Basteibrücke Bridge, Germany

In our first year in Germany I was determined to do everything that we possibly could. Drew got the day after Thanksgiving off, and although Black Friday isn't a big thing here, we decided to take advantage of the long weekend and go somewhere fun. So we headed off to Dresden, to our first Christmas Market!

Since Dresden is almost 4 hours away and we were new to traveling, plus it was winter, I talked Drew into going to the Bastei Bridge that was located near Dresden (about 25 minutes away)

So Friday morning we were off, we found the Christmas Market fine, we basically just followed all the people. It was interesting enough, what better way to experience our first Christmas Market then visiting the oldest one in Germany! The only complaint I had was that there were so many people! We took Seamus & Rylie with us, I had heard that Christmas Markets were dog-friendly, and they really are. There were a lot of people with their dogs, but like I said, A LOT of people, and they're not big dogs, I was afraid they would get stepped on. We ended up staying for a little bit then heading off to our hotel.

The next morning we headed off to the Bastei Bridge. 01824 Lohmen, Is the address that pops up, We followed google maps to a random place. Luckily there were signs and we followed them. It brought us to a parking lot. There was no sign of the Bridge! Honestly, I thought we were in the wrong spot. We started walking and the pathway lead us to a hotel. Keep walking! It is literally behind the hotel!

The Bastei is a spectacular rock formation towering 194 metres above the Elbe River in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains of Germany. Reaching a height of 305 metres above sea level, the jagged rocks of the Bastei were formed by water erosion over one million years ago. They are situated near Rathen, not far from Pirna southeast of the city of Dresden and are the major landmark of the Saxon Switzerland National Park. They are also part of a climbing and hiking area that extends over the borders into the Czech Republic and Bohemian Switzerland. "The Bastei has been a tourist attraction for over 200 years. In 1824, a wooden bridge was constructed to link several rocks for the visitors. This bridge was replaced in 1851 by the present Bastei Bridge made of sandstone."

Look at that view!

Honestly this place was amazing. But it was cold! The best thing about it is that it is free and open all year round! Since we went in November it was cold! Go during the fall. I bet it's beautiful there. Seamus and Rylie had a great time, dogs are allowed, it's free, and you get to experience nature! If you're ever in the Dresden area, I'd take the 25 minute detour to find this place!