3rd week in Jablonec nad Nisou (Czech Republic). 

When the rain stops, I go outside. It feels good to be out in the fresh air and to be on the move. But what I need even more is to be in nature. Forest. Stones. Fields. Mountains. The singing of birds. A babbling brook. I need that. Despite of missing those at my present whereabouts, I am going out for my walks. It is better than to stay inside all the time. 

Jablonec is no different from other cities. On the hills wealthy people are living in their own houses. In the town at the foot of the hills one can see tall buildings, old and often damaged, reminiscent of communist architectural style. They are residential buildings for the poor people. And you can see a lot of people around that area who are not well off. Some are begging, some are drunk and loud, and some can barely walk on their own feet. It's the same like everywhere. 

We drive to the national park Bohemian Paradise and want to hike to Powder Rocks - a place of interest. However, we do not expect to pay a fee for the trip. First, we have to pay 100 Czech crowns for parking, then we are asked to pay another 120 Czech crowns per person for being allowed to go up to the Powder Rocks. Apart from that, they charge you an additional 10 Czech crowns to use the toilet. 

They make money out of everything in this place, it's very disappointing. We drove 45 minutes to be in nature, but where we arrive is an open air Disneyland which makes us feel resentful. We are not willing to put down any more money as we have already reluctantly paid the 100 Czech crowns for the parking lot. 

Lucky for us, there is a walking path from the parking lot that is completely free of charge. So we take this little path, walk past the information building, down to a pond and then into the forest. The trail is a little over 3.5 km in total. At the end, my watch shows 9 km. That's the equivalent of walking there and back with a couple of turnoffs. 

We are in the forest most of the time. Rocks rise into the sky between trees, majestic and sublime. This sight is beautiful in its own way, but it does not touch me. I was expecting different feelings as this is our first hike since we returned from France. I thought I could let myself fall, enjoy it all, but something is missing. 

This forest has no scent. The air is fresh and in some places it is quiet. Often too quiet. Only rarely the chirping of a bird can be heard. Again and again the noise of a busy road or the fleeting encounter with other people. This place is too close to civilization to be an oasis. 

On a rocky clearing we discover two young deer. They freeze when they see us, then disappear jumping at the next small movement of ours into the forest. The ground is often soft, in some places muddy and other times slippery. I slip away once because I am careless for a moment. Fortunately, I can continue unharmed afterwards. 

We approach a hotel with a terrace, the voices of people announce this place much earlier. We don't go all the way to the hotel, we stop at a fork and study the signs. None of them shows us another way back to the parking lot. After a brief consultation, we turn around and go back the same way we came. 

Gentle rays of sunlight break through the branches. Water droplets clinging to leaves glisten in the light. The way back is more pleasant, with fewer encounters, with a little more peace, inside and outside. We are exhausted and surprised when we get back to an almost empty parking lot. Disneyland is closing its gates and we make our way back to the apartment. 

My conclusion: I could only partially enjoy the hike. The first part of the trail I carried disappointment and anger with me. My head was not clear, nor was my heart. In these moments of restlessness, I long for Brittany. It is the place where I want to be.