Mezní Louka to Děčín: Day 174

I spent so long this morning at the largest sandstone rock arch in Europe that I had to hurry to reach Děčín in the afternoon.

The E3 runs through the mountains from Mezní Louka to the Pravčická brána natural arch. Unfortunately Mapy.com, the National Park Website and the maps on information boards informed me that this section of the path was closed. Unable to ignore these multiple sources I picked an alternative route to the south of the mountains.

The cause of the closure was an extensive forest fire in 2022. My diverted route went through part of the burnt zone and I could still smell the smoke even though the fire was four years earlier. On a wooden boardwalk there were a sequence of large photos showing how nature had recovered after the fire. First fungi appeared, then liverworts and mosses. Birds fed on the insects that were enjoying eating the wood of the burnt trees. Ferns followed and then many birch saplings that were growing around me in abundance.

To reach the natural arch I joined a column of people walking up from the road. As I started I heard a group of people speaking English for the first time since I started my current walk. They were a group of Americans and Canadians who had just been dropped off by their tour bus. There seemed to be many nationalities climbing the track to the arch, it was one of those sites that all the tourists go to. Some were struggling as it was a lengthy climb ending with multiple flights of steps.

The sandstone arch was impressive, although no more so than little visited (limestone) arches in Serbia or the numerous natural arches and bridges in Utah (although here there were more trees). Beside the arch was a restaurant where I took a coffee and cake outside to eat under the arch. After I followed the crowds climbing up to a higher viewing point. Then I had to retrace my steps all the way down to the road, beside which I continued on to Hřensko.

Hřensko village is in a scenic position at the base of a gorge. A curious mixture, there were older buildings; hotels, restaurants, and a church, mixed in with a long street market selling, among other things, branded clothes (I did wonder if "The North Face" company had anything to do with the clothes bearing their logo) and places advertising "free" shopping. As the German border was close by, I assume that "free" meant that the German visitors could buy cigarettes and alcohol rather cheaper than they could at home.

At Hřensko there are two alternative routes you can take on the E3. Either you can walk on the north side of the Ore mountains in Germany or on the south side in the Czech Republic. I chose the southern Czech side as it goes through Karlovy Var, formerly known as Carlsbad, a place of some fame.

While enjoying a langos, smoothered with tomato sauce and grated cheese, at a snack bar (the furthest west I had seen langos sold), I realised I still had a long way to go. One sign said 19.5 kilometres then next stated 20! Consequently I hurried down the pavement beside the River Elbe (called the Labe in Czechia). Despite being a long way from where it discharges into the North Sea the river was already wide. Forests grew on the steep valley sides that enclosed the river, and not much else.

After following the road, that ran beside the water for a while, I came to where the E3 turns off it. There was another path closure. A banner across the trail stated there was a danger of death. Not wishing to die yet, I followed a green waymarked trail that ran parallel to the river, a little higher up the valley side than the road. A few kilometres later it turned and climb up the steep side of the wide gorge cut by the Elbe. Tracking back and fore it gained height, passing between huge outcrops of sandstone. At the top there was a viewpoint where a couple were taking pictures of each other with the river and its sylvan valley in the background. 

Back on the official E3, currently waymarked in red, I continued as quickly as I was able. My blister on my left heel holding me back a little. Much of the track took a straight line through woodland, before diverting to offer me a few more viewpoints located on the top of rock outcrops and allowing one to see up and down the river. Eventually  from one of these I could see Děčin, my destination for the night. It took me a few more hours to actually reach it. 

My campsite is a little south if Děčin's centre. On the way I passed buildings built at various times in the last two hundred years. The older ones with more decoration, while more modern apartments used simple areas of paint to add interest. My day's trek finished with a riverside walk on a path reserved for people and bikes, passing beneath the Chateau of Děčin. 

Kemp Děčin appears to run without any reception staff. I was sent a pin code to open the gate via the "Alfred" website, then picked a spot in the area where tents were signposted. Although the site is moderately busy, I picked a quiet spot beside a flyover. Quiet in that no-one is near me, not so quiet as cars and trucks are rumbling overhead, there is also a railway nearby. However it will drown out any noise from other campers, and no-one will hear me undoing my tent zip to visit the toilet in the early hours. 

Dinner was at an "bufet" a short distance away where you sat outside beside an old, half timbered building with missing render and geraniums in window boxes. Candles in jars were placed on the tables as it became dark. Might have been romantic if my wife was with me.

