August 26, 2018
To Rathenow
Last night the restaurant was almost full when we went to eat at 6.30. Ken's choice of meal was easy we had remembered to word for chicken and he had a chicken salad. Mine was more problematical as I wanted something different. I really should have looked up google translate before ordering. I had leber, it had all sorts of good things in the sauce mushroom, cheese, tomatoes. It was very tasty the only problem being the amount of leber (liver). I think they must have slaughtered about6 pigs to get enough leber for my meal. The restaurant was the Acropolis so we were surrounded by statues and at the end where give small glasses of ouzo to finish our meal. Our waiter said we now must go down to the river as there was a huge party for Brandenburgertag. However we climbed up the wooden stairs to our apartment and were lulled of to sleep by the festivities below. At sometime in the night we were woken by the sound of fireworks, everyone must have had a good time. I don't imagine things will be starting early in the morning in this town.
When we left this morning the streets were being swept and the marques being tidily dismantled. It was of course Sunday so not a single place was open where we could get food - all we had with us was water and a bottle of Tokai we had bought in Hungary. The first part although on perfect cycle tracks and perfectly signed was rather tedious. We were riding across a completely flat plain into a stiff head wind. We came to one little place and our hopes soared there was an open door to a little restaurant and a man sweeping the floor. But NIEN no coffee, no anything.
After 30km we were coming into Schollene and on the way in there was a count down to a Backerie 1700m - 1400m - 900m-300m-50m then there it was. It was shut. Turning around we thought we had seen a mirage there was a rather dodgy looking bar, the door was open. Ken cut his way in through the smoke, it was filled with Sunday morning beer drinkers. The lady was lovely, of course she would make us coffee and the cook would make us something, I knew it wouldn't be liver because I know the word for that now. What appeared was a huge and really magnificent omelette, it was filled with gherkins, bacon, mushrooms and fried potatoes and accompanied by a salad. It seemed about the best thing I had ever eaten.
Now the whole day looked up. The track lead us into forests that gave us shelter from the wind as well as a change of scenery.
At one little village we came to a church, outside was a guard of honour of people holding up oars, the had 60 attached to then. We had to wait and see who came out as did a couple of little girls who had been collecting plastic bottles. The first to come out were and elderly couple. Was it their 6oth Wedding Anniversary. No they weren't given the flowers. All the parishioners gathered around (They looked pretty similar to those we see on a Sunday). Then out he came a well dressed rather rotund gentleman. Everyone cheered and he was given the flowers. Had he turned 60 (Ken said he was much older than that), had he rowed boats for 60 years, had he been coming to this church for 60 years? We don't know but he had done well.
It wasn't that much further to Rathenow which had an Eise Cafe and marvellous hotel room. Rathenow is a town that has really suffered. It was a centre of Optical industry and very important in the German war effort. Hence it was particularly heavily bombed. After WW2 it was in the USSR Zone and the Russians 'appropriated' all their optical machinery so rebuilding of this industry has been slow and painful. Today it is a town that doesn't look its age, there are few old buildings remaining. The tragedy of its story is probably shown in its modern appearance
Today's ride: 51 km (32 miles)
Total: 305 km (189 miles)
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6 years ago