Leipzig - I like you

After our hiking trip in Saxon Switzerland we explored Leipzig. (Perhaps I should remind you that this hiking trip took hours and we made more than 20 Km on that day!) So we planed an easy day. Firstly we walked to the town centre to go for a good brunch. Secondly we bought a day pass for the public transport. Easy day -  no not at all. I tell you.

We decided to go to see the city from above. I like that  because you get a good overview which helps you to decide where to go. The MDR tower the tallest building in the city is not a beauty but the view from the platform was great. There is an entrance fee of some euros.

Monument of the Battle of the Nations

Back on the ground the tram brought us to the Monument of the Battle of the Nations. The architecture reminded me of Aztec Temples and Soviet buildings. Strange but very impressive. (entrance fee: EUR 8.00) Over 400 steps lead to the top! We were exhausted time for a break.

We sat next to the Monument for a smoke. In front of the Monument they rebuilt the "pool". In winter it is for ice skating and in summer you can see the reflection of the building. We were so lucky to see the bottom :-(

 

Getting there and around Saxony

While Leipzig is served from Basel several days a week there are daily flights from Zurich to Dresden. About one hours flight with small airplanes brings you to the mayor cities in Saxony.
Flixbus serves Leipzig as well but with a change of bus
in Berlin. By train you can reach Saxony as well but the connections are not too good and the journey time of more than 8 hours is a bit long in my opinion. I read that in a few months the open a new train route from Munich to Dresden by ICE, Germany's high speed train.

The cities itself have a wonderful public transportation infrastructure which is almost as expensive as in Switzerland. As the region is quite flat I recommend exploring it by bicycle. Leipzig for example is a very bicycle friendly city.
For longer distances the trains are running on time and are comfortable. The network expands over the border to the Czech Republic.

Over the mountains - Saxon Switzerland

On the first day we had to confirm a statement or a cliche. I am Swiss and yes I love hiking!

So we got up early and headed to the trainstation. Sandwiches and water were the only items in our backpacks. From Leipzig to Bad Schandau the centre of Saxon Switzerland it takes less then two hours by train. We got off the train and startet our hike towards Rathen probably the most popular town in the National Parc of Saxon Switzerland. We did not have any clue how long it is going to take nor how hard it will be. We are Swiss we can do this ;-) No, come on its holidays I just did no researching.
We followed the river Elbe towards Dresden. After some time we realised that we took the right path. The one that goes up the hill. (Yes hill, I did not see any mountains there. Just rocks and hills.) It was steep and took us about one hour to get on the top of this hill called Lilienstein. I was definitifely worth going up there.

view from Lilienstein - Elbe and Rathen

There is a parking lot in the middle of the route. From there some hundreds steps lead you to the top. A small but cosy restaurant serves cold drinks and snacks. We did not have time as my friend is a camera man he took some pictures. (Sorry no videoclip this time).

Lilienstein and one obelisk 

The descent to Rathen took us little more than one hour and was much more beautiful than the way we came. In Rathen there is a cable ferry that crosses the river to get to the trainstation. The famous Bastei Cliffs are located in Rathen. As we allready hiked for more than four hours we did not go up there. I am affraid you have to google the cliffs. 

We did not see too many other hikers along this way. The paths were in a good condition and the sings helped to find the way. 

With breaks todays hike took us about 6 hours. Costs: 1.50 Euros for the ferry and 5 Euros for a beer and a coke. 

Trains Dresden - Bad Schandau and back run every hour. Rathen - Dresden twice an hour. 

You can make it as well, dear reader!

Saxony - secret love

Ever since he heard the special dialect the first time he was not only amused he wanted to hear it all day long. As I love travelling so much I decided to help him out. So I booked the flights and called our good friends. I did not make any plan for this trip. As you know it has been a long time since my last journey. (Well I did one trip but it was not worth writing about I am sorry.) I just wanted to go away from home.

Saxony is a federal state of Germany and lies north of Bavaria and on the boarder to the Czech Republic. Yes one of the states of former German Democratic Republic. But it is not everything related to history or politics in my life. I wanted to see Dresden, Leipzig and the Saxon Switzerland.
No it is no part of Switzerland I am still talking about Germany ;-) A beautiful landscape opens on the way from Dresden to Prague with mountains, rivers and large forests  caleld the Saxon Switzerland.
A fully packed plan for only four days. Two friends, four days and not much of an idea....

Südfriedhof Leipzig

One more day in Addis – for medical reasons

At the end of the trip my stomak caused some troubles. When I was sitting in the plane for back home I felt so bad that the captain decided to load me off and put me in a hospital. 

Well that was a crazy strory. To make a long story short: Driving around Addis for 2.5 hours to find a hospital, paying before getting any treatment, not understanding the doctor allthough he spoke english. 

Well the clinic was very tiny and there was one doctor. He was very friendly and could help me as he knew instantly what to do. But I saw the cockroach more often than him. After the treatment of a couple of hours I left to rebook my flight. Another long story....

Getting around in Ethiopia

nice dash - I love this aircraft

As you know the country is 3 times the size of France I would suggest to make a plan before you go. I would suggest to travel with an escorted tour. Not because of safety reasons. The ethiopians are so friendly. A tour guide and a driver will bring you to the places you have to see and you have enough time to see the landscape during travelling.

what a mess

I did not see any busses. There is a train runnig to Dschibuti. So travel by plane and minibusses with a guide. In the Simien Mountains you need a guide with a gun at least against the animals. 

Ethiopias cuisine

I am not a food porn guy. I would rather eat the food than taking tousands of pictures. But for this time I share:-) 

Gored Gored 

The kitchen is very rich in spices. It is not hot at all. A typical dish is a flatbread covered with veggies, some meat (they do eat meat but not a lot) and different sauces. You break the bread and pick some veggies with it. It is very tasty.

Another typical dish is flatbread with raw meat Gored Gored. This was so good!

I can recomend the ethiopian beer and some people of my group recomend the local vine.