Hamburgers, Kiel and Ava's rest

I cannot believe how warm and consistently dry the weather has been for several weeks. Yes it is Summer but 45C for several days is not right for northern Germany. All those climate change deniers should shadow my journey for the last seven weeks and several hundred kms. I know the change is real because I was in Europe for several months seven years ago. The average is usually around 20-23C for this area and I have seen many young hardwood and softwood trees starting to struggle as I've seen in my previous home of Canberra. I don't mind the long warm days as it suits my mode of travel and I like the opportunity to enjoy more activities rather than compress it into a few daylight hours. On a personal note I do wear eye shades to shield me from those 4am sunrises - I normally wake much later than that as I'm a sunsetter not a sunriser. 🦕⏰🛌💤

I've enjoyed the Elbe River route immensely and it would have to be one of the easiest 750km stages I've ever done. Water can easily be obtained from any supermarket - I can't be bothered going begging for it and it's so inexpensive anyway - just make sure it has the word 'Still' on the label because you cannot cook with the carbonated versions and I normally use around five litres per day - three in the hydration pack which is usually empty after a 45C day and two for cooking and washing. The supermarkets all have the cold cafe latte/cappuccino drinks which are great for a ride boost with a banana. My evening meals are mainly rice/pasta and rotate with vegetables/tune/chicken variants - Thai red curry, Tomato/Mushroom, Tuna or easy Falafal roll/Fish and chips. For practicality and weight saving I carry milk powder and dry mixes of red curry, tikka masala and Morrocon spice.

Sheep telling me to go away while their eating

Must be paying low rent for this nest

Numerous wildflowers growing alongside the trails

Hamburg was as I expected - a vibrant and gritty north German industrial centre, the second largest city in Germany and holds it's own very well in respect to innovation, industry, the arts and Roman history. I've thought about calling it the city of Harley Davidson - I've never seen so many in one city and there were about forty of them parked outside my hotel. Very popular with midlife Germans too and maybe a rite of passage for some I guess. The group of riders were visiting a major event called the Hamburg Harley Day to meet many other international enthusiasts of this classic two-wheeler. One key aspect is to raise funds for charities focused on helping disadvantaged citizens.

Hamburg Harleys

Why is one of the most popular fast foods in the world called a hamburger when there is no ham in it? Well the most documented story is it all started when German sailors from Hamburg in the late 18th century would take raw ground beef (Beef Tartare) mixed with raw onion and herbs and formed into patties. These sailors often travelled between this maritime port on the Elbe River to New York in the US. Eventually a food stall owner at a fair in the US decided to put the beef pattie between two pieces of bread to make it easier to handle - add some lettuce, tomato and sauce and voila you have your classic hamburger. This classic food icon is wasted on me because I don't eat red or processed meat but it's really convenient when I hunger for an easy takeaway fish or chicken meal.

Almost at the top

My final destination of Kiel for this stage was only 90kms north and an easy day and half ride. I could feel the colder northerly winds coming from the Baltic Sea but excited to be a few days closer to Scandinavia. Until recently I had not heard of Kiel but my dear fiend's grandson spent some time there as part of his military training. Kiel hosts an annual maritime event known as Kiel Week (yes there appears to be a play on words here 😊) which is the biggest event of its kind in the world. It must be a recreational sailor's dream with the port's easy access  to Scandinavia and the Baltic States with many sheltered harbours.

I found a comfortable and affordable hotel for two days near the marina/city centre for access to places of interest and make this a bicycle maintenance/laundry stop. I wanted to have everything checked before heading for Denmark and ordered some parts to be ready for fitting when I arrived in Kiel. I can replace brake pads, tubes, tyres and cables but drivetrain parts that require expensive specialised tools that may be needed once every five years is better left for the bicycle mechanic. Kiel at one time was a Danish city but eventually had to war with the Prussians but then became German territory. The submarine building city was a prime target for allied bombing during WWII so unfortunately a lot of classic old buildings were destroyed. The waterway in this region is the busiest in the world and a constant stopping port for the large Baltic cruise ships.

