• Europe 2022 - 2023
    Rathen, the town below Neurathen Castle ruins
    Rathen and the Elbe riverRathen, Germany2The bluffs holding the castleBluffs againOur train dropped us off on the South side of the Elbe, we had to take a €3 ferry to start the hike.Some of the stairs on the hike.Actual location of the Castle, now just a series of tourist bridges.BasteiBasteiNeurathen BridgeNeurathen BridgeDave and Neurathen BridgeVictory beerElbe river again. Somewhere out there is the Czech Republic border. It was only like 15 miles away.Rathen and the Elbe againBastei rock formation

    Bastei & Neurathen Castle Bridge Germany

    July 1, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Bastei is a rock formation in Saxon Switzerland National Park. The National Park is half in Eastern Germany and half in the Czech Republic. The rock formation is a series of eroded rocks high in the mosaic that leaves self stand pillars. Similar to Bryce Canyon in the USA or the famous PC desktop background of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in China.

    To me though Neurathen Castle Bridge is the real attraction. Atop the mountain, there used to be Neurathen Castle. The castle was sieged and burned down in 1469. All that remains today is the beautiful, seemingly out of place bridge, high in the mountains.

    It's a relatively easy hike, consisting mostly of stairs, but steep ones. After visiting the bridge, I was surprised to learn there is a Hotel, literally behind some trees nearby (if it be paradise, they'll set up a parking lot). This did allow the imbibing of a pint with a nice view after the hike. German or similar cultures always seem to have beer at the end of a hike. It's a custom I think we need to adopt in the USA.    Read more