Britain in the sun - Bristol Day 2, Sunday

Had a very nice breakfast (my hosts had prepared a low carb meal with greek joghurt, fruit and some organic juice!) I walked back down Gloucester Rd and into the city centre to check in at the Backpackers again.
The sun was shining from a blue sky spotted with some clouds and it was warm enough to walk around in t-shirt. By chance this Sunday was one of five per year were parts of the city centre are closed to cars and filled with street performers, food and sports activities instead.  Since the Backpackers is right in that zone I didn't have to walk far.
Passed by The Old Duke pub on King Street to check the schedule for tonight as it is famous for having blues and jazz live music each night. Then went straight to the harbour to have a look at those famous ships there. Since it was past 1pm already stopped by Ostrich Inn at the water front and had a pint of Thatchers and a ceasars salad which wasn't particularly good. Didn't mind since I just sat ouside in the sun, at the waterfront with the noise of the city just being a distant rumble, reading a bit in my Cisco certification guidebook. Can a Sunday be any more relaxed? It's hard to find such a quiet and nice spot in Berlin nowadays.
With such a fine weather I spent most of the day just walking up and down the harbourside watching small boats sailing and marvelling at the houseboats towed here and there. Awwwww.... I want one!!! There were even some places left where I could tow mine, hehe.
Had a coffee on the Old Barge and checked PoF for some company tonight. Found a musician and agreed on meeting up for a chat and drink or two  at the The Old Duke. It's just more fun not going alone. Walked around a bit some more, cried inside when I saw a houseboat for sale and had dinner at the Llandoger Trow pub. Went back to the Backpackers and read some more in my Cisco book before heading over to the Old Duke at 8.30.
Had a pint and a nice talk sitting outside with a blues band playing inside.  It was loud enough with doors open to enjoy it and still be able to talk.
So that was Bristol. Very nice city, not too big and with a lot going on. Beautiful places, cosy pubs, music, art and the sea and hills close by. It's definately worth a visit but two days are too short.

Bristol - Saturday

Arrived as late as 21:40 but it went all so smoothly at the airport - got off the plane, no queue at border control, picked up my luggage as soon as I got to baggage claim and the bus shuttle to the city was just next to the exit and fired up its engine not five minuted after I got on. Then it was only a 10 minute walk to the Backpackers Hostel.
The guy at the reception was really very nice and forthcoming, the hostel is clean where it counts and if you close the windows the noise from the street and partying people is almost completely shut out.
Therfore, slept quite well,  stored my luggage in a separate room and took only my backpack with a few things since I will return on Sunday anyway.