Studeny to Mezní Louka: Day 173

A more tiring day than I expected among the rocks of Little Switzerland. 

I wandered through the village of Studeny while it was still asleep. A blister on my left heel was making me walk in an awkward fashion, as putting weight on the heel was painful. I knew that gradually I would forget it, and the change in surroundings as I entered the long valley section after Studeny certainly put my attention elsewhere. 

I found myself in a steep-sided valley called Pavlino údolí. Each side of me were either precipitous forested slopes or sandstone cliffs and towers. Owing to the depth of the gorge, it was in dark shadow, the morning sun unable to reach it. My route crossed the lively little river on metal bridges a few times, from which I watched the water, black, except where it broke into a white foam over rocks. At the end of the valley, some of the water was diverted to what was once a mill. Groups of trees had fallen down the valley sides in mass collapses and signs warned that due to falling trees you walked here at your own risk. If such large trees fell on you, your remaining life would be rather short. In some places the path was cut into the sandstone outcrops, a hint of what would come later.

Jetřichovice was at the end of the valley. The village had several penzions, hotels and snack bars. They sadly all looked closed, or disrupted by resurfacing work on the road. So I was delighted to see as I left the village a little snack bar open. When I bought my coffee and cake the owner spoke to me in German and seemed to expect Euros from me rather than Czech Koruna. Presumably because a lot of the visitors are from nearby Germany. However, it made me wonder whether, with the free movement of people within the European Union, German speakers were moving back into the area after being expelled after the Second World War. 

The climbing then began. For the next 10 kilometres or so the trail wound around towers of sandstone that pierced the forested hills of the area. All the ups and downs were hard work. Steps and railings were created in many places to assist in uphill struggles or to aid a descent. In addition there were three viewpoints I climbed up to. Two were on platforms attached to the top of rock towers with many steps required to reach them. Some stairs and ladders passed through gaps in slabs of rock, one of these gaps was a tight fit for me and my rucksack and I felt fortunate not to loose or damage anything on the rough rock. The coarse sandstone, more of a gritstone, was eroded by the elements, developing holes and exposing layers.

As I approached Mezni Louka I faced a choice of routes. At first I followed the road that had been my route for the last kilometre or so, as I saw no sign to the contrary. These single track tarmac roads that the E3 occasionally uses in Czechia have few or no cars, they are reserved for cyclists and hikers. After a few hundred metres I checked my GPS device and realised that I had left the E3 route I had saved there. Consequently I retraced my steps and took a less obvious track. After a few hundred metres I began to have doubts, there being no red waymarks visible. I pulled out my phone and checked Mapy.com. The App had the E3 going down the tarmac roadway so I again retraced my steps. On doing so I spotted two red waymarks facing me, that would have been invisible approaching from the other direction. Then back at the junction I spotted more red waymarks on the route down the tarmaced road. So two routes had red waymarks! I stuck to the tarmac if only because it was easier.

Now at my hotel I have been plotting the next few days.

Dolni Světlá to Studeny: Day 172

Today the wooded hills contained a castle ruin, a lookout tower and several concrete bunkers.

Leaving my Penzion this morning I was feeling grateful that they took me in at short notice and fed me dinner and breakfast. Sunshine, making patterns through the trees, put me in a good mood as a walked along a track paved with concrete slabs to the border with Germany. From the car park of the hotel located just inside Germany I looked down on the lower land to the north, between wooded hills it was populated with many urban areas. There were a few couples hiking from the hotel, probably aiming to climb to the summit of Luž, a nearby mountain a little off my route, close to a very cute collection of timber built houses at Chata Luž.

My first objective was Tolstein Castle. From the valley in which Lesne lay it was a steady pull uphill. The castle was a little off my route on a small hill. Only a few ruined walls remained, however stairs and platforms were provided so you could admire the panorama from the top. My real goal might have been the attached café, where I had cake and a non-alcoholic shandy, although the orange and tangerine flavour of the lemonade was not a good combination with the non-alcoholic beer.

A little further on there was an opportunity to buy a coffee and chocolate wafer snack at a railway station. Jedlova station did not appear to serve any settlement yet had regular services to Děčin and other towns. Maybe hikers and mountain bikers were the main clients, they were a good number having beer and lunch. Most of the walkers looked like pensioners although there were also couples with small children on the trail. For a while I followed a white haired couple holding hands until I felt obliged to overtake them, not wanting the intruder on their privacy. Near the station the E3 crossed the E10, another of the European Long Distance Paths, which runs north-south rather than east-westike the E3.

