Day Trip! The Spreewald

This is another place I've wanted to go to since I learned about it. It's another remnant of the lands of the Sorbs/Wendish people. Even better than the area around Bautzen, it's in a swamp. All right, that's not technically what it's called (I don't even think they use that word anymore), but it's watery and filled with mosquitos. These days, the whole watery area is UNESCO Bio-reserve.

They have a very interesting Christmas Market, which is how I came across it. You take a boat to the open air museum, and they have the market there, featuring crafts and customs of the Sorbian people. Well, we didn't make it to that, but we did set aside a day to make the long drive over.

And it was long. Cloudy weather with light rain in spots. Having to get to the Autobahn, then go just south of Berlin. Lots of construction, restricted speeds, etc. The town was crazy. Though we left early, we didn't arrive until after ten, closer to eleven. We parked the car, and hit the trail. Thankfully, we packed sandwiches, so ate them as we walked out along the canals to the village of Lehde.

This first walk was a little disappointing, nothing like the pictures and videos I've seen. Except of course for the all the places selling pickles and pickle-related products. The area is known for its cucumbers and pickle products, so of course before we really got going we had to try some. It was also crazy crowded both in the Große Hafen and at the intersection of waterways by the museum in Lehde.Read more