On to Poland

May 22, 2019

A day of little victories

When I remember today, I will reflect on the little victories of a day that add up to why we do what we do.

There are many reasons why we would have preferred to stay put and enjoy the charms of Buckow, a village of 1700 people. There is a movie theatre, live theatre, many artists, a museum of the home where Berthold Brecht and his partner lived, plus the wonderful surroundings. As well, Barry woke up with a very painful back and the weather looks terrible. We can look forward to lots of rain and winds of 50 km per hr. However, there is no room at the inn, and we must head out. Forcing ourselves out of our comfort zone into bad weather, especially Barry with a sore back, is a victory.

We enjoyed this family run hotel with its view over the area.

Our apt across the road was very comfortable.

Even Seavo got to stay inside last night as we had so much room. It gave the bike and our Cdn bear, Buster, a chance to dry out. Somehow, Seavo looks more ready to go than we do.

We had read a bit about Märkische Schweiz Nature Park but didn’t realize what a treasure it is. We can see the appeal of staying in this area and hiking the many trails. It is hilly here, so we had a good workout which kept us warm from the cold winds and rain.

Our view of the village of Buckow and the beautiful Markeuitz Schweiz park.

A pretty scene of the old mill and fish steps in Buckow.

Yes, the sign is right - horse and buggies are in this area. We don’t mind sharing the trail with these.

We loved this bird but don’t know what it is. Update: now we do! Thanks to Georg and Cora for identifying the bird as a Common Crane, also known as the Eurasian Crane.

Eventually the predicted rains came and when it did, the rain came down with a vengeance.

As pretty as this is, our hearts sunk when we saw that this was our route, but not to worry, it was temporary.

Like the rain we experienced in Berlin, it was necessary to find shelter as it was just too much...and the winds didn’t help. We took solace in a wonderful bakery in a village and dried out enough to carry on. And carry on we did, until we reached the Oder River which lies on the border of Germany and Poland. Our goal of reaching Poland at the end of today’s ride is becoming possible.

This historic bakery has been in operation for 117 years. Today’s owner is the 4th owner/baker over that time.

Yes, it has rained and roads are wet as we head out.

This stuffed figure of a fireman looks quite lifelike.

What a beautiful image...the mist and “socked in” sky show the type of weather we are having.

It is helpful that at this point we finally have a tailwind - another victory.

We have reached the Oder River and are riding along the dyke. We rode along the Oder R a few years ago from Cottbus to Frankfurt on the Oder. It feels good to be back.

Ute and Stefan from Berlin are also touring, but poor them, they are heading north into a headwind.

Spied this pair in the grasslands by the river.

We enjoyed chatting with Ute and Stefan -we saw huge jackrabbits, swans, storks and deer while visiting with them.

Of course the rains returned and we ploughed on, determined to make it to Poland, and we did. A huge victory.

Crossing in to Poland was fun for us as we saw many familiar things that reminded us of our time in Poland a few years ago. We really enjoyed Poland on that trip and look forward to seeing more of this interesting country. Riding in to town in heavy rain and heavy traffic reminded us of the challenge of riding here without an infrastructure for cyclists. However, we successfully found a nice hotel, including breakfast, for 30 euros...also a victory!

The Oder (Odra -Polish) River with the old bridge the n the foreground.

Tomorrow morning we will return to this old bridge and right through the arch to begin the R1 route in Poland.

Barry is very happy that we have achieved our goal today of reaching Poland - all things considered, a victory.

We will sleep here tonight. Note the Polish signage is now in orange for the R1. We will be watching for these signs.

What a day! Here’s hoping the weather improves. But if it doesn’t, we’ll carry on.

Today's ride: 65 km (40 miles)
Total: 1,376 km (854 miles)

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Keith ClassenYou two are not getting much of a break weather wise. Hope that changes for you soon. Admire your grit, determination and positive attitude.
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