Have you ever heard of Rathen, Germany? Without offending the people who live there, neither had I, up until about six months ago. Of course, who, outside of California would even know where Fresno is? But at least in my circle of friends and family, I can guarantee that none of them know anything about Rathen. How did I come across it, you may be wondering? In a trip-planning session with my boyfriend, late last spring, we knew that we wanted to go to Germany, and knew we wanted to see Berlin and Munich, but had no idea where to go in between. I personally prefer more rural vacation settings because I live in New York and need a bit of countryside to preserve my sanity. So, we fingered through the Lonely Planet Germany book our friends lent us and tried to find something in the vicinity of the major North-South highway between Berlin and Munich. That is how Rathen came into the picture.
The tiny paragraph in the book spoke of the beautiful and odd "Bastei" that Rathen and the surrounding Saxon Switzerland region is known for; the town is near the border of the Czech Republic, along the Elbe river. The Bastei, or Bastion, is a rock formation that essentially looks like the outer borders of a medieval fortress, and these rock formations are dotted all over the region. However, the Bastei near Rathen are particularly incredible. Plus, add in the fact that there are many hiking trails and that the town sits at the base of a huge cliff along the banks of the Elbe, and I was sold. Like I said, all I wanted was a bit of nature.
So now, let me tell you about the real Rathen. In fact, it is not has horrible as I may be insinuating, but it was not the warm, relaxing, peaceful nature retreat that I'd had in mind. In a nutshell, Rathen is the type of place you go if you're A) German, B) 75 years or older and C) Prefer to dress head-to-toe in waterproof hiking gear- walking stick highly-recommended but not required...(to be continued)
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