Eastern Germany
Its true what other cyclists say, so after 5 days in the saddle you should take a whole day off. After this rest I was fit again for the east of Germany.
Travel Diary Day 8: 14.06.2011
“ … To Rostock it’s still far so I decided to leave the Saale cycle path behind and shortcut a little bit by the normal roads. 20km before coming into Jena I meet Axel asking him the way through town. After a little chat he was guiding me into Jena telling me stories about the town and how it changed over the years. He knows a lot and invites me to stay at his house. In the evening we go out and he was telling me stories about the town and how life was in the Communist DDR times. …”
This I wrote in my travel diary on my first day cycling in Thüringen. I crossed the former iron curtain border and was surprised how pretty and well taken care of everything is here. Jena is also nice and interesting to visit. Lots of students there as well.
After Jena you still need to climb a little bit but once you reach Merseburg it’s starting to flatten out, finally. People from eastern Germany (the “Ossis”) are very friendly and open minded. I had several experiences asking the way or meeting other cyclists and It was nice all the time. People tell a lot about former times, so listening to there stories gives you a welcomed historical input.
Travel Diary Day 11: 17.06.2011
“… I am sitting here on the camp site next to the town centre of Havelberg. A very nice campsite not welcoming you with tons of – not to do – signs. People here are very friendly and in the afternoon I decided to go through town looking at the half timbered houses (Fachwerkshäuser) from the 17. and 18. century. …”
On day 11 I was cycling along the Elbe river (Elbe Radweg) but more and more I begin to realize that I need to take the faster roads to make progress. Reaching Rostock in time is important to have enough time left for Sweden and the stretch to Gothenburg.
I push myself north to Rostock and decide to take the ferry next day to Trelleborg (Sweden). Later on I realized that a Restday in Rostock would have been perfect.
They have a nice hostel in Rostock the “Yellyfish Hostel” near old town, unfortunately only a bad for one night.
Map
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