Being close to the German border I was walking along the line of concrete bunkers built in the 1930's fearing a German attack. The Munich Agreement rendered them useless, but being very solid structures, they remain. Nature is slowly hiding them with moss and trees. One I saw was being used as a platform for a hide for hunters. Another war was remembered by a memorial to a battle between Prussia and the Austrian Empire which took place here in.1757. 

Towards the end of the day I reached Studenec Mountain. I diverted off the E3 to climb it as there was a lookout tower on top that the local community was proud of. A metal structure built in 1888 , lack of maintenance had made unsafe by the 1990"s. Funds were raised to replace the staircase and renovate the rest of the structure so that it is again safe to climb. On the back of the stairs were the names of those who donated money to the repairs. There were excellent views from the top.

As evening approached I needed to find a place to camp. Seeing an attractive spot (flat, parrially hidden by beech trees but without lots of undergrowth) I pitched my tent. Although it was after 5:30 pm, there was still the buzzing of a chainsaw nearby, however I doubted anyone would disturb me and now darkness has fallen.

Jítrava to Dolni Světlá: Day 171

A journey up to the German border today and more rocks, wooded hills and pretty villages.

The first site on leaving Jitrava were the White Stones, also called the Elephant Rocks. They rose where grass ended and the trees and hills began. Different from previous outcrops on this trip as they were made of softer sandstone rather than granite or gneiss. Erosion gave them a smooth outline, maybe like parts of elephant.

Climbing into the hill behind there were other outcrops, smaller and hidden among the trees. They were of conglomerate, which donated rounded pebbles to the tracks I was walking on.

Coming down to a saddle at Horní Sedlo, by a couple of houses, there was a Second World War bunker, abandoned like the old Volkswagon car beside it. The bunker was part of the Czech defences against Germany, never used due to the 1938 Munich agreement ceding land to Germany.

Later I reached the current German border. Marked by white boundary stones, initially there were stones each side of the track O was on. Those to my right with a "D" on marked where Germany began, while others marked with a "C" were to my left, showing where Czechia began. This meant the track I was on belonged to no-one. It was no man's land. Later, the Germans and Czech's shared boundary stones removing me from a stateless track, with a "D" and one side of the rectangular block and a "C" on the other. Some stones had "CS" carved in them, a reminder that Czechoslovakia once existed, however it was painted over and replaced by a "C".

Inevitably, walking along the border between the two countries meant a steep climb as it followed the exact line of the ridge top separating the two states. At the highest point was Hochwald (if you were German) or Hvozd (if Czech). At the summit of this mountain was a guesthouse serving food. Boundary stones popped up in their terrace, among the tables and benches. I stopped at the guesthouse for a light lunch. As they were busy, and I did not know the hidden "rules" regarding how to order and pay, the food took a while being delivered. The Gasthaus was in Germany by a few feet and the waiter was impatient with my lack of the country's language. There were extensive views for the terrace. I could see back to the unusual Ještěd tower where I was yesterday. In the other direction I could see more forested mountains to climb. To the north the plains of Germany were visible with many towns and cities. 

Today's villages were all very attractive and included restored log cabin style houses painted in a variety of ways to pick out particular features. Neat lawns and window boxes of red geraniums added to the appeal. 

I had noticed in places "K+M+B 2026" written in chalk above doors and similar. In Austria I had seen the same practice, the chalk marks show that houses have been blessed during the Feast of the Epiphany. The letters stand for the three wise; Kašpar, Melichar, and Baltazar in Czech, 2026 refers to the year.

The landscape had again been wooded hills and mountains but included a more dramatic valley with outcrops each side after Horní Sedlo. A red triangle waymarked diversions to two summits. I climbed the first, as the map claimed it had a castle ruin. I saw no sign of any ruins and trees limited how far I could see.

I was heading for the village of Dolni Světlá to spend the night, following a track through the forest. Unfortunately a heavy forestry vehicle with wide wheels had made the trail uneven, muddy and difficult to walk on. Rounding a corner I found the vehicle responsible with a few other giants. As I watched a tall beech tree was felled, safely away from me down the mountains slope. The length of the trunks they were hauling up were truly enormous. Moving carefully around the big machines, watching for signs they were about to moved, I exchanged "Dobrý Dens" with one of the foresters. Thankfully they did not try to stop me as it would take many kilometres to divert onto another route.

