#cycletouring

After we said goodbye to Harald in Friedland we took his advice and cycled towards river Werra where there was a cycling route called Werratal Radweg. The following few days were full of relatively easy cycling, following the signs with the logotype for this route. In this section we had a few days of snow and chilly winds as we passed through tiny villages with traditional architecture. Other than that it was quite uneventful as we mostly cycled to stay warm, so we hardly have any photos from here.

When this route ended we cycled south towards Erlangen to meet my grandmothers cousin Susi and her husband Owe, whom my dad had arranged for us to stay with for one night. We were treated with lunch, the worlds largest pizza, and had a nice evening dinner with conversations that lasted long into the night. Cycling for 5 hours a day sure has an effect on your wine drinking capabilities, but we had a lovely stay here.

After that we cycled towards Nürnberg and a hotel stay to rest up as we had been cycling every day for 10 days. On the border of the city we were looking at our phone as usual, wondering how to get inside the city center without getting run over by the cars. Two mountain bikers, Christian and Adolf, came up to us and asked us if we needed help so we asked them the best way to get to our hotel which was in the city center.

After a 5 minute long route explanation they offered to ride along with us towards the hotel, how generous! So yet again we had private escort through the city streets, cycling in a tempo much more suited for racing cyclists. We also got to learn a little more about cycling manners in German city traffic. Go fast and flail your arms with signs to tell people your intentions and never look back! When we were on a safe cycling road again we said goodbye and thanked them. Two minutes later another cyclist, also named Christian, rolled up to us on his titanium touring bike asking “Are you really from Sweden and Norway?”.

Then he offered to show us the rest of the way as he was headed that direction. He was an active couchsurfer and offered us to stay with him, but since we had already booked the hotel we kindly declined. We hope you decide to finally go on your big tour one day Christian! Thanks for making our day guys! It’s moments like these that give us motivation.

As it was Easter, almost everything was closed so we didn’t do much other than eat, rest and plan the coming direction. As we looked at the map for routes towards Salzburg and through Austria we weren’t too sure which way to go, we asked in the bicycle touring group on Facebook for advice. The easiest route would be to follow the canal from Nürnberg to Passau, then follow the river Inn south to Salzburg.

So we followed the canal route, and quickly learned the majority of it was terrible gravel roads with rather non scenic views. So on this stretch we had the longest consecutive days of headwind, six days. Damned wind. Heavy wind in combination with parts of almost unridable gravel completely fatigued our knees and legs and left us quite demotivated.

It seems to be a popular route for retired people on E-bikes, particularly going the opposite direction with tailwind. Friendly greetings and smiling faces cruising by was the only thing that kept us sane as we became more and more covered in white dust and boredom. We had some really nice wild camping spots though, now with frogs croaking their lullaby at night instead of birds – a welcoming change. Other than that this route is 1/5 stars.

As we finally entered Austria on a very hot and sunny day we really felt the need of resting again before starting with the alps, so we contacted one Warmshowers host living outside Salzburg to ask her if we could stay a night or two. But that story deserves another post, so until next time!

Most of our days now run on routine as we do more or less the same thing every day. But one day in the middle of Germany stood out in particular. The day we met Harald, and the one time Google maps sent us on to a pushbike tour up a hill for 165 meters, later onto a logging road in the forest where the road didn’t really exist anywhere.

The day started like any other. We woke up, had breakfast and packed our tent and belongings. Then we looked at Google maps to check the direction for the day. The previous evening we had spent the last of our energy pushing our bikes up a 165 meter monstrous hill (for some reason we always get these at the end of the day). But we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset – the first real sunset we’d had on the journey so far, and a nice flat camping spot at the edge of a forest overlooking the fields.

So with a new direction for the day we started rolling onto the remaining parts of the gravel road into the woods, before disappearing completely according to the maps. Surely there must be a road beneath all these fallen trees? After trying to cross the road by force, there was still no road to be seen, so Daniel left his bike on the ground and continued on foot in hope to find the road again further in.

Luckily we found the start of the gravel road again at the edge of the forest. So we had the option of pushing the bikes through all of these fallen trees everywhere, or take a 20 km detour down the same hill we had pushed our bikes up the previous day. We opted to try our luck with this road that didn’t exist. So after 45 minutes and reaching only 3 km, we finally arrived to.. guess what. Another logging road! But this one was clear of trees, and it was downhill. Very steep downhill.

For many this wouldn’t be a problem, but with our heavy bicycles they handle a bit differently on bumpy dirt roads, as compared to full suspension bicycles that are made for this type of cycling.

Luckily we managed to ride these steep hills down all the way to the asphalt road, full of adrenaline, and this hard but memorable part of the day was now forgotten. It was actually quite fun!

Göttingen was the next village en route, and since the cycle road signs had this name on them, we decided to follow it. Once you finally find the cycle roads here in Germany, its better to stick to them. And be careful not to miss the upcoming signs, like we did once we got to Göttingen where we winged our way through the city.

We stopped at a traffic light to check our trustworthy Google Maps trying to find out how to avoid the main roads, pointing at different directions and arguing where to go. One cyclist on his electric bicycle rolled up to us asking us (in German) if we needed help, as often happens when we look confused in the middle of a road crossing.

So we bring out our incomprehensible German once more and tell him that we are looking for the cycling road towards the next city. We think he’s commenting that our bikes look heavy, and we reply that we are on a cycle tour towards Singapore, and so the conversation is started.

So he offers us to show us the way towards the cycling route, but we soon realise that hes actually not doing only that, but also guiding us all the way, 12 km, to the next city. We try to communicate in German but soon realise he’s actually fluent in English which is better for the both of us.

