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I started the journey on at 11 am. My sister took me to the German side of the mountains to the town of Lam and I begun my journey from there onto the mountain Osser – Ostry. First I went towards German chapel Mariahilf. The ascent was quite hard and very steep, this was the first time I questioned myself why on earth I am my putting myself through this...I must be mad...I thought to myself, huffing and puffing up the steep mountain with my 20kg bag on my back. When I got to the chapel I begun to feel a bit better. The path on the way from there was marked by numbered crosses with little sculptures of Saints. I thought that was quite poignant start to my pilgrimage and I didn’t feel so alone with it anymore. When I passed the chapel I discovered a pile of and thought maybe I could get myself a walking stick from here. So I picked one remarkably it was straight and I loved it. It made me feel really cheerful as I felt as if I had a companion. I followed on the path towards the mount Osser/Ostry(1280 meters above the sea level). The mountain is also known as the Breast of Holy Mother. It is quite a special mountain it has got two tops. One on the German side with a cross on the top and one of the Czech side which is wilder and more rugged. I liked both very much. It felt quite strange and alien walking through the German forest but as soon as I crossed the border I felt at home. Somehow the Czech side of the mountains feels wilder and not so tamed and controlled and I can relate to it much better. It was quite a brooding day and grey day with mist swirling around the top of the mountain. It was so silent I could almost ‘hear it’. Only a lonely birdsong broke occasional the heavy and dense atmosphere in the air. It was magical but oppressive a little bit eerie at the same time.

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