June 25, 2011
Penkun - Stolpe: The tour de detour
Today was a day of extremes - very beautiful scenery and very ugly road surfaces. The day started out fine. A cyclist from Dresden, whom we had met last night, joined us at breakfast and was very interested in our e-bikes. And of course we love to praise our e-bikes and the time went quickly.
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The day was sunny and cloudy, the kind of weather that provides an interesting sky for photos. Our route started out between gentle hills of grain, bordered by rows of trees. At Mescherin we had our first view of the Oder River. We stopped for a break and while we were drinking our coffee our Swiss friends sailed by. Later we discovered they had also stopped in Penkun last night. They seemed to be cycling at about the same speed we were - except they didn't have motors! Chapeau!
Now that we were next to the river, our bike path remained on the crest of the dike and was perfectly paved. Except for the cold headwind, it was easy riding. Until we passed Schwedt. Here we were sent on a detour due to construction on the bike path.
Our detour left the bike path along the Oder and took us over the hills and through the fields. Beware of small roads through the fields in East Germany. They aren't really meant for regular traffic such as cars or bikes, they are probably only good for tractors. We rode for what seemed to be endless kilometers on concrete brick roads, uphill and downhill. I must admit the views were fantastic but it was rough going. Come to think of it, I had been complaining about the monotony of the bike path on the dam, so it wasn't such a bad deal after all. When we finally got back down to the level of the river, we found out that the detour had been unnecessary. We could have walked our bikes through the part of the route that was under construction. Who's to say which path was better.
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In Stolpe we asked for a room at the hotel. They were full but sent us to an address down the road where we found a private room for 50 € including breakfast. It was very comfortable and had a fancy bathroom.
We returned to the hotel for dinner - it was the only place in the little town where we could eat - and before long our Swiss friends came in. We spent a pleasant evening together sharing stories about previous bike trips and comparing the day's trials and tribulations.
Today's ride: 67 km (42 miles)
Total: 1,792 km (1,113 miles)
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