Petr taught me a lot about the local flora and fauna. He showed me very small strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. They need another couple of weeks to become bigger and ripen. And then he jumped over the fence and picked up a few blueberries. We tried them out. He said they need another week or so. Meanwhile, what I am stunned by is all these berries growing in sandstone at such a high altitude.

Well this is how it looked from the top of the mountain next to it!!

The long hike did not bother me. But moment I had to get on to this platform from the top most point, all my acrophobia hit me at once. I could not stand up for a moment without holding the railing. And I could not walk back a few simple steps to the safety of the mountain. That walk was much harder than the hike itself. Fear is such an inhibitor for me.

We can now see the arch below us. Amazing views. The mountain behind the arch in the distance is Kaiser Coruna (meaning the Crown of the King). If you notice the arch itself, it is attached to the left side but is resting on the right side. This has allowed it to expand and contract with temperatures without breaking up. This has helped it survive for millions of years.

In just about every country, I make friends with a local driver and guide and then keep up the friendship from then on. I learn a lot from them and a I learn a lot about them. Whenever possible, I refer them to my friends too.

Petr is my new friend in Prague. He has been my driver and guide today. As with most of my friends, he has an interesting history. He has tried his hand in a lot of jobs – from airlines to hotels to construction to driving.

His favorite subject in school was history. Which was very convenient for me since I got to know a lot about the history of Czechia that I was unaware of. Also, learnt a few Czech words from him that I have been trying on unsuspecting locals!

I hope to see Petr down the road again!

Do you see the village on the left in the distance? That is the village of Mezna. That is the second part of our adventure. We will hike down from there to a river. But that will come up later. As of now, taking in the breathtaking views.

You see the top edge of that rock on the left? If you zoom in, you will see the shapes of human beings. That is our final destination to get a view of the archway from the top and a panoramic view of the whole area. But as of now, we will go under the archway and grab a coffee.

We turned the final corner and there it was – the natural archway!! It is gargantuan in size. You will see a better shot from a different angle a couple of posts later.

You can get an idea of it by the size of the gentleman below there