-maintained! They smelled strongly of engine grease and the heat in the area was welcome after particularly cool breezes. Beside the engine room, there are windows to the wheels that paddle and propel the boat forward. We watched as the water splashed in the wheel-well until the engineer explained that the low water level of the river made it a bit dangerous to spend too much time in the area because they could hit rocks which would be propelled into the interior.
After about an hour on the boat, we arrived at Pillnitz and most of the passengers debarked to tour the famous castle, Schloss Pillnitz. It’s a beautiful location and Clint and Carole had their wedding pictures taken there last year. This time, we got a different view…
Nearly three hours later (Mitchell took a long nap, thankfully) we arrived at our destination – Sachsiche Schweiz. Our goal was to climb to the stone bridge overlooking the Elbe Valley. We walked through the gorgeous town at the base and found the path to the summit.
There was no easing into this climb. From the start, we climbed uphill and never really leveled off. Mitchell found me a sturdy stick that I could use as a staff and that helped tremendously. As we climbed, I thought it was a good thing Philip wasn’t with us because he’d begin feeling sick and insist on returning. I wouldn’t know how to get emergency medical help in that event.
In the end, the strenuous climb was SO worth it! The colossal stones that appear to be balanced precariously, one atop another, are more impressive up close than I could have imagined. The bridge is 150 years old and so beautifully built! Attention was paid to every detail and it was designed to capture the glorious view in every way possible. There is an outcropping halfway across, reached by a small bridge, that allows one to sit and view the scenery. You can look back on the bridge and out over the canyon where we could hear the lines of a play being recited in an open-air theatre.
Mitchell exhibited a fear of heights that was new and Hannah was fearless as she blithely leaned over railings to see views blocked by fellow tourists.
Our return trip was shorter as we paddled downstream toward Dresden and we arrived in time to make a quick dinner of fried chicken then fall into an exhausted sleep.
Leave a comment to let us know you’ve been here!
I loved this place when I went there! Amazing views… I saw it when it was all covered in snow and ice (made for a tough hike). I’m a little jealous of how beautiful the day was for you guys. Miss you!
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