Day 11 - Cycle to Tangermünde - Elbe River Natural Areas

We start biking under cloudy, drizzly skies. We have another 96 km to ride today. I am a bit sore and achy from yesterday's 96 km ride. Today's ride is, however, perfectly flat. The drizzle soon stops but the overcast remains. We are riding south along the Elbe River in what used to be "no man's land." It was the division between East and West Germamy during the days of the Iron Curtain. For 40 years, no one set foot in this area. The result was the evolution of a very bio diverse population of flora and fauna. After reunification, this area became a nature reserve and these days is open to everyone for nature related activities. Seems like justice was served in that what was once such a sad area is now one where people can have their spirits fed by being in nature. We ride up on the levees that keep the Elbe from flooding the surrounding land past green fields with rolled up bales of hay that were part of the planned economy of the German Democratic Republic. Farms were collectivized and independent farmers forced to participate in this collectivization.

We see many differences in this part of Germany compared with West Germany. The towns seem dreary, drab and deserted. The gray weather contributes to the drabness. There don't seem to be any people around and no retail businesses. We find no coffee shops to stop at and no ice cream places. According to Philipp, these towns were not kept up during the East German regime and became dilapidated. After reunification, there wasn't enough money to really make them vibrant modern places so the people began to leave and many are now mostly empty. Under the GDR, people were given jobs, they had health care and were taken care of in every way. They didn't have any say in what job they had or anything else. Yet, some people, especially older people, have never adapted to a democratic system. Under the old system, they had jobs but under the new system, they lost their jobs and did not have the skills to get jobs in the new economy. The castle where we are staying tonight is an example of a place that has benefitted from reunification.

Our leaders once again provide a picnic lunch for us as there are few places to stop and eat. We are tired of the bumpy bike paths so we ride in the street. There is little traffic and we can sure make better time on the road. There is also a fair amount of riding on cobblestones, a jarring experience! 

We are all a little saddle weary from two consecutive long days of riding plus few stops to take a break given the lack of retail businesses along the way. We arrive at our hotel about 3:00 p.m. It is a beautiful hotel in the former castle of Charles IV. Tagermünde, the city it is in was a member of the Hanseatic League so prospered during that era.

We enjoy the beautiful pool (unfortunately no spa with warm water to soothe aches and pains). We have dinner at the hotel. It is Billy's birthday and we toast him with champagne at the briefing. Don and Chas are sick.

     Sylvester on an interesting sculpture we pass

                                           Our hotel last night

         Our hotel,last night. It is run by the BUND, the largest environmental organization in Germany

                                      Entering Wittenberg

                                A typical East German town

      An interesting trompe d'oeil

                                  Our hotel tonight. A castle on a hill.

Day 9 - Cycle to Lüneburg

It is surprisingly quiet on the streets this morning. I expected more noise from race announcers and such since we are very close to the race route. Since it is Sunday and the core is closed off, there is little or no car traffic. Our morning exit from the city goes well. The leaders have done a good job of planning. At 9:00 we take our luggage as a group to the van which is parked outside the closed off area of the cycle races probably a quarter of a mile away. We are on our own until 11:00 when we get our bikes and walk them with Philipp leading until we get away from the closed off area. Then we ride a short distance to the ferry. We get in a long line of people waiting to get on the ferry and I wonder if the bikes will get on but we get in line with everyone else and there is a special place to put the bikes. Plenty of room. We go up on deck. It is a little lighter today so our pictures will look a little better than on our other boat ride. I enjoy visiting with the woman sitting across from me. Her granddaughter and husband are with her. They are taking her to the zoo today. 

We get off at the fifth stop where the van meets us. We start riding our 60 km about 1:00 p.m. We stop for lunch around  2:00. I have the biggest hamburger I have ever seen! It must have a pound of meat in it. I eat half and have the rest wrapped. I will give it to Philipp. I don't think the marker always has time to eat lunch. After lunch, it starts raining. We are under a big dark cloud. We are just beginning to get seriously wet when thankfully it stops. I have taken out my rain jacket from the rack pack that morning because the weather has been so nice and no rain In the forecast. If I had brought it, it wouldn't have rained, right? Of course, I am therefore responsible for the rain! It is also windy at times. We are on mostly bike paths but some are really bumpy and others one has to watch for tree roots. Some are through woods. Amazing these bike paths. It is a nice ride but we feel pressure to keep going because it is already 5:00 and we still.have 10 km to go. We arrive at 5:15. This is a nice hotel. Our room is on the river. This is a picturesque town just as one imagines a pretty German town. Unfortunately, we won't have any time to explore it. We've done the best we could under the circumstances with the race going on in Hamburg.

