Everything is in flux.

Bastei, Königstein and Lilienstein - blow for blow attract canoeists at the highlights of the Saxon Switzerland is over. The spectacular scenery of the Elbsandsteingebirge also recently attracted Hollywood stars - albeit glamorous, but also brought their extravaganzas.

 

Schmilka / Rathen - "Basically you have the Elbe for you to rent", Matthias schindet impression. The 52-year-old is currently with the minibus at the ferry terminal in the border village of Schmilka vorgefahren, the canoe from the trailer is balanced and final instructions: "Red buoy, right past green buoy, left over. So it comes to professional shipping not get in the way .

The would-be paddlers swept along in life jackets. In three hours Matthias wants us to pick up again Rathen, 19 kilometer downstream. As an employee of a canoe-hire, he has a lot to do with boats, the water comes but rarely. We have now provided him.

Anyone who travels into Elbsandsteingebirge, usually less than for water sports because of the picturesque mountains table and thousands of rock. Walking is the job number one in the Saxon Switzerland and then replace a few of their walking sticks Paddle On. 1200 kilometers of hiking trails lead through the bizarre rocky landscape, 34 river kilometers are there between the Czech border and Pirna on the western edge of the National Park region at least.

Everything is in flux

On the water there is an initial finding, then it is banal: We are part of the stream. For novice paddlers pond is already something. Because essential, albeit leisurely glide in the meantime we are gray-green waters of the Elbe. Four km / h is the flow velocity, it was said. Led to more water flow, he would be faster. We make a statement on: 19 kilometers, we need to create three hours we have. Until after Rathen drift, we can not.

That, however, we would like, because the forest-fringed cliffs world pulls us into its spell. 95 million years ago the area was part of the giant Cretaceous sea. What is left today are the fossilized remains of giant underwater sand dunes which people barely perceptible eroded.

Paddle paddle stroke for stroke we come to the Table Mountain Lilienstein closer, one of the many landmarks of the Saxon Switzerland. Rechtselbisch Schramm pushes the rock massif in the view. Good to see are the old quarries Postelwitzer from the 16th Century. Here, the sandstone, inter alia, for the Frauenkirche and the Zwinger in Dresden dismantled. Long are the rocky nature. First protected along the Elbe in 1912 expelled.

Rapids and islands of the Elbe in Saxon Switzerland is not, but the rush. We are the motor ferry "stone circle" on their way from Bath after Schandau Hrensko behind the border and a barge opposite. With weak sense, we observe from our nutshell the giant ship, but the bow wave is less than feared. When Bad Schandau of the old seaside resort on Elbkilometerhöhe ten, in the twenties in his flower stand, pushing the only five-star hotel in the area into the picture.

Quentin Tarantino recently checked in here two years ago opened "Elbresidenz", when he for his new movie "Inglourious Basterds" at Lilienstein and turned by the management as "getting used to host" has been because he was barefoot in the seat in front of the cutter bar have set. Kate Winslet, the shooting of the film "The readers' guests, was regarded as" pleasant, "perceived. A little bit goes on the bill that, with the glitz and glamor Edelherberge Bad Schandau could be retrieved. But ultimately it is the beauty of the landscape that attracts.

View from the frog perspective

We dip the paddle back into the murky water in which no fish is visible. A couple of ducks in our low-level crossing route, then a steam paddle boat in Saxon our next oncoming traffic. It has its own data after the oldest and largest fleet of Radddampfern. The copy that is relevant to us vorbeischaufelt is therefore 80 to 130 years old. The passengers of the uneven flow of vehicles beäugen is curious. With the meat on the seat height of the water surface is about the lowest position which Elbsandsteingebirge you may have. The frog's perspective sharpens the senses for the height.

In Elbkilometer 15.5 piles up the fortress Königstein on. The medieval castle was built in the 13th Century first mentioned, was meanwhile POW camp and is now a museum and event venue. Together with the Elbe we encircle the majestic Lilienstein, the only rechtselbischen Table Mountain, which Sportkletterern appeared again and the peregrine falcon is equally popular.

Completely unnoticed, we have really so impressive Elbschleife durchpaddelt. Passing meadows, where small lambs hopping through the grass and old bucks blöken. Traffic has priority, is on the label, when we start in the hand got. The Seilfähre in Rathen we grant them. When she creates dismisses a crowd of cyclists on the Elberadweg the flow line. The real eye-catcher but is the rock bastion, which is 200 meters above our heads there. We let the kayak gently glide over the sandy shore. Matthias waiting. The 19 kilometers went by like - like - in the River.

"One and a half hours it runs from here up to the bastion," says Matthias, when he left the kayak back into the van levers. Arrived on the massif, is the current in all its dimensions, so he winds and even shows what a Elbschleife is. Then on the bastion, although we are on it, in a way become invisible.