Cycling Copenhagen to Berlin: Day 12

The hotel we stayed in last night - Hotel Schloss Tangermünde - is just a beautiful place. I'd love to spend some more time here. It is up on a hill overlooking the Elbe River so has wonderful views. The morning light always shows things off well. I greatly regret that I don't have any time to walk to the town which others say is lovely. (More about this issue later.)

It is definitely going to be warmer today. We soon take our jackets off. I am on the e-bike today. Good thing as I am quite tired from our two back to back 96 km days. We cross the same bridge over the Elbe that we came in on yesterday. This will be our last sight of the Elbe. Our first stop is at 12 km at the Jerichow Romanesque Monastery built in 1148. It is one of the most impressive examples of brick buildings in northern Germany dating from the Romanesque period and as such is an important stop along the "Romanesque Road'" a scenic route in this region that links all churches and cathedrals from 950-1250 AD which characterize the rise of Christianity in this region.

We pedal along the Havel River and its nearby lakes as we make our way to Brandenburg. We are sometimes on a very busy road with big trucks, buses and fast cars and no shoulder (but nice smooth pavement) and then cut into a bike path running through a dense forest. It is Iike this all day. Some of the paths are really bumpy and we ride on quite a bit of cobblestone. It is windy in some places. We are really ready for a break so stop for coffee in Genthin at 34 km. It is quite warm and I know that saps my energy, too. Guess it's just a low energy day for me. That happens sometimes.

We stop for lunch at 57 km on a lake. Most of the group is here and I think we have overwhelmed them because it takes forever to make our order and then another hour to get our food. I am grumpy about having to spend this much time at lunch! I get cooled down and stiffen up when I stop this long plus I want to get to the hotel and could be riding in this time. I must say the salad I ordered was beautifully presented and delicious when it came. We take a small ferry across the Havel River like the ones on the Delta in California. Brandenburg is a big busy city so, as it is in big cities, it takes awhile to make our way to the hotel. We get there at 3:45 and have an hour to shower and get ready for a tour of a museum at 4.45. I am tired and don't want to do any more standing today so opt not to go. The down time will help me a lot.