Wednesday 8 June Today we explored part of the Switzerland National Park. We walked from Ostrau to Bad Scahandau through the forest which took about 20 mins - it’s much shorter than going by road. The forest is mainly pine, with very little undergrowth, just a carpet of leaves and lots of seedlings, few of which seem to become trees. The path took us to Kurpark in Bad Schandau. From there we caught the National Park tram to Lichtenhainer Wasserfall, about 5km up into the park.
It’s interesting how context can change the experience of activities. It was just a tram ride, but because it was in a different country, and winding alongside a stream, surrounded by forest, it somehow seemed a bit special. Frances’ knowledge of German is proving really useful as well. At the end of the tram line, about 30 mins, we started walking through the forest, following other walkers towards the Kunstall.
We also felt completely under-dressed without the specialised hiking gear and sticks. After about 20 mins walking uphill, we arrived at an arched rock formation called the Kustall – translation, cow-stall. It was pretty impressive and we had a fantastic view across the valley – the Saxony version of the Blue Mountains – yes and there was a bluish tinge to the escarpment in the distance. So much for the unique vapour of the eucalypts trees causing the bluish tinge in the Blue Mountains.
There was an extremely narrow metal staircase to the top of the Kustall, but neither of us was game to try. After the photo ops, we walked another 30 minute trail to the Lichtenhainer Wasserfall (Waterfall). Well, the waterfall, was in fact at the tram terminus where we had gotten off the tram, and not terribly impressive! We ate our meager lunch of sandwiches plus a beer we’d brought, and headed back in the tram. The day was very pleasant and we had some energy left, so we decided to walk back to Ostrau. Thanks to Frances’ device, we knew we’d walked about 15,000 steps or 10km.
On the way to the restaurant this evening, we saw a genuine Trabant 601 – The Eastern Bloc’s peoples car. It was the third generation of the model, built for the longest production time, from 1963 to 1990.
As a result, it is the best-known Trabant model and often referred to simply as "the Trabant" or "the Trabi". During this long production run, 2,818,547 Trabant 601s were produced and it was the most common vehicle in former East Germany. (Wikipedia)
This evening we though we’d try a different café/restaurant in Ostrau, the Astrauer Hof. They spoke even less English than in the restaurant last night, so Frances had another opportunity to practice her German. The menu was limited, but we weren’t very hungry anyway. Frances had a Gemischter Salat mit Thunfisch (Tuna salad), and I had Wurzfleisch vom Geflugel mit Kase Uberbacken (Baked shredded chicken with mushrooms and cheese).
The salad was very good, except for the too-sweet dressing (caught out again! – we may have to ask for dressing without sugar). The Baked Chicken was quite tasty, but too salty. Again we had a nice dry Reisling, the kind I wish was easier to find in Australia – at a reasonable price. Walking back we were caught in a thunderstorm, the first in Bad Schandau. Early afternoon storms were a daily occurrence in Karlovy Vary, but this time, at around 7:30 pm, it was a complete surprise, although it did cool down the evening air.
It’s interesting how context can change the experience of activities. It was just a tram ride, but because it was in a different country, and winding alongside a stream, surrounded by forest, it somehow seemed a bit special. Frances’ knowledge of German is proving really useful as well. At the end of the tram line, about 30 mins, we started walking through the forest, following other walkers towards the Kunstall.
There was an extremely narrow metal staircase to the top of the Kustall, but neither of us was game to try. After the photo ops, we walked another 30 minute trail to the Lichtenhainer Wasserfall (Waterfall). Well, the waterfall, was in fact at the tram terminus where we had gotten off the tram, and not terribly impressive! We ate our meager lunch of sandwiches plus a beer we’d brought, and headed back in the tram. The day was very pleasant and we had some energy left, so we decided to walk back to Ostrau. Thanks to Frances’ device, we knew we’d walked about 15,000 steps or 10km.
On the way to the restaurant this evening, we saw a genuine Trabant 601 – The Eastern Bloc’s peoples car. It was the third generation of the model, built for the longest production time, from 1963 to 1990.As a result, it is the best-known Trabant model and often referred to simply as "the Trabant" or "the Trabi". During this long production run, 2,818,547 Trabant 601s were produced and it was the most common vehicle in former East Germany. (Wikipedia)
This evening we though we’d try a different café/restaurant in Ostrau, the Astrauer Hof. They spoke even less English than in the restaurant last night, so Frances had another opportunity to practice her German. The menu was limited, but we weren’t very hungry anyway. Frances had a Gemischter Salat mit Thunfisch (Tuna salad), and I had Wurzfleisch vom Geflugel mit Kase Uberbacken (Baked shredded chicken with mushrooms and cheese).
The salad was very good, except for the too-sweet dressing (caught out again! – we may have to ask for dressing without sugar). The Baked Chicken was quite tasty, but too salty. Again we had a nice dry Reisling, the kind I wish was easier to find in Australia – at a reasonable price. Walking back we were caught in a thunderstorm, the first in Bad Schandau. Early afternoon storms were a daily occurrence in Karlovy Vary, but this time, at around 7:30 pm, it was a complete surprise, although it did cool down the evening air.
