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CHERRY PICKING IN

Wonderful hiking along the award-winning Malerweg trail and its other adventurous tracks – can be so pretty.

Text & Photos: Ralf Gantzhorn & Michael Neumann

A setting like in a movie – close to the . 136 << DREAM TRIP >> 137

Germany’s most famous stack of rocks and unparalleled tourist magnet: the above .

of general education. We strolled through the Bastei forest towards Wehlgrund, which was followed by one of those changes of landscapes typical of Saxon Swit- zerland: first, a harmless stroll through fertile fields and autumnal beech groves, and suddenly, without any warning – wow! – the dizzy view “So, what about another Eibauer?” Miss Schubert, the from a rocky plateau way down into a deep gorge, framed by quaint »friendly landlord of the “Hocksteinschänke” smiles at me and I cannot spruces, birch trees and heather. My two companions hold hands, dare resist temptation. I mean, I definitely deserve another dark beer today. to move one step further and are visually impressed. “My goodness, After a hearty meal, we sit on the terrace of the restaurant, relaxing in how romantic!”, sighs Christiane. “Wait for it, we will soon be going the evening sun. We have completed the second stage of the Malerweg downhill into a horrible gorge!” I am joking, shortly afterwards we are trail – for logistic reasons, we turned it into a round trip. Slowly, the just about to descend into the Schwedenlöcher. You need to use all your first banks of fog begin to rise from the fields in front of the , imagination to believe that once, the locals from the surrounding vil- The route and the silhouette of the giant table mountain seems to float above the lages sought shelter in the area away from the soldiers of the Swedish through the landscape like a stony ship in the sea of clouds. A soothing calmness king Gustav Adolf during the Thirty Years’ War. Nowadays, lots of Jap- Sandstone dominates the ambience. A calmness we missed today due to a great anese tourists walk around the area taking the dark narrow gorge under Mountains is deal of hiking, a calmness we could not expect. I had promised the flash-light fire. always a surprise: classic – the Bastei – to Christiane and Klaus, newcomers to the Elbsand- From the placid Amsel Lake, we make our way up the endless steps it includes stein. With its view to the Elbe Valley, it has been photographed a mil- towards the Bastei. Just before we reach Neurathen Castle, we take a everything from lion times, the photo is in every picture book of Germany and is part detour to through the gate in the rock at Tiedgestein to >> excruciatingly narrow to wide and lofty.

Bring your gear

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a “Monument Valley” which is overgrown with forest. Along this stage of the Malerweg trails, we want to take a detour FOR along what is probably the most exciting path in the Central German Uplands: over a distance of one and a half kilometres, the Obere Affenstein promenade runs through the pinnacles and towers of the fissured Affensteine at a level of half their MISSIONS height. The usual approach is via the Untere Affenstein prom- enade but we were inspired by the Saxon free climbers and wanted to do a bit of climbing, too. Not with a rope and climb- ing shoes but at least on the Häntzschel stairs, quite an ex- posed via ferrata. It meets up with the Obere Affenstein prom- enade from below. If you suffer from vertigo, you either need

Caspar David Fried- rich made the famous with his pictures.

