...all this blogging, and we are finally catching up on bpostcards

As y'all may have suspected, it has been quite the whirlwind few weeks!

A favorite travel activity of mine is usually sending postcards...
This time around, it has been quite the new endeavour to keep up the
blog, such that every night we say we are cutting some time out for
reading and postcards, but i never seem to get to it. *sigh*

Tonight has been the night! We rolled into Dresden after a long day of
touring, checked into the hostel in the "newstadt", and wandered to a
nearby hangout to catch up with ourselves. We found an amazing little
Jem called "weinkeller" (wine cellar). Two flights of stairs down
below a bar called cafe 100, into a brick arched lair lit by
candlelight... We found our muse. A few carafes of wine later... Jana
caught us up on the blog of the day, and I/we have been composing
postcards to y'all! Such a joy to spend a little time reflecting in
the midst of all this touring.

Send us those missing addresses we requested, or you won't get you
card!!! :)

Cardboard model of the rock castle

Rock Castle Neuenrath

Carved into the mountain, suspended between rocks and destroyed in
1469 - before America was even discovered,
- little was left to see of its original ingenuity. It was thrilling
to see the abyss through the grate between one's feet though...

Lovin' it up here!

...hard to leave here, but we had the rock castle remains to explore
and get off the mountains before dusk.

Bells Vista!!

The Bastei Bridge

Spanning 75.5m (nearly 250 ft) and built in 1851 it provides access to
platforms and views for us, and access to ascents for the rock climbers.

Robin on top of the world!

Hard to capture the grandeur of the surroundings in an image or two.
No wonder the 'rock castle Neurathen' was built here in the Middle Ages.

Still ascending, still stunning view of the river

Resting under the pretense of enjoying the scenery (which we did, though)

Heading up to the Bastei

The Bastei is 305 m (950? ft) high rock formation only 130 m (400 ft)
away from the Elbe river. Quite a steep climb, but well worth it.

Elbe river

After the fortress, we headed straight to the Elbe river, parked the
car and crossed over to Rathen. A mushroom and a lentil stew later, we
were ready to start the ascent to the Bastei.

Hunger tower

...is the name of this lovely tower. Noone knows exactly why, but who
really cares when it is so photogenic?

It pays to be a king...

The building on top of this staircase did not only enjoy these
magnificent views, but was also fitted with tables that could be
pulled to the ceiling and lowered when the need for some lavish
sustenance arose. Great success with the Prussian king Friedrich I,
who had two of these tables copied for his Prussian castle.

Still touring...still smiling

Despite wind and weather, we took in the stunning scenery and the
audiotour factoids for a few hours...but after having covered the
historical grounds, we skipped a little of the military history.

(the attachment! Girlwonder bad for deleting from previous post!)

Chapel, movie theater or gym?

This beautifully painted church ceiling was wittness of its main floor
being turned into a movie theater (for which the organ had to be
ripped out of the back wall) and a gym for wayward boys after WWII...
Welcome to the GDR.

Is the world ready for the KNORK?!

Getting a little sustenance in form of a poppy seed cake, we met the
knork. Half knife, half fork this specimen is a close cousin of the
spork.

Second largest historical well in Europe

152 meters, about 500 feet, deep, this well was built from 1563-69 and
has been the sole source of water for everyone living on the grounds
until 1967.

To put the depth in perspective, the tour guide dumped a pail of water
back down the well, and it was a full 17 second count before it hit
the bottom! For you SF kids, the GG bridge is in the 300' range. Woah.

Stunning views from the fortress

Never conquered, never under siege

The intricate system of gates, tar and oil contraptions, bombs and
bridges made Koenigstein the refuge for many regimes and their loot:
polish and Saxonian kings, Napoleon, the Nazis (for American POWs) and
Soviets (as a war hospital).

Second gate: Medusa's head

Out of the seven gates separating the fortress from the world, this
one is the most symbolic and prettiest one. According to the Greek
mythology, Medusa (who can be recognized by the serpents instead of
hair on her head) turns everyone to stone she looks at...we both felt
a little stiff, but decided to blame it on the Siberian temperatures.

Summer? 46 degrees Fahrenheit and winds from the East

The weather was kind of appropriate in this foreboding fortress
environment

Touring the Koenigstein Fortress

After a fortifying Saxonian breakfast, including Robin's favorite:
liverwurst, we were ready to visit yet another castle with our friend,
the British-sounding audio guide.

Little bed & breakfast to rest our wary bones

We decided to stay in the countryside for the evening. Started to roll
down the hill back towards town, and pulled off at a cute little place
that had an inviting feel, and some wonderful smells coming from the
kitchen. Lovely indeed.

Settled in with a delightful warm meal, and we were curled up in bed
by 10... By far our earliest evening yet! Ha.

Konigstein castle off in the distance

Still driving through the park, we caught a glimpse if the Konigstein
castle off in the distance... We'll be visiting there tomorrow. It is
on the other side of the Elbe river, and we will have to drive back
down to town, cross the river, then around to the castle on the other
side.