 We have a delicious dinner at the hotel.

Well, I am tired and must get to bed. We have 97 km tomorrow. It is our 51st anniversary today.  Whoever thought we'd be doing a riding our bikes in Germany on our 51st anniversary?! Our group toasts us at dinner.

                         We all take our luggage to the van in Hamburg.

                                           The big race in Hamburg

                                           Shoreline on ferry in Hamburg

                                          A pretty church bathed in sunlight along the way

                                    View from window of our hotel in Lüneburg

Day 8 - Rest day in Hamburg

This is a rest day and I thoroughly enjoy sleeping in a little, putting on regular clothes and having a leisurely breakfast. We meet at 9:15 and take the metro to the harbor where a private charter boat is waiting to give us a ride on the Elbe River. We have a guide who tells us about the port, about Hamburg, and about some of the ships we see. The river is crammed on each side with all kinds of ships, boats, loading equipment. It is a hub of activity.  Some cargo ships are no longer in use because of the advent of container shipping. Philipp shows us the cargo ship he worked on for three years when he was a young man. It is no longer in use. 

After the tour, people disperse to do what interests them. We go with Philipp, Evelyn and Carlota to St. Michael's church to go up in the tower to see the view. When we get there, we see that an organ concert is starting in a few minutes. There are three famous organs in this church. Carlota is amazingly good during the concert. She falls asleep in Philipp's lap. After the concert, we go up in the tower where we enjoy a gorgeous view of the city. We have lunch nearby in a Portuguese part of town. A couple of us have grilled sardines and the food makes us remember Portugal last year. 

We say goodbye to Philipp, Evelyn and Carlota. There is a huge bike race tomorrow. There will be 20,000 people in town for the race! It is a big event! There are many, many tents set up showing bicycles and cycling gear. I've never seen so much in one place! We make our way to the tent area and look at all the stuff. Kathy and I get new helmets, the same as the one Joanne got earlier in the week with the light on the back of the helmet. Kathy gets a red one and I get a white one. Experience Plus! will take our old helmets.

We go back to the hotel for a rest before our briefing. Our hotel is right in the middle of the race area so streets are closed off and it will be impossible to get the van to the hotel to get luggage and difficult for us to get out on our bikes. We will carry our luggage a short distance to the van and will leave later after the races start. Should be interesting. 

After the briefing, we give Carlota the book we have gotten for her. She seems pleased and is familiar with the main character. The book is in German. We purchased it at a bookstore around the corner. It was recommended by the bookstore person and by a customer who said she had a 5 year old daughter and she loved this book.

We go to dinner with Kim and Billy and Kathy and John in the same Portuguese area as lunch because Billy wants some Portuguese food.  Dave and I just get fish soup and split a salad, perfect for us. We take the metro back to the hotel. There is a station very near the hotel. It has been a relaxing fun day.

                                       Here is our guide on the boat

                            New Phiharmonic Hall, a controversial,project 15 years in the making

                                HUGE cruise ship, a floating city

                                      Inside of St. Michael's Church

 

                                     View of city from tower on St. Michael's

                                    Sylvester the Chicken and his friend the monkey 

Day 7 - Cycle to Hamburg

We are headed to Hamburg today. I love leaving in the morning when I am fresh, the air is cool and the morning light so beautiful. It is my favorite time of day. Lübeck with its brick Gothic architecture looks lovely as we make our way out of town. It is a little busy but soon we are back in rural areas with bike paths through the woods. I am on the e-bike today and Kathy the regular one. At 25 km we stop at a British type coffee/tea place run by a German woman who lived in Britain for many years and her British husband. It was decorated with flower wallpaper and we use china tea cups. I have apple pie and Dave has the carrot cake. There are many other delectable choices. 

