We had a great sleep by the river. The breeze from the river made the heat bearable. We were the only campers using the space and we really enjoyed the view and solitude. However, we did meet two men from Hamburg, Holger and Peter, who are canoeing the Elbe from Czech Republic to Domitz. We admire their adventure and would love to do a trip like theirs someday. The riding began through pine forests and along the Alte Elbe - what a great smell from the trees in the morning. There was a large group of swans on a small lake by Kenhert. We agreed that this type of riding makes cycle touring special. We took refuge from the heat of the day in a primitive cyclist's church from the 16th century at Ringfurth with a carved wooden altar. Met Gunther from Berlin at a Gastatte in Griessen. His dream is to ride the 10 great (longest) rivers of Europe. So far, he has done five, including adventurous travels in Russia. He told us great stories of Romania, a place we'd love to visit. He mentionned that in Russia, many wear camo clothing. He wears camo shorts over his cycling shorts which helped him to fit in and be accepted by locals. Between Buch and Tangermunde, the riding was superb. As we approached we were pleased to see the Kanu and Ruder clubs positioned at the mouth of an inlet with a superb view of the city. We will camp on the grass here and enjoy the view. We were happy to see Holger and Peter arrive on their canoe. It was good to have a visit and compare notes about our day travelling along the river. We always watch paddlers and envy their "cooler" position on the water. They corrected this impression and told us that their day was equally as hot as ours. As well, they were fighting a head wind for most of the day. After setting up camp, we went for a ride in to Tangermunde to look around. What a magnificently preserved and restored medieval town...very pretty and historic. A fire in 1617 destroyed 2/3 of the buildings. Grete Minde was burned at the stake for causing the fire - it wasn't until the 19th century that her innocence was proven. After the fire, elaborately decorated half timber houses were built and are well preserved today. We noticed on an electronic sign at the bank that it was 41 degrees celsius at 5:15 pm. Time to relax and try to get cool.
We camped on the grassy area of the Canoe Club at Rogatz - a lovely view and a nice place to camp. A couple are preparing to leave in their canoe to paddle along the river to Tangermunde.
A great logo for the cyclist's church. These churches offer such cool respite for us - they are always worth the time to stop and appreciate the ambience and spirit of the building and its grounds.
A tasty lunch stop at Greissen. There is very little commerce or shops in this region of Germany. The day was so hot and we were happy to have lunch in this Gastatte.
Rowing and Canoe Clubs are passionate in their mission to train and inspire youngsters to take up the sport. Here you see one lad already rowing on his own after a year of instruction and the other lad is just beginning his training.
Due to the flood last year of the Elbe, the Rowing Club has now been completely replaced. The waters were so high last year that their old club was destroyed.
Peter and Holger from Hamburg. They have paddled their canoe from the Czech Republic and are going to finish at Domitz. We met them last night at the Rowing Club in Rogatz and we were pleased to see them again at the end of the day in Tangermunde.