to recover from an attack quickly or expect fifteen minutes of horror. The adventurous path leads up a series of ladders, metal brackets and wire ropes. If you still want more on the promenade, you can keep climbing on the Lange Horn, a dis- tinctive group of three towers. It is jaw-dropping, even for an Fortress above a sea of fog – the alpine mountaineer like me. First, you need to reach the back Königstein is the perfect attraction for of a dark and wet gorge. Metal rungs then lead vertically – bad weather days. with overhangs – more than 20 metres up and out of a narrow chimney. I cursed when I realised that with a backpack on your back and a camera around your neck, you can neither go up nor – always comforting – back down. Hanging on with one hand, I can already see my name written on a memorial plaque “sponsored by Nikon” at the foot of the rock. Then there is finally an ugly noise and I am able to squeeze myself treat ourselves to the first mighty view down to the River Elbe. And, However, ever since we have stood up on it enjoying the view, we un- to the viewing platform. unbelievably, we are alone. Just behind the fence which is intended to derstand why it is still THE landmark of the , Pretty impressed by the Saxon version of “steps”, we climb stop a shivering hiker from the fall into the abyss, there is an exposed a landscape which has become the paragon of romance ever since the Obere Affenstein promande from the back and follow it climbing route which leads rock climbers from the foot of the Bastei on ’s famous painting “Wanderer above the Sea of east. At roughly half their height, we hike up and down from a very exposed route to the cave of Vehmhöhle and the watch tower. It Fog”. one rocky area to the next. Sometimes it's the steep walls with is definitely not for the faint-hearted, and as far as I can judge from their quirky structures above which fascinate us, sometimes Christiane’s widened pupils, it is a good idea to keep to the safe paths. SANDSTONE MEETS VIA FERRATA the thin mixed forest offers breathtaking views of the towers So, up the last steps we go, bravely facing the international oncoming below us. A harmonious chaos of dark sandstone with the walkers, and off into the crowd on Bastei bridge. And although the The second Eibauer is already in front of me. Klaus is already at the most diverse vegetation clinging on to it adventurously. scenery reminds us of the Italian weekend at the Oktoberfest, it is still third one and quickly pays a compliment to Miss Schubert for her Not much later on and we arrive at the Ida grotto at Frien- all magnificent, spookily-beautiful, impressively airy, profoundly scary legendary fried potatoes. “Tomorrow will be quieter,” I promise. “and stein. It is so large that it was used as housing during the dark and, as Christiane soon says, “… absolutely romantic!”. (with a side glance to Christiane) romantic!” age. Nowadays, caves are no longer trendy in Saxony but they “Impressive, right?” The old gentleman next to us comes from Saxony. The landscape at the greatest rock massifs of Saxony Switzerland – are more than welcome as a sturdy roof above the hiker’s And he is proud. Did we know that the Bastei bridge anno 1851 was the the Affensteinen and the Schrammsteinen – is much less crowded. head. A native Saxon refers to sleeping underneath a rock as first construction in especially made for tourists? We did not. The scarily steep bastions of rock tower up to 150 metres high above “Boofen”, another charming tradition which could not >>

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40 JAHRE Worth considering the Malerweg trail in winter – because there are many OUTDOOR- warm guest houses along the way. INNOVATIONEN

“Seit 40 Jahren denken wir radikal, bringen ständig even be stopped in times when access restrictions and land adjust- Innovationen auf den Markt ment were occurring. Even the national park administration agrees, und arbeiten unermüdlich saying: “As an exception and in recognition of the tradition of climb- daran die Art und Weise zu ing sports in Saxony, it is allowed to camp overnight at 58 marked ändern, wie die Branche mit camping spots (boofen) when the overnight stay is connected to rock unserem Planeten umgeht. climbing. All official boofen areas are marked as such.” Hikers had better keep enjoying their warm guesthouse beds. Seit jeher verweigern wir die Verwendung von PFC und Treibgasen, und A HIKING FAIRY TALE unsere Innovationen haben For the third day, we chose a version of the fifth stage of the Maler- stets das Ziel, unsere weg trail. But in reverse direction. Another advantage of the most Umweltauswirkungen zu beautiful German long-distance hiking trail is that you can do it in minimieren.” stages, in both directions, pick the cherries you want, and, depending on your time limit, take detours off to the right or left of the main Nick Brown, path. For many years now, I have regarded the Malerweg more the Geschäftsführer less as a golden thread with bows off one way or the next instead of it being a rigid route at the end of which you receive a medal. This day finally leads us to the quiet and remote, fairytale-like part of . The starting point is Schmilka on the Czech CAUTION! boarder which is free of kilometre-long queues because border checks no longer exist – you can now find the queues at petrol stations and MISTAKE! odds-and-ends shops a few kilometres up the river. The Wurzelweg - trail takes us steeply uphill, so Klaus already begins to groan. After turning off into Falkoniergrund, we dive deep into the magical world THIS IS NOT THE COR RECT WAY TO BELAY* of rock forests. On the left, the narrow, 40-metre-high Falkner towers, home to rock climbers pursuing the sport here for more than 100 Hier erfahren Sie mehr years. Behind that, the backdrop of the mighty Rauschenstein at a über 40 Jahre Innovation: height of 80 metres, its satellite tower – the Winkler tower – appears nikwax.de/Globetrotter-40 cheeky out of the sea of forestation like a shark's fin . “Do you remember the old Czech fairy tale movies?” asks Christiane. “It looks exactly like them here!” We signal our agreement, and while we imagine King Thrushbeard appearing behind the moss-covered rock, we arrive at the start of the Rotkehlchensteige, an ascent which demands our full concentration. It starts with chicken ladders at the lower part, we need to make sure we step on the rungs and not on the air in between. Further up, it leads across stony steps into a * This picture does not show a proper via ferrata set but an improvised made by a climbing harness and sling runners. This does NOT meet the wonderful contorted world of small gorges and terraces, offering >> safety standards and can lead to severe injuries in case of a fall. The editors apologize for publishing this photo in the print issue and strongly emphasise that a regular via ferrata set is required for such passages. 142 << DREAM TRIP >>

