However, I am also game to do unusual things and since I met A. I have done some things that I probably never would have done except that he wanted to do them so I said, "Sure! Why not?!" We spent our honeymoon in Arizona and while we saw normal things like the Grand Canyon and the Petrified Forest, we also visited Kitt Peak, a major astronomical observatory outside of Tucson. So, when A. excitedly informed me that one of things that was planned when we visited eastern Germany last week was a mining tour, I gladly went along.
Between Chemnitz and Dreden lies the small town of Freiberg (not to be confused with Freiburg in southwestern Germany). Since medieval times Freiberg has been home to one of the world's oldest continuously used silver mines. Today the mine is used for mining education and tours and this is where we spent two and a half hours approximately 250 meters underground last Saturday.
I knew this would be an interesting tour when the first thing we were required to do was dress up as miners. The tour guide informed us that this was necessary because we needed to protect our clothing as we would be crawling for part of the tour. Rubber boots were mandatory as the mine was wet and since my feet are small, I had some trouble finding a pair to fit me. Once the nice tour guide got me some boots from the children's dressing room, I was set to go. After we were supplied with a lamp and a hardhat we took a small elevator down, down, down into the dark.
After a quick overview of the process of mining, we boarded railway cars and were taken even deeper into the mine. The tour guide then took us through some relatively flat and open areas of the mine where he pointed out the ore channels in the walls; all the while telling us more mining history and stories. Eventually we stopped in front of a rickety-looking ladder and after relating some more history of the Freiberg mine, we were informed that it was now time to climb!
There were a few women in our group and before we climbed, the tour guide informed us this was no place to be pussy-footing around and worrying about getting dirty. As I started up the ladder, I fully agreed; it was a long way down and I was holding on to the muddy ladder for all I was worth!
As we climbed, the tunnel got narrower and shorter, and indeed, we had to crawl. Even so, I kept bumping my head on the rock ceiling and was ever so thankful for my hardhat. Finally, we came to a small recess that I thought was a dead end.
photo by blondelibrarian
It turned out it wasn't; there was a minute passageway that we had to navigate. Eventually, we came to another alcove and instead of choosing the simple way through, the group decided to climb again.
Before starting this final stage, the tour guide told us that at the top of the ladder there were three routes; we were not to take the right one, I didn't catch much about the middle one, but I was pretty sure he told us to take the left one. I had been behind A. this whole time, but when I was to the top of the ladder he was out of my sight. I caught a glimpse of him going down one way, so I went that way too, not paying attention to which passageway I had chosen.
I was just beginning to hear the rest of the group behind me, when suddenly A. called out that he couldn't see anyone anymore. I said, "Did you go left?" He replied that he wasn't sure. I told him to yell out, which he did. After a second, the part of the group that was ahead of him called out that he was going the right way and to keep on coming; we were almost to the end.
After I got out of the tunnel that was no more than 18 inches wide by 5 foot tall, I realized my heart was racing, that I was having trouble catching my breath, and that I felt light headed. I thought at the time maybe I had had a claustrophobic episode, but now I am pretty sure I had a mild panic attack. The thought that we could have gotten lost in that mine really frightened me.
After climbing down one final ladder, walking past some stalagmites and stalactites, rinsing off our boots and hands, and a ride in the elevator back up, up, up into the light, the tour was over. With the exception of the little panic attack at the thought of being lost, I really enjoyed the experience and I would definitely do it again!
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Currently playing: "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" by Metallica
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