Journey 7. Elbaradweg in pictures. Part 2.

Day 2 of our stay in Germany was a trip North of Dresden, towards the cradle of porcelain and wine (as advertised by marketing specialists in our guide) - to Meissen. On the way to the town we passed the charming and delightful German villages, we enjoyed drinking local beers and wines as well as eating some German meals (and these were not Kebabs this time) in Biergartens that somehow can be spotted on the way from Dresden to Meissen every 2 to 5 km. As if the Germans knew that every few kilometers a weary wanderer wants to take a break from pedalling. If you decided to stop in every Biergarten to consume low-alcoholic Radler (its name comes from German “Rad” which means nothing more than “a bike”), you would end up being pretty pie-eyed in Meissen.

I would rate the bike route as very respectable one (a minus is they cheat on kilometers: at first it is 10 km to the end, after 5 km is still 10 km to the end, and after a further 5 km is 7 km to the end). The trail runs along the Elbe, thus there is no way to get lost as you keep an eye on the river all the time.

On the way back we made a quick decision to see Moritzburg Palace. The guide states that it was built on an artificial island and that it used to be a hunting spot of Augustus II the Strong, who resided there after his hunting escapades. The road to the palace was a challenge. The bicycle path led initially in the city (Radebul), then turned into the woods and began to go up. It was getting dark and rainy as we drove through the German forest looking for the palace. Fortunately, we were not devoured by German bears. We left the woods, passed some fields. At the end of the village there it is finally - the palace. There was not a living soul - the weather wasn’t really welcoming to make trips. Nevertheless the palace is impressive. This is not a mere hunting lodge, I’d rather call it a mansion with the Oscar-winning driveway, a big park, and I imagine huge chambers. We snapped some photos and rode back (run away from rain, fog and darkness) to Dresden.