IMAGES OF GERMANY

The day I entered Germany, I cycled 87 miles to my destination. The sun was shining and yet again The North Sea Cycle Route has proved to me what a superb route it is to show the best of each country. I have left the remoteness of Denmark and am passing through beautiful towns, villages and countryside. The first two people I met were 2 German cyclists who asked me for directions. Me? I have not been to Germany before. However my Bikeline map was so good that I could tell them the way. Sometimes my navigational skills were tested as the road network is so extensive. However, cycling along the dykes was exhilerating as I brought my heavyweight rig up to 30kph with only the birds as my companions. I entered Hamburg to the sight of a sunken ship.

Brunsbuttel is a town I can understand. It is an industrial town but the route took me away from the industrial bits and I arrived at a town centre with a party about to start. It looked a fun place to be so I stopped at this cafe and had the most enormous ice cream .

There are many windmills here. I like this one as it has been converted into a cafe. It is on the South side of the Elbe.

Many of the buildings I like. This is one in a whole street of similar buildings. I believe they were barns on farms, some having been converted to other uses. I saw many original buildings of this design.

More people speak English here than I expected. It is not always the case. Last night, I arrived in a village and went into the local Gasthaus to ask if there was a room locally. No one could speak English but I found a room in a local house and the owners made me most welcome. Breakfast was at the family table with my hosts this morning. None of us could understand each other but somehow I knew that I was welcome and was given some lunch to take away with me.

Today, I have a new cycling companion. She is Dagmar and she started the North Sea Cycle Route in Hamburg and extracted me from being lost in Wilhelmshaven. Her blog is http://www.nordseerunde.wordpress.com