Trip to the Bastei with Judy, Don and Brenna

We have visitors! Trisha's sister is here with her family. On the first day we took it easy and just walked Schloss Pillnitz. Then the next day we had the pilgrimage to the Frauenkirche. We rested on the third day and now on the fourth day we were up for our first big trip out of town. We headed to Saxony Swiss and the cliffs of the Bastei. Lots of pictures today.
We were going to travel on the train on a small group card. For 22 Euros all five of us were able to travel on the trains. We actually could have traveled almost anywhere in Saxony for the day, but we just went the few stops from Niedersedlitz to Stadt Wehlen.

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Once in Stadt Wehlen we need to cross over the Elbe on a pedestrian ferry.

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We marched through the little town of Stadt Wehlen.

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We waited around for the bus up to the Bastei. It comes once an hour, and we did not have to wait long. The little fountain still had its Easter Eggs.

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Once we got up to the top, 305 meters high, we had a quick lunch on the terrace and then started our wandering around and looking at the views.

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The view is breath taking. Especially looking down.

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Trish and Judy stayed away from the ledges.

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As we crossed over the bridge, Judy made sure she had something to hold on to.

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You could see why?

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Up at the top there is the remains of an old medieval fort.
Getting out to it was a thrill.

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This is what they think it looked like.

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There was a great view of the bridge from the fort.

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Mostly we walked out on these platforms where the people of the fort lived.

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Looking down was fun.

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Our view was good, but I suspect the climbers on the rocks had a better view.

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We walked around.

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Our shadows on the rocks below.

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The point of the fort was to lob 40 kg balls of rock down on people they did not like.
There was a reconstruction of a catapult.

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The area for the chapel.

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We wondered what they did for water, then we found the big cistern.

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Looking down into it.

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They had a clever filtering system. They took the water out of the cistern through sand, before using it.

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After the fort, which only Brenna and I were brave enough to venture, we started our long walk down.

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There were little side trails out for views.

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Last fall we saw the leaves fall. They are still on the ground.

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After we came down we immediately stopped for ice cream in Kurort Rathen. Then again we crossed back over the river.

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We took the train back to Dresden.

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Oh, not that train. That was part of a model train display.