Had a mediorce English breakfast around the corner and a big mug of great cappucino before I had a look at St. Nicholas market not quite five minutes away from the hostel. Most of the stalls are inside so I could void the rain had set in. Had a very nice chat with a lady selling jewelry and bought two sets of earrings. Very nice. Got myself a big package of rich organic drinking chocolate from a chocolate shop and walked south and east to the Bristol cathedral. I have absolutely nothing to do with religion but I love being in churches marvelling at the architecture with its symetric structures, high ceilings and intricate carvings. I like especially the British churches and the Bristol cathedral is a very typical British one, worth a visit.
Despite the rainy weather with mild rain setting in time and again I climbed Brandon Hill and the Cabot Tower on top to have a look at the city from probably the highest point. As I got out of the tower I saw a man leaving who had just fed some pigeons and squirrels. Though he was gone creatures lingered on fighting over the last crumbs and I stood a while watching those cute little hectic squirrels. Awwwwwwwww.
Walked along the waterfront to the Clifton Suspension Bridge, then back into the city centre, passing by the museums and the crowded shopping area. As I was wondering if there was a Cotsworld shop in Bristol I just saw the sign for one. Yeah! The famous Cotsworld outdoor shops. Spend a while in there checking on some backpacks that I'm interested in but not being sold in Germany. It's always god to have a look at the size and fitting. My old favourite Osprey Talon 33 made it back to position 1 on my wishlist after having a good look at it. Also wanted to see some ice axes but they were displayed behind the cash counter and I didn't really want to end up in a talk with a shop assistant and then buying one after in the end without really having the money to afford it at this point.
Wanted to have a look at St. Peter's Church nearby but the place was occupied by some open air reggae festival. Went straight to St Mary Redcliffe next and really loved it. With the nave being a bit narrow compared to the cathedral the ceiling seemed to be even higher. A very beautiful gothic church with marvellous carvings.
Queen Square was next which was... well... a square covered in grass. Hm. Checked out The Apple next, a famous cider bar on a boat. I LOVE cider. Geeeee... this is my place! Ordered a Red Cheddar draught and the guy at the bar asked me if I wanted to taste it first cause it's quite "rough". Uh huh... dunno what's rough about it and got my pint, haha. Got a Weston's Wyld Wood next. I think I've had Weston's before.  Very tasty. Stopped by the PMT music shop on my way to my accomodation for tonight to check out their accoustic guitar section very nice! Taylors, Martins, Gibsons and Larivees. Will go there tomorrow and see if they let me play some, hehe.
Walked up Cheltenham and then Gloucester Road closing in to my accomodation looking out for a nice pub to have some food. Couldn't pass by the Hobgoblin. Whenever I read "Hobgoblin" I have to think of "Baldur's Gate", haha. Had some Thatchers draught cider and a Mestopholis burger before I continued to walk to my accomodation.
Took me only a few minutes since the house was in a small road off Gloucester Rd. The hosting family was very very nice and I retired to my lovely room immediately being very tired. Watched some tv and just fell asleep pretty soon.

Recommendations from day 1:

Cabot Tower on Brandon Hill
St Mary Redcliffe
The Apple if you like cider
The Hobgoblin - pub with amazing food
Staying with Sonia and her family (37 Eur incl breakfast, Manor Rd, book via AirBnB.com)

And another one - Bristol

It just seems to be a year of endless travels. I've basically just come back from my trip in Saxony (Sorry for the delayed posts, but power to charge my devices was really an issue on that trip.) Now I'm on the road again on a very spontaneous trip to Bristol over the weekend. Bristol seems to be a very popular place in Britain since it was hard to find budget accomodation with vacancies on short notice. So I'm going to change places. Will spend Friday and Sunday night at the Backpackers and have booked a private room via AirBnB for Saturday night.
I'm really looking forward to exploring the city. Got some advice what I should not miss and where I might want to go. There's said to be a nice harbour area with some old ships, some nice churches, museums, pubs and street art and shops of course. So I'll just be roaming the city with a few places to go to as a general guide.
Checked in at the Backpackers right in the center. Not going to head out tonight since I'm just too exhausted. Will just read a bit and hope I can sleep with the noise from outside.

Strenuous Finish

Day 5 - Monday
27km

Had to be back in Pirna - where I had started this trail - by 7pm. So I set off early since I was a bit unsure about my physical condition and the difficulty of the trail ahead. I just hoped there were no more steep climbs. Again my legs and knees were stiff at first and I was somehow missing some stability from my knees. It's hard to explain, but it felt like the ligiaments in my knees were worn so much that they couldn't support me like they should anymore. I've had that feeling before back then in Ireland after that strenuous first week. So I was quite happy to be on my last stage now and I was going to be careful when walking down stairs which hopefully wouldn't be neccessary at all.

After last night's rain the sky was still hung with dark clouds but only a few drops made it to Earth's surface. In the end I've been very lucky with the weather on my journey. No real rain, mostly just the dark clouds. Walked back to were we had left the trail the day before and continued to follow the markers. I was led along a broad path with the wood to my left and fields to my right with a nice view back to Gohrisch.

