A beautiful ride on the Elbe River

June 21, 2019

Blekede to Domitz

Staying at Gastehaus Christa in Bleckede was like a mini holiday within our long journey. Having a suite with such comfortable and useful amenities in a quiet setting was just what we needed. We love seeing interesting cities which have much to offer, but after we have been on the road for a few months, smaller communities with charm are what we seem to enjoy more. We enjoy the friendliness and slow pace of a community like Bleckede which gave us an optician who made time to make a new pair of glasses for Barry, we enjoyed getting to know the Italian family at the local Eis Cafe and of course the Apoteke. I guess the rhythms of small town life suit Islanders like us.

We enjoyed having the amenities and size of this incredible kitchen, just for us.

We were intrigued by the 2 stoves, one was electric and the other wood fired.

Our suite was at the back overlooking the garden. €35 per person seems like a good price for a home away from home.

We met this couple on our way out of Bleckede and admired their Azub trikes which are made in Czech Republic. Stan is originally from Czech Republic and Erika is from Slovakia where they now live.

We also admired the fairing on Stan’s trike.

Such fun chatting with Erika and Stan. We encountered them a few more times today along the route. Hope to see them again someday.

Warnings for Frog crossings on the bike trail are frequent here.

The beautiful Elbe River is a joy to ride along.

Entering the picturesque town of Hitzacker.

We do love being in an area of storks. Storks are amazing birds who migrate 15,000 km every year and faithfully return to the same nest site every year. They are not bothered by onlookers or traffic as long as they are safe.

The Hochwasser (high water) level markings showing flood levels of the Elbe. The highest green marker shows the catastrophic flooding level of 2013. We rode the Elbe River a year later on an earlier tour and there was still much work still to do to repair the damaged route and displaced structures.

We love finding these whimsical and humourous sculptures in Europe.

The walls that surround Hitzacker with water tight gates to close if flooding is coming.

We know we are in Germany when we encounter vending machines for bicycle inner tubes along the route. Smart.

We found a wonderful place to stop and make a picnic lunch with a view of the Elbe River.

This area is not only beautiful but it is a haven for birds, including many storks.

Interestingly, the deposit of 25 cents per bottle is almost the same cost as the bottle of beer. Grocery stores have convenient automated bottle return machines at the entrance of the store.

29 cents for chilled beer in the grocery store seems outrageously inexpensive to us. We wonder how Germans feel when they visit Canada and have to deal with the price of our heavily taxed beer and liquor. Sweden had similar prices to Canada.

Today's ride: 57 km (35 miles)
Total: 2,758 km (1,713 miles)

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