Respekt!

This was written after the section from Alsace to Bayreuth (something over 1000km): 

We have been quite bemused by the number of people who almost involuntarily say ‘Respekt!’ when we tell them where we have been. We don’t even need to to add where we are going. For us, it is a rhythm of continuing, one day after the other, whether we are riding, sightseeing, talking to new people, writing or resting. The biking is all part of a bigger whole. But is is nice to have achievement recognised and helps us appreciate what we are doing in a different light.

All part of a whole. In Bayreuth the buskers could have been from an orchestra and the audience appreciative, even the small ones.

We have noticed things that I haven’t mentioned, such as the prevalence of solar power - an entire roof covered with solar panels, an enormous great factory roof same, entire fields of solar panels. Over and over again. There are also wind turbines, not in huge numbers as in NZ ‘wind farms’ but groups of 9-12, in neighbouring villages, which are often pretty close.

Plastic bottles have a 25c surcharge (Pfand) on them, which means that many people return them. The supermarkets all have recycling machines where you put your bottle in, the machine checks it out, crushes it and spits out a coupon for 25c per bottle. This doesn’t mean that you don’t see plastic bottles lying around but it does mean that someone is likely to collect them to get the money for them. Glass bottles are recycled via green, brown or clear glass, as the return money is nowhere near as much.

Sunday cyclists can often almost overflow the popular cycle paths but the number of touring cyclists can be counted on one hand. A number of touring cyclists go from hotel to hotel (we would too, if it were only for 6 days, like most of the tours) and they don’t have tents, so in theory have less bulk. But actually they can often have as much as we have. The downside of the 6-day tours is that they are all prebooked and paid for, so that if it is raining for three days in a row, they still have to do the required number of kilometres each day. We get to choose. I may have already mentioned that a lot of people cycling base themselves in a motor caravan and explore the local area from there, maybe 40km rides every day or so.

Our luggage includes the tent on the back carrier of Rodney's bike

We never fail to be impressed by the gardens that are alongside the cycle paths. These are individual gardens but lots of them side-by-side. We have seen these before, in France and Germany, for example, and been impressed but somehow, riding beside them, village after village, hardly a weed in sight and all growing fantastically, we are almost overwhelmed by the results of people's efforts. Sometimes there is a shed or a chalet included and sometimes it is just the garden. Taking photos isn’t very viable because you can’t really see past the next fence. But cycling along we just become more and more in awe of both the individuality of each garden and the overall effect of lots and lots all together.

We have found people everywhere in Germany to be unfailingly helpful and kind. In the camping grounds we meet mainly Germans and travellers from the Netherlands, next, Swiss and French. We meet a few from England and from Scandinavia. Germans from whom we ask directions often say: follow me, because they know the route is complex, which is why we are asking directions. Even for our camping ground in Dresden, which was relatively straight-forward but not clearly marked, it was very useful to be following someone for the last crucial kilometre or two. 

Ferries crossing the Elbe give us time to socialise a little