After many years, we have returned to complete the Elbe River
Hot and humid
Waking up in our palatial sized room, with its solid wood furniture with starched, ironed embroidered cloths and its many details, we truly felt like we we were in the heart of Germany and perhaps back a bit in time. We slept well. This old hotel is well cared for by the two sisters who run it, carrying on the family tradition started by their grandparents. In fact, we get the impression that little has changed over time. Admittedly it is looking a bit rough around the edges, but we liked it very much.
Hotel Waldlust - this place is off the e-world grid. You won’t find it on any booking sites, they are clear that wifi is not in the hotel, and their reservation board is on a huge bulletin board. Yet, they are successful and busy. Good for them.
Molln was founded in the 12th century. It became an important town due to its strategic location on the Old Salt Route through which the salt mined in Lunenburg was shipped on the canal to Lubeck.
Molln is a pretty spot with many water features, including the canal.
Molln calls itself the Eulenspiegel Town after this legendary medieval trickster, pictured below. There are several monuments to him throughout the town, but we particularly liked this statue. Sadly he died of the plague in 1350.
Till Eulenspiegel sits proudly in the Market Square. It is thought that touching his thumb brings you good luck.
There were a number of cyclists staying at our hotel in Mölln, mostly locals on short tours exploring the area. A man from Hamburg was riding for a few days exploring historic churches. He was lovely to chat with.
We took some time strolling around Mölln and really enjoyed this charming historic town. It feels like it is off the beaten track, yet worthy of exploration. The canal route was good today. The Canal cycle way from Lübeck to Lauenburg is gravel and sand
As mentioned earlier, Molln residents have beautiful flowers growing by their homes.
The Lubeck Elbe Canal is quite a sleepy canal, but it is a working canal. We saw some working river boats like this, a few pleasure boats and a tour boat. Most of the time we had it to ourselves.
Once again, the weather is hot and humid with clear skies. We will stick to the Canal today and the Elbe River as well.
We are undecided about going to Hamburg. It is a city we’d like to see but we lack the initiative to ride there and back, plus we are more keen to explore the Elbe and smaller towns along the route, rather than a large city.We will ride the 40 km to Lauenburg on the Elbe and decide then
We left the canal to go into a village to an air conditioned bakery and shared sandwiches and this luscious nut torte (similar to the one a Barry had in Niederegger in Lubeck).
Arrived in Lauenburg in stifling heat. Even the breezes from the Elbe River didn’t help. We found the old town of Lauenburg to be a disappointment. It has a wonderful setting at the confluence of the Canal and the Elbe, but as most businesses were closed, and the focus seemed to be solely on tourism, we pushed on. After all, we are keen to see and experience the Elbe again
Well, here is a dilemma...do we carry on inland to Lüneburg, the historic and important Salt mining city, do we head north to Hamburg or do we take a left and follow the Elbe. On this hot day, and after much anticipation of following the Elbe, the river won out.
Well, this was a bad idea. In the middle of the bridge across the Elbe, Was this temporary area that required stairs. Why not use a ramp in an area of many loaded touring bikes. It was too narrow to turn around and ride the road, plus there were many trucks. However, the single bikes behind us, turned around and rode with the vehicles anyway.
We were happy to stop in Blekede for the night. Using the Accomodation list from our bike map, we rode around and found Gastehaus Christa and happily stayed. We have an apt with a lovely full kitchen, sitting area etc, plus there is a resident cat. What more do we need?
Today's ride: 71 km (44 miles) Total: 2,701 km (1,677 miles)