looking back

 Passed a tiny village and could already see another one of those mountainous pillars up ahead - the Pfaffenstein. Oh no. When I passed a sign pointing to famous Königstein I pondered for a moment. The trail would most certainly lead me up - and more fatally - also down that steep one over there. I could skip it easily by going directly to Königstein which I was supposed to pass anyway right after climbing Pfaffenstein.
I decided to take the shortcut. I normally don't like cheating, but it was still not even mid day and I had a long walk ahead of me that I HAD to fnish no matter what. So skipping that hard part which I was sure wouldn't do anything to improve the "knee-situation" was the better choice having the greater goal in mind.
The shortcut also saved me at least one hour walking as well and I arrived in Königstein around 10am. Despite the early hour on a Monday morning it was clearly visible that Königstein was one of the big tourist attractions in the area along with the eponymous castle up on a rock nearby. Didn't linger long and started going up mentioned rock. Didn't have to go all the way up and kind of lost the track as there were no more signs but found it again with the help of my GPS and a woman I asked.

Fortress Königstein

Walked through woods, along empty fields and passed small villages until I arrived at the next obstacle - the Rauenstein. Hopefully that was going to be the last one. Upon arriving at its foot I immediatley had a deja-vú. I've been here. Exactly here! When I was with that group for a weekend of rock climbing earlier this year this spot was were we started on Saturday. Yeah! So I walked up the same path with some stairs and easily recognised the place were we had left it to abseil down 30 meters. Cool.

Up on the top I found a restaurant which also ment I had found a place to relieve myself. A very unpleasant side effect of my overstrained knees was that I couldn't squat down. Not at all. So as a woman it was basically impossible to get rid of the stuff my body didn't need anymore. At least not without collateral damage. A smile crept onto my face upon leaving the bathroom, ordered a soljanka soup again and left shortly after 12pm. I had come quite far already and was sure to make it to my train in time.

playground

Walked around on the top of the adjoining rocks until the path led down again luckily no more stairs. It followed then the bend of the river Elbe high through some trees with some boggy parts in between before the final steps led me down. Those were the hardest! Luckily no one was watching me or coming up. That would've been embarassing... me trying to get down without bending my knees, haha.
The last 5km nearly killed me as they had to be done on a small tarmac road. Tarmac or concrete is poison to your locomotor system especially when you've already done some walking carrying a heavy backpack. I had to make several short breaks but in the end I reached my final destination. The Pirna tourist information right in the center of that scenic town. Yeah!!! I did it! And I had plenty of time left but I just didn't want to walk anymore which is a shame since Pirna is like I said a very beautiful place. I didn't even have the energy to take some pictures while I was walking to the train station.
Got the next S-Bahn to Dresden, dragged myself through the inner city there looking for food, had a salad at Subways then and spend two hours at Starbucks reading before getting into my train back to Berlin. Unfortunately I wasn't alone in my compartment so no comfy stretching out. Too bad.

Arrived at home around 11pm totally knackerd but happy. I had walked the "Malerweg" within five days instead of eight. Had underestimated the amount of stairs. That was the only problem for me. The weather was okay, the scenery very nice - at times even spectacular - andI enjoyed it a lot. Was assured that I'm in a good shape since no one passed me by from behind except for one couple with no backpacks at all. Still I need to train harder for the likes of Kilimanjaro, Mera Peak or Aconcagua.

A Stroll With Friends

Day 4 - Sunday
24km

I wanted to meet up today with my two friends again and walk the next stage together. Since I didn't make it to the other shore of the Elbe and into Schöna yesterday we agreed to meet at the ferry.
I still felt very stiff and aching when I got up. Even the two meters from my bed to the bathroom were hard labour. Managed to get to the room where breakfast was served just to have a look and maybe get an egg and some fruit. I didn't expect much. What I got was one of the best budget accomodation breakfast buffets ever that could easily keep up with good hotel buffets. The room was very comfortable and the buffet was laid out in a cupboard and on a side table, very nice idea if you lack space. For me as a low carber there was plenty of choice from a big bowl of eggs, fruit, organic joghurt to cheese, salami and homemade saxon cheese salad. Wow!
Stuffed in as much as I could and snug out an apple for later before I left the B&B and headed over to the ferry. The man operating the 90-year-old ship was quite unique with his scarred face and strange remarks, but I suppose working for years on a ferry going back and forth just a few dozen meters to the other shore all day long  makes you a little weird.
Decided to start going straight away and meet my friends on the way. Of course there was a steep climb with a lot of steps immeditely getting the sweat running again. Knees and legs felt okay as soon as I was rolling again.
Met my friends at the top of the climb and told them just what I had spared them by my head start. Walked through deserted Schöna and along some fields before we had a beer and a Soljanka outside a nice restaurant near a stream. The path kept on going through some woods and along more fields. My friends had brought a friend who wanted to carry my backpack just to see how that felt since her and the others were equipped with daypacks. Gladly I gave it to her! Maybe that's cheating but how could I turn down that offer, hehe.

