3 July 2016 (cloud, sunny patches, showers, cool. Strong headwind) 111 km

Where on earth did someone come up with the idea of Bambi and Thumper – a deer and a rabbit playing together?  Perhaps they merely observed nature. 

This morning while we were having our muesli in one of those beautifully constructed German picnic tables with a roof, we were lucky enough to observe an incredible moment.  We had left our freecamp spot at 6.30am as we were eager to get on the road before someone told us to, and also before the wind got up.  We had an idyllic first ten kms along very minor country roads with barely a car the whole time.  Out in the middle of nowhere is one of these fantastic picnic tables, so, never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, we sat down to breakfast.

We were sitting there quietly, sipping our cups of tea when a hare runs across the edge of the wheat field just ten metres from where we were sitting.  Then bugger me if a young deer doesn’t come running from the same place, seemingly in pursuit of the hare!  He however saw us and stopped instantly with a kind of startled but curious look on his face and instantly turned around and back behind the bushes.  If we hadn’t both been looking at that spot, we would have missed the whole thing so we feel incredibly lucky.

The Kyffhauser Monument near Tilleda

After breakfast we carried on the small country roads until Tilleda where we joined the main road. Being a Sunday, we have noticed whilst on tour that whether religious or not, it is definitely a day where everyone begins the day at a much later time. That for us on main roads is ideal, as they are then, just like small roads, with no traffic. One thing that we did get again, continuing the trend from yesterday, was the headwind.  As I write this it is 7.13pm, we are still riding after a 6.40am start and so far we have covered 110kms, into that bloody wind all day. Not sure yet where we will camp – haven’t seen any sign of a campground since we left Leipzig 200 kms ago. 

At one of the larger towns today, Nordhausen, we pulled into Maccas.  Because we freecamped last night and will again tonight, our laptop and camera badly needed charging, so in for a two hour coffee.  I’ve never drunk a cup so slowly before…I tell a lie, no one cares how long you’re in there for, or what you have.  Mission complete, back into the wind at 2pm for our afternoon windfest.  However, after our sugar fix at Macca’s, consisting of a latte macchiato and a cookie each and no food of substance, we were both feeling decidedly light-headed so had to pull into a shady bus stop only half an hour up the road to eat a healthy lunch.  Since then we have been trying to avoid a huge black mass of cloud cover and for the moment we have succeeded, but over here you don’t count your chickens…..  Still observing the scenery, which is a lot like England. 

The towns are a lot like England too!

Which brings us to the service station bench and shelter where we have just cooked and eaten our evening meal of risotto, tuna and beans.  There is apparently a campground in Uder which isn’t too far on from where we are now, but we’re not sure just how far, or exactly where Uder is, as we didn’t envisage getting this far today, so failed to take down directions at McDonald’s.  We have not had a map since Leipzig and have been relying on Google and the compass.

Also noticed that while we were eating, at the bench we’d picked because it was sheltered from the headwind…..that it has now turned to a tailwind.  Great, except we could have done with it eight hours ago, rather than now, when we’re looking for a spot to pitch.

The past week we have had cherry trees along most rides we have ridden, absolutely dripping with cherries – which we and the deer have been taking full advantage of.  At least we assume it’s the deer whose droppings we see in various states of decay along the bike path, full of cherry stones – I guess they haven’t learned to spit them out!

Today as we entered the lovely old village of Bueren we noticed something we haven’t seen for maybe a week….and that is a shrine on the edge of town.  I guess in the old East Germany, just as they weren’t allowed to learn English, they also weren’t able to worship outside of the state sanctioned religion, whatever that was.  Another thing that has been noticeable in this area, is how nice the villages are. Very orderly and well kept, as though everyone is competing for best village.  

We feel we must be very close to the old east/west German border because of this change and also the changes in the roads.  The surfaces today have been fantastic and even though most of the roads we have been on have been minor, they have had immaculate cycle tracks at the side.

We are now at our freecamp. No sooner had we finished eating and climbed on our bikes, than Julia said she’d seen a sign for the sportplatz (aka…..campground).  Always worth checking out, a good football pitch. A lot of the very good ones and there are loads, have security fences around them. Down a huge hill we rode, hoping there would be something for us, so we didn’t have to ride back up after such a long day….and there was.  Sure enough a football pitch, with security, which three guys, probably early twenties, had jumped and were playing on. No chance there….but further on, away from prying eyes, a spot behind a shed, out of view, where we are currently, after watching the sunset and discussing our ride for tomorrow. Heading for Kassel, a place with just that, a beautiful castle. We are now halfway across Germany on our way to the Netherlands and England. Hope we’ve climbed the majority of hills and will have a more cruisy finish to a country we both love.

P.S…..Thought it was worth mentioning….we are camped, believe it or not, no more than sixty feet from the railway tracks. Already, in the hour and a half that we’ve been here, six trains have gone past…..it may be goodnight from her….but it won’t be goodnight from him…

Also, for the past few weeks, I‘ve been having serious issues with my bike which is making a helluva noise. Said to Julia after a couple of days…”Have you heard that whining from my bike?”     “Oh” she replied….” I thought that was just you”……You gotta love her…..or else kill her in her sleep..!