Harry Potter once asked Dumbledore “Is this all real? Or is it just happening in my head?”. Dumbledore replied “Of course, it’s happening inside your head, Harry. Why should that mean that it’s not real?”. Exact same questions I was asking myself when I was looking at Mariina Skala This place is just UNREAL.
A tiny arbour on the high, sharp peak. It may seem like a moronic idea, considering the lie of the land, but as the old proverb says : if something is stupid but it works, it’s not stupid 😀 And many things can be said about Mariina Skala but certainly not this that it is stupid. This view belongs to the category: breathtaking.
Where does the trekking start?
In Jetrichovice. If you’re staying in Diecin, you can get there by bus for around 45CZK. Within 50min the bus takes you to the center of Jetrichovice. It’s exactly where the trekking starts. It’s not possible to overlook this spot. First, Czech takes GREAT care of proper marking. Second, you can actually see the arbour at Mariina on the horizon. At this point, it’s just a dot on the sky but it gives a hint about the direction 😀
How the trekking looks like?
First impression, pleasant and easy. The first feature doesn’t change at all till the end but the second one, well, things get a bit more advanced over time. The path in the forest turns into stone stairs, climbing almost vertically, quite slippery. It’s not the trail, imho, which can be done in the rain/ when it was raining. Provided, youd don’t like dentists :d But don’t you worry, it’s not like climbing Mordor, it’s just more advanced than Trekking no 1.
However, in tha subcategory “Attractiveness of the Trekking” I give it 10 out of 10! It’s beautiful! Walking through juicy green forest, following gorgeous, narrow path which twists and turns among the trees, sometimes uncovering the view of mountains nearby. You can’t help singing “Come run hidden pine trails of the forest, come taste sweet sun”, it’s like from fairytale!
The view from the top is nothing but fabolous. Jetrichovicke Steny stretching on the horizon looks particularly stunning! One of them, Vileminina Stena, is the next stop in today’s trekking.
Mariina Skala – Vileminina Stena: family affair in Bohemian Switzerland
Mariina Skala and Vileminina Stena are truly from the same family. Both of them were named after the relatives of prince Ferdinand Kinsky: Skala in the honour of his wife, Stena in honor of his mother.
Not even a half an hour lasts the trekking from Mariina to Vileminina. Very easy trail takes you through the forest to the neighbouring peak. From there you can the arbour where you’ve been before. It’s worth then to combine both trekkings – they’re very close to each other!
What else can you see in Jetrichovice?
The proof for Czech love for stairs! The trail to Falkenstejn consists, pretty much, of stairs.
The entrance to this trekking is exactly where the one to Mariina starts. So you can do either before or after seeeing Marrina. It will take you around half an hour to get there. It’s truly worth the climbing all of those stairs since the destination is quite unusual. This time, it’s not the peak which we are trying to reach, but the … castle!
Falkenstejn is the castle from, more or less, XIII century, built by Michalovic family. With the passage of time, the castle was changing the owners, loosing a bit of its beauty. However, thanks to Kinsky family hwo took care of it, providing aforementioned (bloody) stairs and allowing tourists to visit this place.
The castle seems to be entwined with stairs and platforms, providng numerous opportunities to admire the remainings of the castle from different angles. And even though it’s been years and years from when it was built, it’s still impressive. Perfect place for having a lunch after tiring trekking in Jetrichovice 😀
SUMMARY OF THE TREKKING:
Starting base: Diecin
Cost: 45CZK (one way ticket to Jetrichovice)
Time : 3,5hrs
Level: medium
Hope you’ve enjoyed the Trekking no2 in Bohemian Switzerlnad! For those of you, who are hungry for more, see Trekking no 1 😀 And stay tuned ’cause next time we are crossing the borders, visiting Saxon Switzerland.