 

no view

Until afternoon the going was quite okay with just minor climbs. Quite a difference to he day before. I deemed myself lucky right when we had to get to the top of another one of those huge sandrock pillars. My backpack was then taken over by the guy in our group, hehe. Up we went, enjoyed the almost non-existent view due to heavy fog and climbed down again. Had a picknick on a bench and then left the trail to walk into Gohrisch.
As soon as I had said goodbye to my friends rain set in and I headed over to the campingsite. Out of the few I've seen within the last days this one was easily the best and I can only recommend it. With 10 Euros not the cheapest but the ground was level and spaces were divided by bushes, there was a pool, a playground and a restaurant. Pitched my tent, had a nice short, hot shower and headed over to the restaurant to finally have the Schnitzel I've been craving for all day and that was denied to me yesterday.
Hit the sack quite early after reading for a bit since I wanted to get going as soons as 8am tomorrow for my final stage of the trail.

Ups And Downs

Day 3  - Saturday
38km

Wow. What a day! Left the campsite at 8:30 since today I had the longest stage of the trail ahead of me. 32km! It's not soooo much more than the last two days but the 30km mark is still something notable when walking. Especially when walking with a real backpack and let's say a demanding track. When checking out the woman at the counter asked me twice if I was really going to Schöna since that would be twice as much as yesterday's tour. Hm. Had I miscalculated again? 40+ km of walking up and down would really be hard.
Anyway, the path rose through a dense wood at first and immediately I was sweating and panting again. Great. Passed more rocks and quite a few signs for climbing spots. Going slightly up and down I made good speed and my body felt very much okay today.
Today's adventure really started when I reached the "Schrammstein Tor"  where you climb on steep steps, ladders and rock up beteen two of those pillars. It's very impressive and feels a little bit like via ferrata with handrails and such. Only it's easy enough so you don't need a harness. With a heavy backpack it still makes for some adventure... and great fun!!! Fantastic view from the top.

steep

The path leads over that rock there. Seriously!

Down and up and down I went with my heavy load. Walked through a seemingly popular part of the national reserve on a broad gravel road reaching one of a handfull of old mills at noon. I was really aching for a break then cause I was on my feet for almost 4 hours trying to walk as fast as I could. There were a lot of people out on a Saturday stroll with such a fine weather today. I came across a resturant just when I wanted to occupy the next bench. Perfect! Only I fled inside pretty soon after gulfing down my Soljanka. The beergarden was infested with wasps and I wanted to finish my alc-free beer without fishing one of those critters out of  the glass time and again.

Another steep climb later I arrived at the top of another rock which attracted more tourists because of the interesting natural dome of rock called "Kuhstall" (cowshed) and another nice view. Didn't linger long and because I didn't really fancy all those people.

For hours I dragged myself up and down and up again. Sweat was running down my back and face time and again when I had to climb up again, at some point I just didn't care anymore.
Apart from one couple with no backpacks who walked up from behind no one was overtaking me. On the contrary. While people where huffing and puffing I literally raced past them and was gone around the next bend before long.

The view was worth the labour.

