Some observations ...
With an economy based so much on agriculture, the only big industrial plants we saw were to manufacture agricultural chemicals. We didn’t see many of these but those we saw were on a large scale. Massive scale. To take a photo I had to be so far away that you can only see the plant in the distance.
There was a lot of quarrying, apparently for roading material but also for sand, especially near the rivers we rode along. After they have finished the quarrying or dredging, they fill the holes up and make lakes that people can swim in and picnic beside. In NZ this happened when we dammed rivers - the lakes were made into recreational areas. Very similar.
Although the main cities are busy and thriving, the overall feeling as we cycled through this part of the country was of emptiness.
So many people left after reunification, mainly the young and the qualified, in search of better conditions and wages. There were also many job losses, especially in the first few years after 1989. Mines on both sides of the east-west divide closed down as the digging is so deep that it costs too much in the current economy. It is cheaper to import coal, even from Australia. A number of power stations also closed when coal became expensive. The east is clearly less prosperous than the west even if the flow of people from eastern to western Germany has slowed down considerably. For the cycle tourists that we are, in the smaller, less-populated towns finding a place to buy our food was much harder than anywhere else. Shops closed relatively early, there was usually only one grocery store that we could find - sometimes none that were clearly identifiable and easy to find. We ate at cafés or casual eating places more than usual - we felt that such meals were well priced overall.
 |
| Fast food. Close-up below |
 |
| Popular with cyclists, there are a number of places to eat similar to this |
 |
| Rodney is buying at the counter. our bikes in view on left (with panniers). Easy to keep an eye on |
On the plus side, when we needed bicycle repairs, there was a cycle shop. In all of Germany bikes are used a lot as transport and bike shops provide good service. We were impressed by the speed and efficiency of the two mechanics who fixed our bikes, both women who seemed to be owners or joint owners of the shops.
We were also impressed by the lovely gardens that people cultivate on common ground. The best of the eastern gardens were up there with the best of the west. The gardens are often like miniature suburbs, with a street system, or a system of alleys allowing access to those further from the road.
 |
| Garden sheds or 'baches'? |
As coal-fired power stations decline, the number of solar-panels and wind-turbines increase. Once, maybe 10 years ago, when I flew over Germany from Munich to Brussels, a large number of villages seemed to have about 9 wind-turbines just outside the village. On this trip the whole skyline could be filled with wind-turbines and we could bike along with changing perspectives for a considerable time.
 |
| Row of wind-turbines on horizon |
And although the street below conveys the feeling of emptiness, the stork is heartwarming!
