Six km. forward, Eight km. back: Dessau - we can't seem to leave you! - Exploring Germany, Czech Republic and beyond... on our Recumbent Tandem - CycleBlaze
Six km. forward, Eight km. back: Dessau - we can't seem to leave you!
We met some interesting people at the Dessau Kanu Club. Remember the kayaker we mentionned yesterday? Well, he was camping next to us. Jurgen is from Berlin and he has been paddling on the Elbe since Bad Schandau and will finish in two days. He said that his average speed is 9 km/hr and he can paddle 50 km in a day. Impressive. As well, we met 3 paddlers from the club who had travelled to B.C. last year and had a kayaking holiday there. They did a trip to Bowron Lakes in northern BC (a favourite place for Barry) and had even paddled and camped on our island, SaltSpring Island. What a small world. Really nice guys and great to talk to. We started our day early with thoughts of getting to Magdeburg today. However, not everything went as planned. First we got distracted by the power boat races on the river in front of the Kanu Club. This part of the river is closed for this annual event and we found ourselves watching the spectacle in spite of the noise. A woman cyclist had a flat tire and Barry endeavored to help her by lending her our pump. This didn't work out too well as the pump got broken. We headed off riding in the beauty of the Biosphere when we heard a loud hiss and realized that we had blown the rear tire.....and no pump!1 We tried to flag down cyclists to borrow a pump - but few had one and the ones who did have a pump for a different kind of valve. So, Mary Ellen got to relax and look after our gear and Barry started walking with the rear wheel, with its new tube and went in search of a pump. Several km. later, he found one and a zealous but helpful cyclist, inflated the tire so well that the valve got bent. This meant, that by the time he got back to me, the tire was rapidly losing air. Oh boy, back to square one. Then, we collectively had a brain misfunction and struggled with getting the wheel back on the bike and a challenge with the Rohloff. Meanwhile, an elderly couple who had been sitting on a park bench watching us with concern finally came over. They so badly wanted to help and insisted that we needed to stay at the Youth Hostel nearby. We could see that we needed to visit a bike mechanic tomorrow to sort out a problem with the rear tire. A suspicious bulge has has developed on the sidewall close to the rim and we will probably need a new tire. As well, the couple recommended a mechanic near the Hostel. So, they phoned a secured a room for us at the Hostel - such nice people who went out of their way to help us. We thought we would have to walk the bike as the rear tire was getting softer by the minute. But, just then, I saw a family ride by and chased after them - and, yeah!! they had a pump that would work for us. We got it inflated and carefully rode to the Youth Hostel. What a great place and such friendly staff. We think that it is one of the nicer ones we have stayed at. We got a room with a terrace and felt very lucky indeed. Our luck continues however - we now have a place to watch the World Cup final - Germany vs. Argentina. Everybody is going to gather in the lounge and watch it together. Once again, a somewhat challenging day has turned into a memorable and good day....the kindness of strangers, good connections and beautiful surroundings.
These two men are members of the club and were in Canada last year on a kayaking trip. We really enjoyed talking to them. Due to the power boat races going on today in front of their clubhouse, they were going to a lake to play kayak polo. This sport has a long history here. Since the 30's more than 20,000 people would watch kayak polo matches in Hamburg. It sounds fun but dangerous - they use balls and their kayak paddles, so they need masks and protective equipment.
The Kanu Club - we were lucky to find this place. There is a very active community of members who are passionate about their sport and have fun together. The clubhouse has amazing facilities and we were given free rein to use the kitchen, dining room and all of the facilities. Very generous hosts.
We wish that our home island had a facility like this for storing our kayaks as well as for the community it creates of like minded enthusiasts. We have a folding kayak at home and felt instantly at home here. Incredibly friendly and welcoming people.
This historic building has many unique qualities. The metal rafters are made of the same material as the wings of the first metal planes built in the 30's in Dessau by Hugo Junkers.