My GPS counted 25+ km so far and there was still a long way ahead when I came upon another restaurant in the middle of the woods some time after 4pm. Decided to have my second longer break here and ordered a cappucino and a bowl of ice ceam. 20 minutes later I was back on the trail again with another very steep ascend to master that took me half an hour. Reached the 30km mark soon afterwards and somehow some kind of determination - exhilaration even - set in and I decided to walk until I drop. After reaching the top of the "Grosser Winterberg" I knew I had only to go down now to Schmilka.
My knees were complaining like grown ups throwning all kinds of swearwords at me because the way down was almost completely done on steps. ARG! I was so sick of steps by then.
Reached Schmilka at 6pm. 38km on the GPS, wow! But my destination Schöna was still some 5km away. I decided to call the B&B I wanted to stay at in Schöna and if they had vacancies I would've walked another hour to get there. Turned out they didn't so I decided to stay here and went on hunting for a bed. I was knackered and my legs couldn't go much further anyway. Found a nice one after several owners had turned me down and settled in before I went out again to find some food.

Settled on a bench already occupied by three nice guys at a tuck shop who invited me to sit with them and spent the better part of two hours drinking beer and chatting until it was really getting cold in the dark.

Hobbled back to my B&B with stiff legs and knees and just slumped on the bed watching some tv before I fell asleep.

A short easy walk?

Day 2 - Friday
23 km

 

Since I had to walk only 13km today I set off as late as 10am leisurely strolling back to where I had left the trail yesterday. I had not really slept well with a headache setting in in the middle of the night so I was looking forward to a day of relaxed walking. Things didn't go quite so easy.
The first hour I walked all alone on a broad path through the woods with towering rocks on my left. Again in the silence and the morning mist it was quite magical and I had the urge to scale a few of those rocks. They looked so inviting! Sigh. Had my first break at noon when I discovered a very nice spot a few metres off the track with a great view over a valley covered with trees and some of the rocks sticking out of it. At the rim where I sat it was going down at least 300 metres straight. Cool.

Not long after I came across another very nice viewpoint called "Brand" with a restaurant and a terrace, but everything was wet from the rain of last night so I just kept on going.

View from Brand

 
Thought I was almost at today's destination Ostrau but infact I had not even accomplished half of it. Huh? Should I trust my GPS device or the track description from the internet? Nevertheless, I quickened my pace, went through countless woods and up and down endless stairs, getting drenched several times when I was ascending steep slopes panting.

Steps, steps, steps... not the last

Generally had a great time and loved the scents of wood and grass. But after yesterdays 27km I just wanted to be done with it at a certain point. I was finally closing in at 4pm when I spotted a sign pointing directly to the campsite, the sign for "Malerweg" pointing to another direction. A shortcut? After 20km today instead of 13 I pondered for a second there and then decided to pull this through. I'm not going to cheat here I'm going to walk this trail completely not missing any bit of it.
20 minutes later I stood at a dead end. The sign pointed right but there was a red-white do-not-cross line and honestly there WAS no trail beyond that line. It looked like a there had been a landslide lately. So what now? Went back a few minutes to the spot where the path had forked and tried my luck going the other direction only to arrive at another dead end. Alright. Got it. Should've taken the short cut earlier.

Dead end

Went back all the way taking the "short cut" realizing that this had cost me a lot of time and energy. Finally arrived at the campsite at 5pm, checked in, pitched my tent and charged the batteries of my cellphone. I still had no accomodation for tomorrow night and I needed to phone some people if they had vacancies.
Last night's camping ground was very quiet and had only a few people with caravans. Tonight's campsite was a lot busier. Seemed to be a popular spot. I can't say I liked that. But they had a restaurant so I met up with my friends living nearby and had some food and drinks and a very nice chat.

On the road again - Saxony "Malerweg"

Day 1 - Thursday
27km

 

Got up as early as 3:30 am to catch the first train to Dresden. As I walked to the station I realized it felt good to walk with my backpack again and I was immediately thinking of my Ireland trip earlier this year. Deadly tired I was very happy to have the whole compartment to my own, yeah. No one is going to Dresden this early and in the middle of the week, haha. So I just stretched out and slept the better part of the two hours on three very comfortable adjoining seats.
Changed in Dresden to the train to Pirna, took the bus and started my hike from Pirna Liebethal at exactly 8am. As I had roughly 27km to go today I wanted to be off as early as possible and just take it slow.

