Zittau and its mountains

On Wednesday, May 30, 2018, we start around nine in the morning. After hiking in summer temperatures for the past few days, I decided to take one or two days off at Lake Olbersdorf. So I start with some morning exercise and then go swimming at the nudist beach. Except for me and Rango, there is an older couple on the sunbathing lawn, otherwise there is no one to be seen far and wide. So we plunge into the water and enjoy the cool wetness. The Big Guy still doesn't dare to go further into the water than when he still has ground under his paws. Back on land, the older lady approaches and calls out to me from a distance, "Young man, you do know that the dog beach is on the other side of the lake, right!?" Everything has to be in order... Back at the tent, Rango and I have a small breakfast before we head to Zittau. We take a walk around the water and finally reach the historic old town around half past eleven. At the market, there is a fish sandwich and the opportunity to refill with drinking water. The temperatures are already approaching 30 °C again and shady spots are rare. We continue through the small town, which impresses with its fairly intact city center. Here and there you can still find a few houses with development potential, but overall the town has a renovated look. After about 2 hours of aimless wandering, I treat myself to a view from the Johannisturm of the church of the same name for €3. When it comes to entrance fees for churches, I always think of the Limburg Diocese somehow. After enjoying the view of Zittau and its picturesque surroundings, I have a coffee and ice cream before we march back to our campsite through the Westpark. I use the afternoon to swim, read, and write the first travel report.

In addition to a trip to the nearest shopping facility, I also spend the whole Thursday relaxing by the lake. In the local specialty store, I can still get a portion of leaf tripe for Rango, probably the last batch of this kind of delicacy for the time being.

For Friday (June 1, 2018), I have planned to cross the Zittau Mountains. Around eleven, the household is packed up and we can head south. At first, we walk through a small forest area until we reach Grundbachsee. Unfortunately, the Grundbach itself is dry, so I have to bother two fishermen at the lakeshore to let Rango have a drink. Then we continue to Olbersdorf. In the upper village, we pass by the public bathing area and then venture back into wooded areas. At the Natschwasser, I can also refill the empty water bottle and quench my thirst. After about 3 hours and 9 kilometers, we reach Burg Oybin. I leave Rango and our luggage in the shade and make my way to the ruins. I refrain from visiting, as it starts to thunder and gets quite dark. So we quickly start the descent to Oybin and head directly to a shopping facility marked on my map. Unfortunately, it has been closed since the end of February. I ask a local for a place to have coffee and cake. For that, I have to go back a bit and, on the third attempt, I find what I'm looking for. Shortly after I take a seat with a hot drink, it starts to rain lightly. Pretty good timing once again. After a good half hour break, despite the drizzle continuing, it's time to move on. We leave the town via Bürgerallee to the south and shortly afterwards pass several sandstone formations. Shortly before the Czech border, we cross the Kammstraße and continue walking through an extensive forest area towards Jablonné v Podještědí, our destination for today. Every now and then, there is a slight incline, but mostly it's downhill. So we cover the last 10 kilometers fairly quickly in two hours and reach Deutsch Gabel around half past six. We take a little detour in the town, I organize some dinner and drinking water for myself, before heading back to the train station. The onward journey to Jeseník is ahead. There is a small mountain range with extensive forest areas over 1000 meters and plenty of water. This seems appropriate for the current temperatures. We will see...