June 2, 2011
Hessisch Oldendorf - Ovenstadt: We survive a holiday
Before we left, I couldn't resist taking more pictures in the house and garden. The collection was truly unique.
The first half of the day we had scenery similar to yesterday's - lovely path with hills visible on either side of the valley. When we reached Porta Westfalica the landscape changed. The hills were gone. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Our first stop was in Rinteln, another town with a wealth of traditional houses whose facade timbers showed skillful carvings and elaborate designs. Apparently - and fortunately - the towns are prosperous enough to maintain these architectural jewels in a good state of repair.
It was still early in the morning but we could see that an unusual number of cyclists were underway. Then we remembered that it was Christi Himmelfahrt or Ascension Day, a holiday in the Catholic parts of Germany. It is also celebrated as Father's Day. This is not a sentimental holiday like Mother's Day, where the mother is the center of the family's attention and usually ends up baking a cake for the occasion. No, Father's Day is boisterous. Men, young and old, and not just fathers, go off with their buddies and drink beer. The weather on this Ascension Day was good and there were mobs on the bike paths, beer drinkers and also families with small children who could hardly steer a bike.
Our main objective was to keep pedalling. We didn't take too many pictures. At Porta Westfalica, 15 communities that have been grouped together under one name, the Weser valley cuts through a mountain ridge, the last mountains along the Weser. All of sudden, the hills were gone and we were in flat country. The predominant colors we now saw were red and green, red brick and green countryside.
We weren't too sure where we were going to find a place to sleep and were relieved when we came across Ferienhof Meyer. They didn't have any double rooms left but could give us two singles for 60 € including breakfast.
Today's ride: 60 km (37 miles)
Total: 840 km (522 miles)
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