 

Excited to get going

The trail is very well waymarked and led alongside a river at first with the famous sandstone rocks towering left and right. Despite low hanging clouds there was only some spray rain every now and then not even enough to get the rain gear out. The broad well maintained path led through a tiny village, alongside some fields and then through another valley with those moss covered sandstone pillars. The utter silence was only disturbed by some dripping water and an occasional chirp of a bird. Within this scenery it just couldn't get any more magical! I felt like being in a haunted maze of some fairytale.

Dark clouds no rain

As I neared the village of Wehlen I met more and more people out on a walk. Had a coffee and a piece of cheesecake on the terrace of a cafe overlooking the river Elbe already having accomplished half of today's track at mid day.

Climbing up a steep path mostly made of steps just carved into the stone I arrived at the top of the rocks flanking the north bank of the river drenched in sweat. I need to work harder in the gym! Still I settled to a nice pace and enjoyed being rid of people once again.
Not before long they bothered me again with their presence. Gone was my sought-for solitude as I was nearing one of THE tourist attractions of the area: The Bastei. It's actually only a couple of nice view points, but I have to admit the views are absolutely stunning! No kidding. On a weekend with nice weather the place must be overrun!

View from the "Bastei"

After having had my share I kept on going down endless stairs, passing by a man singing loudly in the woods and eventually reached the bottom with knees more than close to protesting. With the heavy load on my back it was just beyond fun.
Walked for a good while along the bottom of a gorge with some lake before the path climbed again. This time not so steep and I basically raced up leaving a lot of people with just a small or even no backpack easily behind. My backpack was now part of my body like it was when hiking Ireland, hehe.
After some fields and more climbing up and down including the amazing narrow Wolf's Gorge I finally reached today's destination Hohnburg at around 4:30. Actually I wanted to have a beer somewhere before going to the campsite nearby but all the places looked closed and deserted. So I headed over to the campsite straight away which was another 1.5km outside the village. Arg.
Got myself a beer in the small shop there, pitched my tent, had a shower, some small dinner from my stash of food and sat under a tree relaxing. Read for a bit before I hit the sack after such a long day with the clock not even showing 21:00

 



Wolfsschlucht (Wolf's Gorge)

Dinner: Egg, beer and beef jerkey, yummy!

 

 

Getting ready for Saxony

Interesting how this year is just flying by. My mind, body and equipment just go from one holiday to another and my friends just wonder how much annual leave I have since I seem to be away all the time. The magic is actually no magic at all. Due to my part time job and some occasional weekend shifts I have sometimes a few days off around a free weekend that easily count up to 4 or 5 which makes for a nice short trip without spending any of my precious holidays.

A nice side effect is my much improved fitness. I've always been fit but never really pushing it. With some high altitude hiking and expeditions on my list for the next few years (Aconcagua being the ultimate goal for me) I want to be in the best shape. I think I am now at maybe 60% of what I can be. This figure may seem quite low for my not-so-fit friends but I think it's only realistic.

The two-day-cycle was a good test for me. 230km in two days were not really a challenge for my stamina, but more for my knees and Achilles tendon, hehe. This is something only a few of my friends would be able to do so I'm on a good way.

The next challenge will be the completion of the "Malerweg". A scenic 112km trail around the famous "Sächsische Schweiz" national reserve in Saxony with quite a few ascends and descends. It's normally done in 8 stages for the average weekend stroller. I will do it in 5 starting the day after tomorrow.

Already laid out all the things I'm going to take with me which was quite easy after my Ireland trip. Packing has actually become a routine. I know what I need and what I don't need and how to stuff it into my backpack.

The whole trip is a test in the field for my new Hilleberg Soulo tent. Normally I would take the much lighter TerraNova because taking the Soulo is like taking a Ferrari to get some groceries. But as this is just a short trip I don't mind the extra weight of my new aquisition and just can't wait for my first night sleeping in this beauty.

