Saturday, 29th September 2001.
Bastei

Ah, the Bastei! Beautiful German countryside populated by Germans in knee-high walking socks and other classic German hiking gear.

This is one of those planetian entries where I would skimp on the words and just whack a couple of photos in here. But alas, I haven't had access to a scanner for Quite Some Time, so I can't share any photos with you.

The Bastei is on the Elbe, southwest of Dresden. Allow me to quote from the Lonely Planet guide: "Located on dramatic stone outcrops 305m above the river, the Bastei commands unparalleled views of the surrounding forests and mountains - it's so high that the Elbe looks like a stream and its barges and steamships like toys."

That's a bit OTT. It's not that amazingly high. And the best bits are when you get off the beaten track and away from the hordes of Germans and get to grips with the forest. Away from the main attractions are tracks that lead over mountains to goodness knows where, steep valleys covered in a dense green of conifers, signs written in complex German, and a sweaty Tasmanian.