Winter seems to be grasping tight hold of East Germany as temperatures have remained close to 0 and rain has been ever present. A few glimpses of blue skies have brought some optimism.
I arrived in Berlin on Wednesday with a rare blue sky and was welcomed by Christian and Stephie, friends from work and home who have now moved back to Berlin. It was great to see them and a chance for me to relax with a day off the touring bike and a chance to explore.
Christian took me on a great spur of the moment night ride around the forests just south of Berlin when I arrived and over the 2 days I was fortunate enough to experience the Berlin of Christian and Stephie. Thank you again!
While I was in Berlin, Christian suggested the cycle route D12 to me, which went along the German/Polish Border all the way to Czech. So I changed my route and was pleased I did. It kept me away from cars and with the cycle path to myself, allowed me to drift in and out of thoughts of past wars mixed with the voice of Louis Theroux through my headphones. Strange mix.
Friday night out in Kerkwitz
Stopping one night in a small village named Kerkwitz, I was the only one booked in a small b&b. No one spoke any English and with a mixture of hand gestures and broken German, I managed to get a bed, some food and eventually have a hot shower after the boiler decided to heat up.
The b&b was also the local pub, restaurant, community hall and from what I seem to gather music venue. When I went to get some food, the hall was full of locals drinking lager and chatting. Then at 7pm precisely, a brass band started to play. Only for about 5 minutes, then everyone went back to chatting.
Anyway, a beer down I started to yawn so that was my Friday night in Kerkwitz.
Off-road bike touring
Heading into Czech Republic the cycle paths faded, but the hills beckoned and more bridleway and forest road ‘esque’ routes came into play.
This is the kind of riding I much prefer, hills break the monotony of the flats and being off road means no cars to contend with. This is usually all good on a light bike, but the added weight of a heavy laden touring bike made for an interesting ride.
Dogs growl as I pass, but still behind fences, and families are out for their weekend walks. The first day riding in Czech was fun, but tough and I assume this is what the rest of the country is going to be like looking at the profile for the coming days.
As for now, I’m taking a sightseeing day in Jicin, just 85km North East of Prague. This place has a beautiful historic centre, but more appealing to me, some very tasty, cheap pizza!
Jordan Matthews 