Hilleberg Soulo - first pitch in the backyard

A Determined Finish (Friday)

Distance: 112.3 km
Time on the road: 6.5 hrs
Time total: 8.5 hrs
Calories: 3200



As the battery of my iPhone died the night before I decided to stick to my printed maps as long as possible and fall back to the track loaded onto my GPS device. Possible places for breaks were at Trebbin, Beelitz and Potsdam with possible drop-out points at Potsdam and Berlin Wannsee both having train connections to the city.
Had some peppers and eggs for breakfast and left the campsite as early as 8am aiming to be back home around 4/5pm. Though there was no rain during the night my tent was wet and I just didn't want to wait for it to dry in the sun and stuffed it into my backpack anyway.

I love being outside early in the morning seeing the world wake up. With the moisture still in the fields, waterdrops sliding down the plant's leafs and stems, the not yet warm rays of the sun occasionally breaking through the trees' lofty crowns as it rises higher and higher. It's a feeling of peaceful happiness taking in the rich scent of grass, trees and water with every deep breath. With a smile on your lips and tears welling in your eyes you not only feel embraced by mother nature, as your body dissolves and your mind stretches out you become part of it, feeling so tiny as your are just one of a myriad beings, each of equal importance from the mighty tree to the small ant - including you.

I was pulled back into my body quite roughly as my knees and my left Achilles tendon complained straight away the second I set sail, disrupting my peace with their loud voices. But I payed no heed to them and kept on going. We had a long way home ahead of us so they better shut up, haha.

Brandenburg in the morning

The plan to stick to the track Google maps had suggested failed straight away as I found myself 10 minutes later at a wooden path leading through a former millitary area that was now a nature reserve. "Enter at own risk" the sign said due to some munition and chemicals left in there. Errrrr... no.
The same track was loaded onto my GPS device but I used it instead to look for a way around the path and easily found one.
After feeling a bit stiff at first I was surprised how easy I was going again. Almost like yesterday didn't happen. But I was convinced that I would tire sooner so I wanted to reach Beelitz as soon as possible.

Around 10am I reached Trebbin and had a first short break eating the other half of my chicken and some more peppers sitting on a bench under a tree. I already felt that kind of flow you get into when you're hiking for several days were you just keep on going and going and going.

I followed the signs pointing me to Beelitz and turned off the GPS. This way it was far easier. Passed through a small village every now and then and was lucky for the fairly new cycle path next to the road.

Arrived in Beelitz - which is very famous for its aspargus - shortly before 12 and walked around for a bit before I settled into a small café and had a cappucino and a piece of very delicious swedish apple cake. With Beelitz being very close to one of the main roads - the B2 - leading in and out of Berlin traffic had increased severely all of a sudden. Gone was the solitude of quiet country roads.
Followed the B2 for a bit on another cycle path next to it before I veered east to Caputh which sits right at the lakes Schwielowsee and Templiner See. Followed the shoreline and entered Postdam with the sun now blazing relentlessly from the sky.
The city has been one big building site for decades with old 18th century architecture sticking out of it. It was no different today and with all the buzz and fuzz going on I just passed through as quickly as possible heading towards Berlin Wannsee. I was still unsure if I wanted to drop out and take the train there and wanted to decide just when I reached the station.
With a huge beer garden right next to it I spent my money for a large alcohol-free wheat beer instead and decided to cycle the remaining 20km. I just like to see things through. Followed the signs of the cycle route to the city centre leading me through parts of my hometown I've never seen before.
After another short break for a bowl of ice cream in Kreuzberg I finally arrived back home at 4:30pm.

Wow. What a fun tour that was! 230km and 6700 calories in two days! The weather was absolutely perfect and I felt satisfied knowing that I can do such a tour and even go a few days longer. My posterior hurt some and my knees but cycling to work the next day was very much okay. Only my Achilles tendon still hurts a lot when I cycle.
So I'll buy some more bags to get rid of my backpack and maybe I'll do some more cycling in the future.

