Wittenberge

Today was a nice day on the  Elberadweg.   Most of the day I rode on top of the flood control dikes.   The trail was not perfect,  but much improved from yesterday.  I rode about 50 miles, which is a nice distance.

The trail was pretty quiet.   I continue to see couples about my age or a little older out there.   They seem to just be taking their time and making a lot of picnic breaks.   The typical person in town does not look,  meet your eyes or say hello.   I theorize that is because cycling is pretty common here.   Just like at home I would not wave at every car that goes by.

I rode by what I interpreted as battlefield marker and just looked it up.   It was the
Battle ofAltenzaun, fought by Napoleon on 1806.

The last picture is accross the square from my motel.   It is an efficiency,  so instead of dinning out,  I fried up a couple of hamburgers.   It was nice to cook and eat simple food for a change.

Tangermunde

92.11km
time: 05:27:54
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1501670897

If you can take a look at the map, you might be able to guess the kind of day that I had.   There was a lot of turning around and backtrack.  I managed to turn a 77k day into nearly 93.  The map does not show a pretty nasty headwind.

Oh well,  that is cycling.   I am glad to be in and done.   The source of my extra miles was that I was having a fine ride until 1156.  I know the time because that is exactly when I arrived at a ferry that had just departed.   I was able to figure out the sign saying he took lunch from noon to one o'clock on the other side of the river.

I had a sandwich and decided to take the "alternative route" on my side of the river.   What I did not count on was many more miles and some pretty nasty trails.

 The  pictures are the worst of my route today.   The last couple of pictures show the quaint town and interesting hotel that I am staying in tonight $45....  Hard to believe.  Tomorrow I am off to Wittenberge (no,  I am not backtracking again,  this one ends with an E.

Magdeburg

77.39km, time: 04:09:04
speed: 18.64km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1499506169

It was a lovely Sunday ride today.   A couple of ferries and a lot of parks and countryside.   Really beautiful,  but that has become ordinary.  Most stores are closed on Sunday, so the cities are very quiet.

I did run into a festival in one town.   I am not sure of the reason,  but the food looked awesome and the people appeared to be having a good time.   Also, I watched a bit of a football game (soccer) by what looked like a bunch of old guy's (some nearly my age).

Now it is confession time.   Tonight I am staying in a Ramada Inn.   It was a good price and I wanted to make sure I had good Internet.   It has been a little spotty.   While I am at it,  I will admit that I grabbed a couple of beers at the gas station on the way into town and at this very moment am waiting for a pizza to be delivered from Joey's Pizza (since all the stores are closed).  Finally,  I  will admit that I did watch a delayed broadcast of the NBC Nightly News and binged watched a couple of episodes of a show on Netflix.

So much for an international experience,  though pizza is Italian,  right?

All is well and I am really enjoying the cycling.  I am helped be great weather and favorable winds.

Lutherstadt

Today I cycled 50 miles.   It was an epic ride.   The weather could not have been better,  75°,  low humidity and barely a wisp of wind.  

I started the day with a ferry ride across the Elbe.   The ferry was not motorized, instead relying upon the current and a system of winches and lines to make the crossing.   I  had a very peaceful ride through forests and fields to get to Wittenberg.  

In Wittenberg I toured Luther's home (where I met someone from Mankato).  It was an excellent exhibit.   Next I visited the church where he preached (see the picture of the pulpit he preached from over 2000 times).   Finally,  I went to the chuch where he is buried and saw the door upon which he posted his famous 95   thesis' 499 years ago.

Truly an exceptional man and part of history.

On the way to Dessau (where I am spending the night in a quaint guesthouse) I took another ferry,  rode  miles through a park and had a very relaxing day.

I do feel that I am starting to hit my grove with this European touring.

Riesa to Pretzsch

Distance: 85.80km
time: 04:36:40, pace: 3:13min/km, speed: 18.61km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1495463327

Another fun ride today.   I  went twice as far as yesterday and finished up in the rain.  I am in a very small town tonight.   It is a nice hotel with a restaurant and that is good since it is my only option for dinner.

I had a chance to chat with the hotel owner last night.   He showed me a picture of his hobby American car.   It was a 2005 Freightliner Tractor from Texas.  He said that he would be fixing it up and taking to auto shows.   I have no it how it will fit on these narrow roads.

An interesting and scenic ride again today.   I went by and took pictures of the world's only cycling church in a very small town.   In Togau, I saw the place, where US and Soviet troops met near the end of WW II and took a few shots of scenery along the way.   I did run into an Ostrich too .

Dresden to Riesa

I started off today by going to the German War Museum in Dresden.   It focused on the human cost of war,  rather than the glory.   It was excellent.   I have attached a few pictures.   The museum is the baroque building with the big piece of metal going through it.  It points to the area devastated by the bombing of the city and is intended to reflect a new openness of the current state.

I started up the Elbe at about noon.  It was 40 miles of beautiful views.   I pulled into the city of Raisa about 4pm.  In time to do some shopping for food (I found peanut butter,  yeah -  it will be great on this fabulous bread),  bananas and a few other essentials to keep me going.  I was lucky that the beer garden opened today in the city park and I am enjoying a couple of pilsners while I blog....

Life is good....

Dresden - What a difference a day makes

Tonight finds me in Dresden, Germany.   We woke up in Prague early,  I dropped off Julie at the airport and then headed here in my rental car.   I won't get all sappy, except to say that I miss her terribly.   I am very thankful that she allows me to satisfy my sense of adventure.   Although I do look forward to the day that she decides to retire and join me on the road (when she is ready).

After dropping off the car,  I found a bike shpp to do a little work on the bike.   The front wheel was wobbling a bit and the front rotor was bent.   Since they said 4 hours,  I headed out on foot.  They did a great job. 

The city of Dresden was fireboomed in 1945, killing 25,000 people and destroying much of the city.   Fortunately, after reunification  in 1989, the historic buildings have been returned to their pre-war baroque appearance.

The city has a wonderful art museum of the old masters.  I took a picture of Rafael's Sistine Madonna  (and could not help but think of my boy`s and how much they loved the Tineage Mutant Ninja Turtles).

The last picture if to show my new lifestyle.   I have been living the high life on the riverboat and in Prague,  Starting tarting today, I am living the life of a bike tourer.   Shown in the photo is my dinner and breakfast.   I will eat well,  but no more 5 meals a day,  daily cocktails or chocolate on my pillow each night.  Tonight I am in an Aztech themed B&B with shared  bathrooms (don't worry Julie,  very safe and clean).

Prague - Day 2

Julie and I spent the day at Prague's lesser town, which included the castle and cathedral.   It was a fun day of exploration and learning.   While we are used to cycling, the miles and steps did wear us out a both.   Although not peak season,  we had plenty of people to share the experience with.

Tomorrow Julie heads home.   I will be returning the rental car in Dresden,  Germany and begin my cycling journey along the Elbe river on Thursday.   I plan on continuing my blog along the way.

Dacau

With a 30+ degree drop in the temperature and the return of rain, the weather mirrored the somber mood we felt walking through Dacau. A site every human being should witness. Words cannot describe the unimaginable horror that too place here.

On a lighter note we purchased wonderful picnic fare at the train station and picnicked back at our hotel to warm up & dry off before venturing out again. We ended the day at a lovely Balkan restaurant, and gladly took the nearest taxi back to our hotel.