Day 7 - Saxon Switzerland, Germany and Decin, Czech Republic

The sun finally made more than a brief appearance today and it was most welcome.  The morning was devoted to a presentation by our Program Director on the history of the Czech Republic, his homeland.  It started in 1938 with a Munich Treaty between Hitler's Germany, England and France, which gave Hitler a section of what was then known as Bohemia, a homeland of Czechs and Slovaks.  After the war, the country became Czechoslovakia, under Communist rule.  Finally, after the Berlin Wall came down, after a so-called "velvet revolution", Russia ceded control and the area became two sovereign countries -- the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

The area through which the Elbe flows at the eastern end of Germany is quite mountainous and became known as the Saxon Switzerland.  The afternoon tour took us to a famous site known as the Bastei rock formation.  It is a series of sandstone columns formed by water action over eons of time.  A fortress had been built there, but later became the favorite spot of painters and rock-climbers.  A stone bridge, some 600 feet above the Elbe was built in the 18th century and became a magnet for those wanting a terrific vantage from which to see the Elbe Valley.  We climbed down to the bridge and crossed it (along with several hundred other tourists, even a bride and groom celebrating their wedding.

Tonight we are docked at a Czech town called Decin.  However, we are not at our regular Viking dock -- it has rained so much that the river has risen above the level of the dock, so we are tied up to the rock wall next to the village.  The river may flood below where we are, but as we are heading upstream, it should not be a problem.  And there is no concern that the water will be too low for safe passage!

Tomorrow we experience more of the Czech Republic and will spend the last night on the ship.  The day after, we will visit Prague and stay one night in that city.