Wittenberg Lutherstadt - Stucken - To France the Long Way 2009

June 19, 2009

Wittenberg Lutherstadt - Stucken

Again a grey morning, it looks like it might start to rain any minute. We're lucky, it doesn't rain all day and we even have friendly tailwinds much of the time.

Before we leave Wittenberg we have a look at the Lutherhaus, well the outside anyway. It is now an important Reformation museum, located in the Augustinian monastery where Luther lived, first as a monk and later as owner with his family. Instead of visiting the museum, we prefered to be on our way.

Luther publicly burned the papal decree condemning his views. Luther's words inscribed above the door: "I once burned the Pope's decree here in Wittenberg, and I would do it again."

On our way out of town there is one more sight to visit, the Hundertwasser Schule. This highschool, previously one of 500 identical schools built in communist East Germany, has been transformed by the Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser as a contribution to the democratic changes in the former GDR.

Hardly a straight line in the whole building

Seen on the road in Wittenberg. Hundertwasser's inspiration?

Now we're on our way, heading for Potsdam and soon in Berlin. Today again woods with lots of pine trees, fields, meadows, small farms, villages. We don't see any other touring cyclists today. Yesterday on the Elbe Radweg, a very popular bike path, we saw hundreds.

Fortified brick churches - quite a contrast to the slender baroque steeples in the south of Germany

Flat but very uncomfortably paved - as usual it doesn't look half as bad as it felt

The former GDR establishing its identity in a Penny market window display - Östlich = Köstlich / East = Delicious - Qualität aus unserem Osten / Quality from the East (of Germany) - Über 30% unserer Marken sind in Ostdeutschland hergestellt / Over 30% of our brands are produced in East Germany

In the afternoon the wind changes, black clouds appear and the little hotel or pension, Fliederhof, in Stücken looks like a good idea. It is in a pretty renovated brick farm house, everything is bran new, I have the impression we might almost be their first guests. Our room has doors opening onto a terrace - nice not to have to carry our bags up any stairs - and the garden is full of flowers.

The door of our room looks out onto a pretty terrace

Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles)
Total: 713 km (443 miles)

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