My accommodation was a Penzion that I had accepted yesterday when it was confirmed that the place I had booked online was not actually open. Unfortunately nobody had told the owners of the replacement Penzion. Fortunately that had a room, and after a wait while they were preparing it, I was having a shower. It was also fortunate that they provided me with dinner as the nearby restaurant that Google declared open had a chalked sign saying they were closed for a few days. I enjoyed the pork with mushrooms and dumplings. The mushrooms were recently picked from the woods, and they were busy arranging the surplus for drying. I hoped they correctly identified which were edible mushrooms and which were poisonous.

Liberec to Jítrava: Day 170

The high point today was (literally) the Ještěd tower, low point was my booking for tomorrow being cancelled in an unorthodox way.

As I left the hotel, the streets seemed too quiet for a Monday morning, then I recalled that it was a Public holiday commemorating St Wenceslaus. Made famous in Britain as a result of a popular Christmas carol, he is the principal Czech Saint. Historically he was Duke of Bohemia (which is part of the Czech Republic) back in the 10th century. 

My first target was the Ještěd tower, an unusual building with a wide base thinning to a tall, slender column. One of those grand statement pieces put up by communist regimes it seemed to me. Yesterday, in the museum I watched a short film which included construction of the tower which was finished in 1973. The trendy clothing warn by the younger people looked very much like the 1960's clothes then in fashion in Britain. 

Most people would have taken the tram and then the chair lift to reach the tower, but I followed the road to the base of the mountain then continued in a wide arc to the south on the E3. By its curve the E3 made the climb to the summit slightly more gentle. Pausing at an information board I was impressed that there were trails for hikers, bikers, horse riders, cross country skiiers and even people in wheelchairs. 

As I approached the summit the numbers of people greatly increased. Parents with small children followed the road as it spiralled around the mountain in its final ascent facing oncoming cyclists and cars. At the top, even from the base of the tower there were fantastic views in all directions. On one side I looked down on Liberec, its buildings tiny in the grey distance. On the opposite side fields dissappeared into the haze. Nearby I could see the forested mountains I was about to walk over, further away there were even more ranges.

I had turned on my phone in an attempt to find out which birds I could hear. Over my trip I had seen and heard very few birds. The most common was I thought the coarse cawing of crows, however my App said that were ravens. I also recorded a coal tit but otherwise the forest was silent today, not even the buzz of chainsaws. 

With my phone on I noticed a message stating that my accommodation booking for tomorrow had been moved from September to October at my request. A little later an email said my booking had been cancelled at my request. I had not made either of these requests. After messaging the property to ask why they had changed my dates, I informed booking.com. My suspicion was that they did not want me and did not wish to pay booking.com any commission for making a booking. To achieve this it was necessary for me to apparently cancel rather than them. However if I had cancelled for a booking in a days time I would forfeit the money I had already paid booking.com. Consequently they first had to change the booking date to one sufficiently far away that I would incur no loss. I did not like this underhand behaviour. They messaged me to say they were closed on the dates they had advertised as being open on booking.com, and on which I had booked. After a couple of frustrating "chat" sessions, and two phone calls from booking.com, one from Hong Kong and the other from London, I was told that the property was not answering their phone and they were awaiting a response to their email. Eventually the property owner messaged me again repeating they were closed, I replied that he should respond to booking.com's email. This resulted in me being offered alternative accommodation in the same village, which I accepted despite a few negative reviews on Google. I am wondering what will happen when I reach the replacement property tomorrow. 

This long and niggling saga rather spoilt my enjoyment of a lovely sunny afternoon. As the trail rose and fell in the trees, the temperature was warm enough for a tee shirt but cool enough to avoid sweating. Occasional vistas across the surrounding countryside added to the beauty of leaves gradually turning golden in the sun.

Food and refreshments at the bistro at the Ještěd tower and at a snack bar at the bottom of the mountain on the far side meant I was well fed. After the snack bar the crowds dissappeared and I had the afternoon sunshine to myself.

Around 5 pm I descended into fields and the houses of Jítrava. An attractive village, its buildings spread along the road. Many were constructed of logs but with flat, wooden arches fitted over their windows. A decorative feature I assumed. Another feature were the cups placed upside down on fences, an old Czech custom according to the Internet.

Liberec Rest Day: Day 169

A day in Liberec, formerly Reichenberg.

Liberec was the biggest town on this trip and an opportunity to both rest and learn a bit of history. For the latter reason I booked a guided tour. Like all of what is now the Czech Republic, Liberec was originally part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In this area most people spoke German. Its textile industry was responsible for the towns growth, it prospered in the 18th and 19th century when the old centre of the town was built. There was money to do it with style. The neo renaissance town hall dominates the main square with its towers, balconies and carved friezes.