So we have a lovely chat about our journey, and ourselves, and he tells us about himself, his family, and some education about the villages we are passing. This kind and generous mans name is Harald.

Harald with his E-bike often forgot that our bikes weigh 60 kg and is driven by (tired) legs, whilst he zoomed away in 25km/h in the uphills, where we cycle at max 10 km/h. So we often lost him a couple of times but we caught up to him eventually. He always looked surprised when we cought up with him, puffing for air.

This was probably the most efficient half hour spent cycling on our trip, trying to keep up with Harald. After reaching the destination we asked for advice regarding the route towards Nürnberg, our next rest stop. He recommended following the cycling route along the river Werra, called Werratal Radweg which we later decided to follow.

After that we thanked him thoroughly before saying goodbye. And with his e-bike he was gone in a second as we were trying to get our pulse down. It was a heart (and body) warming evening for two tired cyclists and it was great to meet you Harald!

It is strange how ones body and mind can adapt to new routines in life, even though it’s vastly different from what you are used to. For us it’s now completely natural to wake up with the sun rising in the morning, and falling asleep at 10 in the evening. The sounds of birds singing and woodpeckers chopping away on trees is so much nicer than any alarm clock, or cars driving by your window.

After our last stop we rushed away from Denmark in hope of avoiding more headwinds. After one and a half day of cycling from our B&B in Kolding, we finally cycled over the rather non existent border into Flensburg, Germany – the third country on our journey! Seeing as the roads were completely flat here and the weather was nice, we cycled on to get out of the city and into the nearest forest out in the countryside, where we set up our tent rather late after having some trouble finding a decent camp spot.

The following day we were going to explore the supermarkets of Germany where food, and especially candy, is a great deal cheaper than what we’re used to back in Norway. We concluded that we’d both be fat if we lived here as we filled our shopping baskets with calorie filled snacks for the coming day or two.

Our next destination would be Moorege, right outside Hamburg. There we would visit and rest at Daniels fathers cousin, Werner, for two nights. However, the cycling roads in northern Germany are plagued with asphalt cracked by the roots of nearby trees, bulging the asphalt every meter or two – so it wasn’t the most pleasant cycling for our wheels, hands nor butts.

So far our surroundings where very similar to Denmark, endless amounts of brown acres smelling like fresh manure, and the fertiliser trucks passing us by every now and then. We’re glad we hopefully don’t have to smell them again, since they aren’t the most pleasant type of vehicles to be passed by!

On the way to Moorege we met our first other cycle tourer, Peter, who was cycling from Kiel to Gibraltar. We were a bit envious of his lightweight road bike and bikepacking setup, weighing in at some 24 kg in total, but it was fun meeting someone else with a similar interest as us.

When we arrived to Werner we were warmly welcomed into his home, even though we hadn’t showered for five days. As we unloaded our bikes, we noticed one of the yoghurt containers had broken inside the pannier, covering most of the remaining items with yoghurt. What a great way to end your day after cycling 83 km! At least we now know to always store all liquids inside a plastic bag inside the pannier.

The following day we took a trip into Hamburg without our bicycles, where we spent most of our time at a Globetrotter store eyeballing outdoor gadgets, and trying to find a service kit for the Primus stove which we have had some trouble with.

We put our spending pants on and bought a small solar panel to charge batteries, one additional powerbank and an Ortlieb rack pack for Thea to make life easier. When we got back we where treated by Werner to a nice dinner, and reorganised our panniers later in the night before falling asleep in cozy beds. We are grateful that we got to wash our clothes and rest in your home Werner, thanks!

The following morning we were able to cycle in t-shirts as it was almost summer warmth. We opted to skip trying to navigate through the gigantic city of Hamburg with our heavy bikes. So we chose to take a short ferry ride across the river Elbe, and cycled through the cozy village of Steinkirchen instead.

Here we were met by spring in its full bloom and there where flowers and greenery everywhere. Unfortunately this wouldn’t last more than a couple of days since winter decided to have a comeback.

From this point on, what time and day it was started to lose its meaning, and the days started blending together. You wake up at a new place every day, enjoy the little villages you cycle through just to come to entirely different scenery shortly thereafter.

You appreciate every small moment spent inside a warm supermarket, borrowing a gas station bathroom, having a hot meal after a long days cycling, and lastly hopping in your warm sleeping bag to avoid the cold outside. There is no need to think about much more else, which is quite relaxing for the mind.

Every time we stopped at a supermarket to buy groceries, one of us would wait outside with the bikes. And almost every time there would be someone curious approaching us, initiating a conversation in German – a language neither of us speak. We hoped it’d be obvious that we don’t speak German as we have gigantic flags of Norway and Sweden on the back of our bikes, but it doesn’t seem to work here.

– Ich spreche nicht Deutsch, do you speak English?
– Neeeein.

Then they resume the conversation in German and we usually stand there like question marks nodding and smiling along. We usually can understand some of it, but we can’t really give a reasonable reply in German.

So we bring out the long forgotten German from School along with making up words in hope that they understand us. And it usually works! And they are always as amazed when we tell them that we are going to Singapore “mit Fahrrad”. And when they leave they always smile cheerfully, wishing us good luck or giving us thumbs up.

By now we have spent 17 days in Germany and are resting in Nürnberg until Sunday, before heading to the next border crossing into Austria and plenty of really high mountains to conquer. We still have about one week before we get there and the route isn’t really planned yet.

We will write more about our times in the central part of Germany in a post coming soon.

Until next time!