Werl to Regensburg, Germany
Trip Start
Sep 14, 2006
1
9
17
Trip End
Dec 17, 2006
Regensburg,
Germany
Thursday, November 2, 2006
I left the Werl Bakers on a tearful farewell on the 24th. I didn't leave until after 2pm and straight into a tough headwind. I only made 30km before the weather closed in. In Oeventrop I crossed a bridge and spotted a good place to camp beside a river. Taking shelter under the bridge I cooked up a simple pasta dish and waited for the night to fall
Fulda Dom, Fulda
. The night wasn´t as peaceful as I expected from such a tranquil setting and I'd become used to double glazing again.The next day was cold. Mist had settled and didn't clear until midday. I had a tough climb up to Winterberg - a ski resort at 720m. I warmed up in a cafe served by a girl who thinks I'm a tramp and contemplated the cold night ahead. No thanks - I headed on to Hallenberg 15k of downhill bliss. Spotted a good place to camp with a picnic area just across the road where I could cook a meal. A couple of beers helped me off to sleep a treat.
A week of two halves really. Lots of wrong turns and hills over the first part and lots of wrong turns and flat landscape over the second. I was glad to reach the Main-Donau canal near Bamburg and the flat landscape was a relief to tired legs. A week of cycling through little pleasant German villages and some lovely people who helped me with directions immensley. Oh, and a strange thing happened one day... I pulled up for breakfast one morning, after making an early start, in a place called Wartenberg. I sat on the only thing around to sit on, a boulder between the road and bike track beside a sports ground. I noticed the caretaker pull up in a BMW as I made myself comfortable. After about ten minutes I heard a car behind me. It had to stop so the driver could take out some removable bollards to access the road. However, rather than deal with the bollards the guy starts speaking to me in German. I didn't understand and I wanted to finish my breakfast. Sorry, English, I ventured. Nein. The fun way to communicate then. So I told him of my trip, where from and where to. Turkey, yes, he'd been there on holiday last year. Good place. Then as he spoke I caught the german word for shower and he motioned to the sports facilities behind. Hmm, a big german guy is asking me if I want a shower. I didn't quite jump at the opportunity but I did feel I needed it. So, I packed my things and followed him to the changing rooms. He left me and went about cleaning up. The power shower was wonderful. As I was leaving he even gave me beer. Bonus! There must have been some event on the previous night. Even so, I was on the bike pretty quickly shouting thank you as I stepped on the pedals until I was at least out of the sports complex.
Highlights of the week - Bamburg, Nurnburg, Regensburg, good directions.