There were a few setbacks such as plague and the Battle of Reichenberg between Prussia and Austria that took place here in 1757. Liberec was part of the German speaking Sudetenland that was ceded to Hitler at the Munich conference in 1938. My guide had a photo of Hitler on the town hall balcony after the Nazis occupied the area. Immediately following the Second World War the Germans were expelled at short notice, whether they had supported the Nazis or not, and the city resettled with Czech people. More recently Soviet and Warsaw Pact tanks entered the city to suppress the Prague Spring in 1968, watched by my guide, then a boy. People were shot, jeans with bullet holes were on display at the town's museum and there was a memorial beside the town hall. In the 20th century the textile industry was been replaced by factories making autoparts and similar.

I reached the city centre from my hotel on the outskirts by tram. Curiously each line had three rails. My guide told me that this was because historically there were trams with two different gauges (i.e. the distance between their wheels) running in the city. They have now standardised on a single gauge. Another Item I had commonly seen in towns and villages on my trip were columns, used for advertising. 

I visited two of the museums. One of the engineers who studied in the city was Ferdinand Porsche, designer of the the Volkswagon Beetle and fast sports cars. This was highlighted by the Porsche Targa in the Technical Museum where it shared space with an Austin Seven, Ford Model T and other classics. I now find it strange that items like reel to reel tape recorders, that were familiar from my youth, are now museum pieces.

Also near the centre was a big, modern mall with international names such as Starbucks and Tescos. Such places are similar across the world.

I ate at a place doing grilled food tonight. To one side of the restaurant people were playing football in a netted area. On the big screen TV is an ice hockey match, a sport loved in this country. I decided on another beer.

Na Kneijpe to Liberec: Day 168

Leaving the mountains I reached the city of Liberec today, with multiple opportunities for snacks on the way.

Overnight a new blister bulged on my left heal, on the site of an old blister which I thought had healed. Pain pierced my heel every time I put my weight on it which made me hobble down the road. Eventually, the pain eased and I was distracted by8 sunny skies, blue with scraps of cloud. Although the track was still dark and damp in the shadow of the surrounding trees, the promise of the rising sun, after a few damp days, filled me with happiness. Steam was rising from the ground where the sun warmed it, sunbeams shot through the trees.

Not having eaten anything when I decamped, my hunger encouraged me to enter the closed doors of a restaurant to see if they could offer breakfast. The answer was no, but they could provide soup with bread and coffee which I gladly accepted. I was at Nová Louka where once glass was made. Earlier I had walked through Kristiánov, another small settlement in the forest where a glass making factory once stood. There was now a Glass Making Museum at Kristiánov, which I passed hours before it openned. Over a hundred years ago both were run by the Riedel family, who still produce quality glassware in Austria. I was proudly shown a cabinet with glassware and a book signed by the latest Riedel when he visited to join the celebration of 250 years since glass making started in the area. Presumably the availability of wood was the reason glass was made here. Apparently a lot of it was required. A dam was built nearby to create a lake that powered a sawmill, needed to cut up wood for the glass furnaces.

I progressed to the village of Bedřichov. A large board described how the village was home to the Jizerská 50, which is now a series of cross-country skiing races. Czechs dominated the winners in the early years but as the competition became more international Norwegians tended to come first. Although to early in the year for snow and skiing, the village was busy with people this Saturday morning. Young children watched by a parent practiced on a climbing wall; cyclists gathered for a ride; families with children headed out with wicker baskets to pick mushrooms; another group of small children were each handed a clothes peg (for unknown reasons); older couples set off for walks; a group of men stood waiting to do something while buses brought more people up from the city of Liberec. I watched while enjoying a second coffee, this time with a pastry at a stall.

It was then downhill through the forest into the city. A confusion of tracks used by those walking dogs and children meant I had to pick my way carefully. Reaching the city by the zoo I continued along a strip of park until stopped by a sign for a Cukrárna. Another coffee with a cake followed. Following signs into the old centre of the city I had my final coffee with a filled bagel for lunch.

After shopping for supplies in a large mall I eventually reached my hotel on the outskirts of the city. After washing clothes and other chores, and a more pleasurable phone call to my wife, I decided to have dinner at a nearby establishment I had passed. I had thought it a more typical Czech establishment than the restaurant at the hotel, however it turned out to be Bulgarian!