So while 'Ava' has her 'Kiel' massage and new delicates fitted I set my compass to random and see what presented itself. The marina district is gorgeous, accompanied by my first real fresh northern hemisphere weather but thankfully a mild wind. When I order coffee I ask for milk coffee not cappuccino because the German cappuccino even in Starbucks is almost black with a bit of froth 😝 - But when it comes to fresh fish and chips - whatever they put in the batter was divine and almost Japanese tempura style which I love. I had a bread roll with me so I called it a 'Kielburger'.

Old East Germany (GDR) and now

So what's this venture all about? Well to be honest a good part of it is obviously self-indulgence of scenery, food, culture and just the sheer enjoyment of being out amongst nature and the unexpected meetings with all types of people. I've enjoyed conversations with town citizens, mill owners and meals with fellow cyclists from Germany, France, Switzerland, Chile, Argentina and even Australia. I hope it inspires others to try this mode of exploration or at least consider it.

So many places to rest

At the end a typical 60km day I'll quickly setup camp and reflect with a cuppa on the day's experience. Maybe a flat tyre, a chance encounter with locals who have kindly invited me as a guest for the night, an amazing meal or incredible stillness while viewing a distant dark storm. And don't let anyone tell you that's it's all too hard 😌 or “I used to ride when I was younger” - only one life you know and age is just a number anyway so don't just sit on your as...'couch' 'waiting for goddo!'👣😒 You could even consider an E-bike if raw human pedal power does not appeal.

 Time for a ferry crossing

Wind and wheat power

The journey continues with 250km behind me and over 500km ahead as my compass heads NNW for Kiel on the north German coast. The occasional small town ferry provides many opportunities to alternate my place on either side of the Elbe River. These old east German states carry a lot of history with a strong Russian influence at least with language as it was compulsory to learn Russian in school during those years between 1949 and 1990. I've had to really dig deep in my abilities to communicate at basic levels while interacting with senior and even young folk who have no English skills whatsoever. Thank goodness for finger pointing, nodding and digit responses as it's worked well before I've considered diving for the Google Translate App. At the supermarket I simply hold out my open palm with Euros and they always take what they need.

Incredible storm approaching from the south and beautiful magenta sunset

I could be forgiven for thinking I was riding along rivers meandering through Summer wheat fields in country Victoria-Australia despite right-side commuting with long hot 35C plus days. Like Australia the wheat industry is quite prevalent but here there are also many many fields of Corn (Germans refer to it as Maize) used for stock feed, starch and apparently as a source of bio-fuel or ethanol for cars. We apparently use sugar cane in Australia. Unfortunately as corn starts to compete with wheat for the same space wheat costs invariably go up as market forces affect the price of that wonderful German bread I buy on my stops along the way. I don’t mind paying higher prices for bread if it means that less carbon-monoxide from conventional fuel is released into our precious atmosphere.

 

Fields and fields of corn

 

Sunday rituals long past - last known circa 1554

 

In the upper loft bell tower

A quick history lesson here for some context - Before and after the two world wars Germany, Russia, Austria, Hungary and Poland were moving around their territorial borders like pieces on a chess board. Each change dictated by winning or losing the war. At one point the whole Germany empire included what is now Poland. The one major outcome of the first world war saw the end of four existing empires - German, Russian, Ottoman (now Turkey) and the Austro-Hungarian. When Germany lost the first world war Poland reoccupied three of the German Empire's eastern states. Then Germany now known as the Weimar Republic decides after 20 years of living with the economic and political constraints of the Treaty of Versailles that it's time for another try. And we're here again this time the Allies decide on the formation of four distinct German zones with one called East Germany itself having five distinct states and the three remaining west German zones known as the Federal Republic. In area it was half the size of West Germany and somehow West Berlin existed in a sea of East German (GDR) states. The impact on the whole of Germany was the elimination of war-related industries and the establishment of new industries and large agricultural zones including the GDR which essentially was a satellite state of the USSR.

 

My room view

 

My evening meal - delicious baked Scholle from the Elbe River

So my several hundred km ride up the Elbe from Dresden to Kiel takes me mostly through these old GDR states. Speaking in basic German to these people I learned that many do enjoy more personal freedom but education was better before the fall of the Iron Curtain. The economies of these five eastern states still trails the rest of Germany by a 1/3rd as you would expect it takes time but many young people choose to live snd work in the bigger more prosperous cities leaving many smaller towns and villages populated by older citizens.

The morning bells toll in Torgau

German soldiers who died defending last rail bridge before Russian troops arrived