We stop in Lütjensee at a bakery to pick up sandwiches for lunch. We eat them later in a pretty park with a WW1 memorial. I wish we had this type of lunch more often. It is just the right amount of food and we don't spend a lot of time on lunch. The weather is beautiful. We come to the edge of Hamburg but are still on bike paths through woods until almost there. The rest of the ride into Hamburg is precarious. We make many turns while dodging pedestrians and cyclists. They are used to bikes here so no one gets upset about moving for you, but it nevertheless requires full concentration to avoid a collision of some sort. I'm sure the arrows were difficult to mark but they are clear and easy to follow. I am so glad to have the e-bike today because several kilometers of the bike paths today are on gravel with ruts and mud. The e-bike's wider tires and more substantial weight make for a more stable ride through this rough part. The e-bike is a little trickier though to handle in traffic as my response times are not as quick. It takes me longer to slow down, make turns, get clipped back in.  All make it safely to Hotel Henri. We walk together to dinner at a place near the water for a delicious meal. 

I am pleasantly surprised by how nice Hamburg is. I have the picture in my mind of a gritty, industrial city that isn't very interesting. I can see that I am wrong. I like the variety of architecture and find the modern buildings interesting. In fact, few American tourists come here. Hamburg is Germany's second largest city and  largest port. Hamburg was a very successful Hanseatic city and has engaged in business with the world ever since. It is the nation's premier media hub and wealthiest city.

It has been a great day. We rode 70 km today.

                                       Leaving Lübeck in the morning light

                                          Some of our group at the coffee stop

                                       Charming coffee/tea shop

                                       WW I Memorial at our lunch stop

                                   Another beautiful bike path through the woods

                                   Wallpaper in our room at Hotel Henri in Hamburg

              Beef Tartare for dinner appetizer

Day 6 - Cycle to Lübeck

We leave Eutin amid clouds and cool weather. Perfect for riding though. We made our way out of town to  more bike paths through woods. Kathy is feeling better though still has a sore throat. She rides the e-bike today and I the regular one. We eventually come to the Baltic Sea and ride on the path along the sea along with other bikers, walkers and runners. The sun comes in and out. We stop for coffee at a place along the beach. We have only 49 km to go today so no hurry. Philipp is the sweep today and we enjoy his company. We head southwest to Lübeck, our next stay. Before entering town, we get on the bus set up specially to carry us and our bikes through the Herrentunnel underneath the Trave River. 

Lübeck is referred to as the Queen of Hanseatic cities. It's extensive brick gothic architecture is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. The Hanse or Hanseatic League was a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and their market towns. This area was a source of timber, wax, amber, resins, and furs, along with rye and wheat brought on barges from the hinterland to port markets. Lübeck achieved domination of trade in the Baltic with striking speed during the 13th century by building trading posts which stretched from the Baltic to the North Sea and inland during the 15th to 19th centuries. 

Lübeck is also called the city of seven spires because of its medieval skyline mainly composed of seven gothic-style church towers. It is also known for one of the best marzipans in the world made by Niederegger. 

We meet for our briefing and then go for a tour of the Niederegger marzipan store.  The store is pure eye candy with its colorful displays of different marzipan products. We go upstairs for a talk about the process of making marzipan by a pastry chef. It is very labor intensive! No wonder it costs a lot. We are given a sample of marzipan and a marzipan based drink. Very interesting.

We want to go to a concert at 7:00 that Philipp told us about at St. Marian in Lübeck church. Since we had a late lunch, we just get a quick bite with Frank and Jeannie before going to the concert. The concert is an organ concert with pieces by Schweelinck, Bruhns, Franck and Liszt. I really enjoy the opportunity to go to something like this. 

It has been a fun, relatively relaxing day. Evelyn, Philipp's wife and his 5 year old daughter, Carlota, have arrived to spend three nights with us. 

                              Our luggage piled up ready to be packed in the van

                                     A stop by the Baltic Sea with Joanne and Dave

                                 Another beautiful bike path

                                 Bikes on the bike bus to take us through the Herrentunnel

                                    Our hotel - Hotel Ko15

                                                         Marzipan!

Day 5 - Loop ride through the Holsteinische Schweiz

Another beautiful weather day! Couldn't be nicer. We are two nights in this place. It's always nice not to have to pack up our stuff and move on. We will do a loop ride today, short or long, or you don't have to ride at all. Unfortunately, Kathy is sick and will stay in bed today. Fortunate that we are staying in the same place and fortunate that we have a doctor on the trip (Billy) who brought some antibiotics with him. 