A Late Summer Day in the Saddle

Distance: 118.1 km
Time on the road: 6 hrs
Time total: 8 hrs
Calories: 3500

I set off not as early as I wanted to but still early enough at 9am. With roughly 100km ahead on my bike I wanted to take it slow to preserve some energy for the even longer track of day two. Unfortunately I had to take the bigger backpack due to the sleeping bag's size. Damn. I really need a rack and some additional bags.
I started nevertheless and headed south-east towards Erkner. Since I live quite in the center of Berlin that took as long as and hour, but with such a fine late summer weather, little traffic and a cycle path the going was fairly easy. I took a short break, had some fruit and an egg before the next stage that should lead me to Bad Saarow having accomplished two thirds of my tour then.

Erkner

I switched to my iPhone navigation since the maps I had printed were just a rough guidance. The sun was warm in my face and the roads mostly deserted as I passed through typical Brandenburg scenery with woods, now-empty fields and meadows, the scent of resin, moss, herbs and... well... summer in my nose. Brandenburg has its very own charme and I have to admit that I felt very attracted to it. Infact I always did. A pity that the few small villages I passed through didn't belong to the more beautiful ones. So I was looking foward to a longer break in Bad Saarow hopefully with some ice cream and coffee.

Somewhere in Brandenburg

After 4.5 hours and a few detours (No, a road bike is NOT suitable for sandy paths!) I finally arrived... only to be very disappointed that there was no village at all at the point where I entered it. After a quick study of the map I decided against taking another detour to see the village proper and have my break in Storkow instead, only another 6 km away.
Upon entering its vicinity I spotted a nice place out of the corner of my eye through a gap the the bush directly at the shore of a big lake with some benches on the green and even some rails to tie my bike to. Wow! It looked like a secret spot, haha. Had some more food and relaxed a bit in the sun drying my sweat drenched shirt before I approached the last third of today's tour.

Lunch break at Storkow

I was determined to reach Teupitz - my destination - without another break as I passed by an ice cafe in Maerkisch-Buchholz. I couldn't resist and had a nice ice cream bowl and a cappucino, dwelling in childhood memories of my dad taking us on tours outside of Berlin and making us only go when promising some ice cream, haha.

Ice cream break at Maerkisch-Bucholz

A door on the other side of the road

Just keep on going

Eight hours after leaving home I finally arrived at the Teupitz campsite direcly next to a lake. The place was small but quiet and the woman at the reception was very friendly. Still I think 9 EUR for one night in my tent including a token for 4mins in the shower is a bit too much. Pitched my tent, had the first half of my chicken, made good use of my four-minute-shower and sat on a bench at the waterfront for the better part of two hours waiting for the sunset. Didn't feel that exhausted but hit the sack as early as 9pm after reading for a bit due to a headache setting in.

"Relax Camping" Teupitz

Flee you fools! Don't linger near a hungry cyclist.

Teupitz

More relaxing

Sunset. Wow.

Time to hit the sack

Taking a ride

Two days off. Tomorrow and Friday. And the weather is going to be very nice and warm like propper late summer weather should be. Spending those days at home would be a waste of fortune so I decided quite spontaneously to take a long ride on my bicycle.
I normally only cycle to work and back which is like 6 km each. But I've done a 60km and 90km ride on two consecutive days last year so I know I can do more. This time I have 220km on the paper! Now that's for a challenge!

Since I own a roadbike I've always had issues with luggage. With just 8kg overall weight it's simply ridiculous to put say 10kg additional weight onto a rack. But carrying a backpack all day is not something I look forward to. I checked with a local bike store and ended up buying a smaller bag to be fastened onto my handlebar and still taking a small backpack with me. For the ideal setup I will get a lightweight rack that will only be fastened to the seat post and another small bag to put on it. That should rid me of the necessity to wear a backpack on a two day tour in the future.

Bags are packed and maps printed and loaded onto my GPS. As always nutrition is something I have to put some thought into since I avoid carbs. I bought a whole free range chicken, a battery of eggs and some vegetables and fruit. Hopefully that'll be enough to make up for the lost calories, hehe.

Stay tuned for some pictures and a map of my route tomorrow night.