Reinigen und imprägnieren Sie Ihre Daunenjacke oder Ihren

surprising views into the distance and all the way to the , Schlafsack mit Nikwax which stands above the flat fields on the left bank of the Elbe river Down Wash Direct like a knight’s castle in a model railway landscape. Time and time again, we stand still, speechless in amazement. “Save up a bit of your excitement,” I recommend, because I know it will be needed soon at Carolafels. And indeed: As soon as we reach the highest peak, even Is it because of the that takes Klaus – usually quite down-to-earth – starts raving: “Oh wow, a picture you from to the as if painted by Caspar David Friedrich! Incredibly beautiful!” At our Kornitzsch valley that you always feet, the basin of the Großer Dom with the Domwächter, in the back- feel as if you are in an XXL model ground the Schrammsteine and the supreme 100-metre-high Falken- railway landscape? stein, all in a sea resembling a Transylvanian forest – and we are on our own in the middle of it all. We dream away almost two hours so I finally have to insist it’s time to leave. It is still a long way to the Großer Winterberg, our next destination. There is a restaurant up there, and as Klaus is already hungry again, we do not need to motivate him much. We stroll past impressive view- points and through thin blueberry forests, walking past the “Flucht- wand” and the “Wenzelwand” and up to the highest point of today’s hike at 552 metres. A little bit later and we are already studying the

400 metres up hill, Leistungsstarkes Waschmittel für hydrophobe und unbehandelte 400 metres Daune, mit sicherer, einfacher Anwendung zuhause in der back down. Waschmaschine

menu in the comfortable restaurant. We fill up our glycogen and liquid reserves with tasty cabbage pasta and fresh wheat beer. The restaurant on Großen Winterberg is one of several old restaurants in Saxon Swit- COMING SOON: zerland which was build in the mid 9th century to cater to emerging THE FORSTSTEIG tourism and which was already well connected to a network of paths back then. Those who you could afford it back then rented several Sämtliche Nikwax-Produkte sind sedan chair bearers so they could enjoy the beauty without sweating 100% Wasser basierend, nicht The Forststeig, which opens in 2018, adopts a totally differ- themselves. Given my bad knees, I wish some would appear for me. entzündlich und verwenden keine ent concept to the Malerweg trail. The idea already sounds But we need to master the situation alone. Luckily, gravity is on our Lösungsmittel. Wir sind der einzige exciting: “Development of a multiple-day, trekking and side when we descend the 400 metres of altitude down to the Elbe Pfl egemittelhersteller, der seit jeher discovery trail well off the beaten track which criss-crosses river. Finally, THE most beautiful long-distance view of the Elbe Sand- frei von Treibgasen und PFCs ist. the border at the left side of the Elbe river in the Elbe stone Mountains is waiting for us at “Kipphornaussicht”, another pic- Sandstone Mountains.” If you want to know more, read ture-book approved viewing point. It is simply perfect: the river, the the following: www.sansteinblogger.de/2017/05/forst- rocks, the forests. After a few minutes of silence, Christiane sums up steig-elbsandstein-testwanderung/. One of the 20 chosen the wholeness of the moment and the overwhelming mood: “Kids test hiking teams report on their trekking tour far away – romantic, so wild and romantic!” And I am considering re-training If you prefer day trips from a base camp, stay in from hoards of tourist . Happening soon in Germany. from a photographer to a painter. NIKWAX GRATISPROBEN

