Winter was something I had been missing for years. Not the calendar version - but the real one. Deep snow, biting frost, and that quiet, crystalline light that only mountains can hold. This trip to the Sudets felt less like a journey… and more like a return.

We escaped the rain and the wild mood of the Obra River and drove onto Rügen.An ancient beech forest, giant ferns, turquoise water, white cliffs, and the relaxed atmosphere of a surfers’ camp.

The Obra River, wild and unregulated, winds through the forest, its banks heavy with overhanging vegetation.

If I had to describe this place in a single word, it would be silence. The whisper of pines, the sound of waves on the lake, sunshine, a star-filled sky at night, and long walks through the forest.

Everything changes if you like winter hikes. Above the line of dwarf pines, the mountain turns into rock and stone, and the wind begins. Finding the right path becomes less obvious. The wind can slow you down, bury the trail, and push temperatures dangerously low.

And if someone asked what else we did? Well… we rode bicycles in the Indian Ocean 😊