We really enjoyed Cottbus. The camping at the canoe club was excellent. Mary Ellen's experiences getting her dentures repaired showed us again the amazing kindness from strangers that we encounter in our travels. After a slow start, we finally got everything packed and headed out. This was our first night of camping in some time and there was much to sort out. We spent some time sightseeing in Cottbus and then started riding to the village of Forst which is located on the Oder River. We will be heading up the Oder River on the highly rated Oder Neisse Cycle Route for the next few days before crossing the river to Poland and riding for about 600 km which will get us to the border of Czech Republic.
Our friends Cora and Georg have taight us so much about travelling in Germany, including Canoe Clubs. We first discovered the joys of camping at Canoe Clubs when cycling the Elbe River about 3 years ago. They are reasonably priced, in a beautiful location, very quiet and provide a way to meet fellow "slow" travellers who do it by canoe/kayak instead of a bike. One tip: it is good to call ahead if you can as a member may not be present. Also, it is good to respectfully ask for permission to camp there as the facilities are in place for boaters.
Great signage along the route with these images that correspond to a route. We saw a sculpture of this cat climbing a wall in Cottbus. At the time we didn't realize its significance.
We are now riding along the Oder River and can see Poland across the river. The post with the colours of the German flag show that we are in Germany. Across the river we can see the red and white Polish posts. Along the Oder we will see many bridges like the remains of this one that were destroyed in 1945.
Curious yet watchful. It is typical in a village to see permanent structures on the roofs of buildings to provide a secure place for the very large stork nests.