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Production THROUGH SAXON SWITZERLAND ALONG THE MALERWEG TRAIL DIE BESTEN OUTDOOR- UND Is this still Germany? The fabulous Malerweg trail came a fabulous third place in last year’s Globetrotter Magazin readers’ vote on the world’s 50 most beautiful travel destinations. Congratulations! ABENTEUERFILME DES JAHRES! AB OKTOBER AUF TOUR

Best time Difficulty level including accommodation and luggage transfer at © DIETER DEVENTER PHOTO: SIMONE MORO, Spring and autumn. It is sometimes very hot in Moderate multiple-day tour which requires fitness and the travel agent. Wikinger Reise, for example, offers summer and in winter, snow and ice can turn the paths sure-footedness on some stages. Valleys and gorges individual package deals for the Malerweg trail from into dangerous icy places. are surprisingly steep at the Elbe Sandstone Mountains 648 euros for 8 days. and some passages can only be overcome with the Time needed help of ladders. Food and Beverages Between 8 and 10 days. Or in two stages on two long Take along a snack for the hike and fill up your water weekends? Height gained along the route bottle in the morning. There are a variety of choices for Approx.. 4,500 metres dinner at the evening locations. Character Diversified Central German Uplands hike through the Stages Guides and maps wild and romantic landscape of Saxon Switzerland. The 1st stage: – Wehlen, 4 h, 200 mih*, 11.5 km The Leporello hiking map “Malerweg” in the scale of Malerweg never really overfaces a hiking newcomer 2nd stage: Wehlen – , 5.0 h, 550 mih, 1:25,000 includes route maps, details of leisure desti- in terms of height gain and distances walked. And it ascent, 10.5 km nations and tips for stops along the Malerweg always ends up in civilisation where you can choose 3rd stage: Hohnstein – Altendorf, 5.0 h, 450 mih, 14 km (4.95 €). The 140-page-Kompass hiking guide from a wide range of accommodation and restaurants. 4th stage: Altendorf – Neumannmühle, 6.0 h, 640 mih, Malerweg includes GPX data and a removable map If you want more, you can extend the Malerweg with 17.6 km (27.75.86, 14.99 €). many interesting variations to the left and right of the 5th stage: Neumannmühle – Schmilka, 6.0 h, 750 mih, main path. 13.6 km Information 6th stage: Schmilka – , 7.0 h, 830 mih, 16.7 km The number one address for information, equipment 7th stage: Gohrisch – Weißig, 7.0 h, rental and tips about the Elbe Sandstone Mountains is 680 mih, 15.4 km the Aktiv Zentrum, Markt 1-11, 01814 Bad Schandau, 8th stage: Weißig – Pirna, 4.0 h, 730 Email: [email protected]. DIE WELTBESTEN KLETTERFILME IN FULL HD Liebethal mih, 12.4 km Hohnstein *metres in height If you want to experience the region with like-mind- VERGÜNSTIGTE ed people, join the 2nd Globetrotter hiking days TICKETS Pirna Elbe Accommodation from the 21st – 23rd of September 2018. Several für GlobetrotterCard-Inhaber = Malerweg Königstein Along the way, you can find guest- guided hikes and many workshops will show you the präsentiert von: 0 15 30 45 km Schmilka houses and hotels everywhere. It Elbe Sandstone Mountains at its best. Apply from is recommended to book the tour May on www.globetrotter.de/wandertage.

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