Kreinitz to Dresden

July 2, 2019

From a village where time has stood still to the bright lights of the city

We are riding on the alternate side of the route today and we like seeing these locally made signs for the route.

It is a relief to awaken to temperatures that are less hot and allow us to function. We enjoyed the typical German “continental breakfast” consisting of a big pot of coffee...strong and black, boiled eggs, yogurt, fresh warm buns, cheese, meat and jam. The German interpretation of a continental breakfast is hearty and plentiful. We will never forget, a few years ago, the lost, bemused look on a German traveller’s face when he came to breakfast at our hotel in Pisa Italy and in wonderment asked the woman,”where’s the meat? where’s the cheese?” Apparently he had flown in the night before for a holiday and was unprepared for what continental breakfast means in most of Europe.

We always enjoy staying at these small, locally owned guest houses.

Note the painting of the Landgasthof on the wall from earlier times. A common area where guests can relax, along with.....

.....the resident swallows who live and nest in this room

Our goal is to ride to Dresden today and sightsee at Meissen along the way. We are grateful that we can do so without the extreme heat. Heat rashes, masses of bites and a unique feeling of exhaustion has been taking its toll. Our Hotel in Torgau was not a cool place. We kept the floor fan running continuously as well as our portable, small fans. Sleeping was a challenge, but it was marginally cooler inside

We know our fan base and they are generally under 3 feet tall like this group of excited boys on a field trip. Barry loved the uproarious laughter of the boy in the middle and the shy, bemused look on the others when they saw our bike.

Now this group aren't too sure what to think...most likely “what the heck is that?” Somehow we don’t think they were impressed.

Suddenly we had to slow down as this stork calmly walked out onto the road and then slowly walked in front of us to get to the field. It was a bit surreal.

Image not found :( — We love these wee three wheeled trucks. It reminds us of the British comic character Mr.Bean

Looking good Barry...this brick path is pretty good for riding and a lot less bumpy than cobbles. We are amazed at the labour that goes into these paths. As you can imagine, bricklayers and masons are very competent here, doing meticulous work by hand.

It is an interesting ride along the Elbe as you can feel how life has been lived over the centuries as we pass through and alongside these historic villages.

A pretty house conversion, right alongside the route.

In Eastern Germany you need to be prepared for a variety of surfaces on the route...stone cobbles, gravel, bricks and pavement. We do find that improvements have been made and are ongoing. Robust tires are a good idea.

A strong wind today along the river, at times a glorious tailwind, but at others a head/crosswind. Nonetheless, it is great to be alongside the river which is where we are most of the day.

The only drawback today was that at times we were faced with rough cobbles, but we can see that constant upgrades are being done.

We had just gotten through an area where Barry walked the bike, rode on the narrow sandy path on the side (nearly tipping the trailer and himself) and then we were greeted by this metal runner designed to run your bike up the steps. We had had enough and detoured to the road.

The other challenge in cities for cyclists are the tram lines. Do take care as our friend, an experienced cyclist, suffered a nasty tumble last year when his tire got caught in the rut of the tram line. And we just read about a Seattle woman who died last year,despite wearing a helmet, when she flew off her bike and hit her head.

At Dietmar’s suggestion, we rode along the east side of the river, which is considered to be an alternate route. It was good advice as we followed the river closely, rode through the wine district and enjoyed spectacular views of the skylines of Meissen and Dresden across the river.

The landscape has suddenly changed to sandy cliffs alongside the river.

Another look at the skyline of Meissen as we cross a bridge over the Elbe to visit Meissen.

This Elk head is on one of the town buildings in the centre

Just as we were approaching Dresden, we encountered an unusual problem. The farm crew had been loading crates of cabbage that had just been picked from the field, and they miscalculated in balancing the load. There was much chaos and excitement. While trying to cope with their own crisis and keep the workers safe, they had to contend with cyclists coming in both directions. They tried to direct cyclists to detour through the field and around the road. Surprisingly, about 50% of the riders went through anyway.

We rode through the cabbage field and around. No problem.

We arrived in Dresden with an unusual predicament. Typically, on this trip, we have not struggled finding appropriately priced accommodation nor a place that offered secure storage for Seavo. After having been in mostly rural or village situations, we are quite aware that our bike could be a tempting sight if locked in an open spot. Prices typically began at €100 and went way up, plus, Seavo was not welcome. One hotel that had a parking garage, refused to allow Seavo in the garage. Instead, we would have to take our tandem up an elevator (too small!) to a locked room on a higher floor. What a shock for us as we are still directly on the Elbe Cycling Route and cyclists are a huge part of the economy here. We know that our bike is unusually large, but what surprised us was the lack of creative thinking that would find a solution.

We also usually book ahead through booking.com or hotels.ca, but as we couldn't decipher the bike storage situation we decided to wing it. It took us a long time and many km to find a place. We were at the point of riding out of Dresden when we found The Student’s Hotel, a Dutch chain near the Hauptbahnhof, Dresden’s Main Train Station. It is affordably priced and they offered us a locked room for Seavo all to himself. Their bike storage is outside on racks for guests and rental bikes, but when we asked for something more secure, they immediately offered a solution.

The Student’s Hotel is rapidly spreading in various locations in Europe. Some of the floors are reserved for students and other floors are for travellers of any age. We really like it. Our room has a Nespresso coffee maker, kettle, en-suite, comfort and a nice view of the Old Town’s skyline. So, if you see one, don’t be put off by the name. It doesn’t feel like a student complex and we like the funky decor and vibe.

“May the student in you live forever” is their motto, and we like that too.

Today's ride: 75 km (47 miles)
Total: 3,280 km (2,037 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	8
Comment on this entry	Comment	4

Djurre Van der SchaafEnjoy Desden😙😙
Reply to this comment
5 years ago

Barry BartlettThanks, yes we will. The only glitch is that Mary Ellen has gotten sick with a chest cold, so we are staying here for a few days so that she can rest. We will be heading back to our friends near Limburg on the Lahn River as we fly back to Canada on the 15th.
We really appreciate hearing from you and that you are following our journal. We both enjoyed meeting you and having a visit at Villa Stratus. Hope your holiday went well.
Perhaps one day in Frysland we’ll meet again!
Barry and Mary Ellen
Reply to this comment
5 years ago

Keith ClassenHi Barry and Mary Ellen - we really enjoyed following the ups and downs of your trip. Thanks so much for posting. We want to let you know a few of the local Cycleblazers who live in our neck of the woods will be getting together here in Victoria when Scott and Rachael are passing through next week. We were hoping you two would be back from your trip and and could join us. If you could please contact me at kclassen@shaw.ca I can give you details of our get together here on July 20th. It would be great if you could join us. It should be lots of fun.
Keith and Kathleen
Reply to this comment
5 years ago

Djurre Van der SchaafTo Barry BartlettDear Barry & Mary Ellen,

Today we read your reply. Hoping Mary Ellen is well now.
We were a little bit concerned because you did not post anything more. Every Day we looked at the journal and notting was happend. Today, Sunday, we saw your reply. Have a good flight back to Canada.
Maybe we meet in Fryslân again sometime.
Lots of Love,
Djurre & Janke

Oant Sjen!!! 🍀
Reply to this comment
5 years ago