Dave and I choose to do the short ride (45km) so we can get back and have time to explore the town and perhaps go to the flower show.  We pedal through the ever changing landscape of the Young Drift moraines formed during the last ice age. Small woods alternate with hedged, arable fields and many lakes are nestled among the low hills. It is about as hilly as yesterday so I am glad to have the e-bike. It is a beautiful ride! We pass through several towns with neatly kept brick homes with beautiful flower gardens. We stop for coffee in Plön. Linda B shares a huge Danish with me. Yum! Several people are doing the long route and when we reach the town of Malente we don't see anyone else eating lunch so Dave and I have a delicious bowl of fish soup at a restaurant right on the Dieksee in front of us. Our leader Jessica joins us. She is from Basel, Switzerland, a German speaking part of that country. She is friendly and competent and loves working for Experience Plus! This is her first season with the company. Her boyfriend is also leading tours and the two of them will do the Danube tour after ours. She says this is the best job she has ever had. It is 10 km back to the hotel after lunch. We run into Don and Jane and ride back with them. 

After a rest, we meet up with Kathy and John and go to the flower show. Kathy is feeling not great but better. The flower show, called 2016 Landes Garten Schau is a big thing. It takes place in a different city each year and runs from May to October. It spreads over a wide area right on the lake. There are many places to eat, playgrounds for children and displays of different kinds of gardens. 

We meet for our briefing at 5:30 and walk to dinner together at a castle near the garden show. It is a lovely place and we have a delicious meal. I am enjoying the earlier dinner times! It has been a very nice day. Not only have I biked 45 km but my step counter tells me I have walked 14,000 steps, or 5.5 miles. I am ready for a good sleep.

                Cows seen in the lake from the restaurant where we ate lunch in Malente

         Can you find  Sylvester the Chicken?

                                                Riding along

               Who can guess what this is? (Answer:  a charging station for e-bikes)

                                Rhubarb seen growing along the road everywhere

Day 4 - Shuttle/train/ferry/bicycle to Eutin

I am still so mad that I lost my post last night that I hope my rewrite today doesn't reflect on our really fun, varied day yesterday. Weather is picture postcard perfect, the nicest we have had. It is sunny and warm enough to take off our jackets but not too warm. A bus picks us up at our hotel and takes us to the train station, about a 45 minute ride. We board the Berlin-Copenhagen line and go to the ferry where we drive directly onto the ship. (A side note here. We become so dependent on our Experience Plus! trips that we become like robots. We had a little trouble finding the right train car to get on. Even Jessica our leader had trouble. So we get on the one we think is correct. We have reserved seats so we all find one and sit down. It seems a little strange that no one else is on this car but whatever. We reach some station down the line and a woman conductor comes in the car and tells us that this car is being taken out of service so we have to move. She asks us where we are going. Unbelievably and hilariously we all look at each other dumbfounded and say "we don't know!" Then Jessica comes and we all follow her to the proper car, her little sheep in tow. ) We have lunch on the ferry during our 45 minute ride and cross the Fehrman Belt to enter Germany. We spend the last of our Danish kroner on lunch and somehow come out with just 2 kroner left! The train drives right out the end of the ferry and we are on our way. We get off at Oldenburg, the second stop. Philipp is waiting for us with the van and bikes. Kathy is riding the e-bike today and I have the regular bike. 

We ride 38 km to the city of Eutin (oy-tin) for our two night stay at Das kleine Hotel Eutin. The terrain is rolling hills, farmland, crops and cows not so different from what we have come from in Denmark. We learn that this part of Germany has gone back and forth between being part of Germany and part of Denmark. This area is known as the "Holstein Switzerland" because it is reminiscent of Switzerland in some ways. However, the highest " mountain" is just 394 meters so the comparison is questionable. It is beautiful though. We ride on many bike paths some of which are through dense woods with dappled sunlight. This is cycling at its best! This area is also known as the German lakes region for all the little, and large, lakes here. 

Our hotel is in an old renovated building that has been turned into a hotel. It is charming and interesting since they have kept some of the original parts such as the floor and doors. The door to our room is very narrow as if perhaps this used to be a closet or maybe a maid's quarters. There are large windows to let in lots of light. Our room is rather small while some of the others have very large spacious rooms. We are greeted by a friendly welcoming person at the reception desk who shows us to our room. 

There is a nice garden area in back where we meet for our briefing. We are on our own for dinner and we go to the Bacchuskeller Restaurant near the hotel. The friendly hotel woman takes us there herself. It is a lovely brick place and the food is wonderful. I have the pulled pork and Dave has the salmon. Others have the veal. All are large portions and are delicious.

This is the end to a really nice day. I am tired but will sleep with pleasant memories of the day.