Seattle to Berlin to Freiburg: Bad Shandau Weekend

The kids seem to find snow whenever it’s least convenient (typical kids, I guess). Two weekends ago we took a long weekend to visit the Elbe River Valley - specifically the towns just east of Dresden where there are some beautiful hills, fresh air and few tourists in an area called "Saxony Switzerland."

On a “hike” around The Bastei, a rock formation; amazing sandstone pillars – mountains almost that seem to protrude up out of the earth alongside the Elbe River. We had a slippery/wet/snowy walk around the manmade sidewalks and bridges (totally safe, I swear). The kids decided to make snowballs here/there/everywhere, roll in th snow, climb on little piles of snow, slide down the stone stairs covered in snow, etc. It was pretty, but of course the kids were soaked and cold by 11:30am and we had no choice but to go inside for an early lunch. Luckily we met a super cool American couple from Ohio with a 1st grade boy. They live in Berlin and were visiting this area for the weekend too. We enjoyed big bowls of potato soup and warmed up.

Because the kids were soaked and couldn’t be outside for more than 10 min without freezing another toe or finger, we were basically forced go back to the AirBnB we had rented. (Bummer! right?!)

Well, fortunately, there was an AMAZING "Terme" with a series of swimming pools and saunas a block away from our “Holiday Apartment." The kids wore their crocs there/we piggy backed them through puddles of slush. And, we spent over 2 hours trying the different pools, hot tubs, lazy river and even the sound pool (a salt water pool where sound is piped under the water and they project relaxing, abstract images on the domed ceiling overhead).

All in all, it wasn’t a bad day. And, the boots dried out for the next day when they got soaked again by 11am when we took a little hike along the ridge over the town. Ah, well…

By Sunday AM they were dry again and we visited the Königstein Fortress. Luckily there wasn’t as much snow there and the Fortress Museum was excellent with lots and lots of interactive exhibits and dress up so we didn’t spend as much time in the snow.

Pic Additions:

The Bearded One at Dresden Hauptbahnhof. I came down later on the train.

Overlooking the Bastei formations (part of them - it spreads around quite a bit)

Famous (for Germany) bridge that leads to the ruins of a 13th century fort. There's graffiti carved into the sandstone from the 1700's, so people have been touring here for awhile.