The morning was cool, very cool. 51°F in Dresden and about the same in Berlin. The high today was projected to be 64° or so. Pretty cool for early September by our standards (although home doesn't seem too much better).
So what to wear? Layers! I finally settled on a long-sleeved jersey (I only brought one, so it's the same one I wore Friday!), plus a short-sleeved jersey on top, plus my rain jacket. And my trusty leg warmers, my third time wearing them this trip! I am so glad I bought those in Munich! After breakfast, we headed north for Finsterwalde, today's destination. Across the bridge over the Elbe and through the city. At about MP 3, we started up a slight incline, which got a little steeper as we went along. Nothing tough, but still a pretty good, two-mile warmup climb to start the day!
After crossing a major highway, we were in Dresden's outer burbs, and shortly after, the rural countryside. My favorite part was the bike trail through Berbisdorf, the first of many small rural villages we would pass through today. Happy was riding close behind me, but Jerry was much further back. But right before this village, I made a "wrong" turn (actually, I missed the turn). And yes, up another hill lol. When I realized it and turned to go back, Happy was nowhere to be seen! For once, he did not follow me! The boy is learning!
The correct turn took me onto a small pedestrian bridge over a canal with a water control structure. The rest of the course followed this through the town and was a nice interlude to the road riding.
A small pedestrian bridge crossing an irrigation canal and leading to a bike trail in Berbisdorf.
From there, it was more country roads with agriculture or forests to either side. And very flat! The climb out of Dresden had taken a chunk out of today's obligation of 1200 feet! Only 800 feet to go over 34 miles. And the next two days get even better! But we were entering a lake district, so that explains a lot of the flatness. Lakes are scattered about quite a bit in this part of Germany, all the way to Berlin. So the land is relatively flat, making for easy riding. Still, I can feel it in my legs! We also rode through some very nice forested areas. It was overcast today and warmed up a bit to 65° by early afternoon but never got particularly sunny. I imagine this would be a spectacular ride on a sunny day. Next time!
One of the roads we traveled today with agriculture on both sides.
An interesting structure in Zschorna. I think it was part of the estate that the lands around here were part of dating back to the 1500s. It apparently has had many interesting uses since then (Google it!). I did not know that history at the time, but I did know I wanted a picture of it!
So, as is my wont, without a lot of sunshine and with the overcast skies, I kept my kit on as I had started, with multiple layers, a rain jacket, and leg warmers. Good thing, too, as it looked like dark clouds were gathering in the distance. As we traversed the countryside, we had to make one interesting detour around a wind turbine factory. It must be open to cyclists during the workweek but was closed to us today. Not a big deal, and it was fun to see the blades stacked in the yard up close. Unfortunately, the wind turbines we saw were all facing north, and yes, we had headwinds all day to varying degrees!
The wind turbine factory just outside of Lauchhammer.
And finally, the storm clouds arrived! But the rain was not bad, mostly a sprinkle. And since it was going south, and I was going north, I made extra effort to push my way through. I could see blue skies in the distance, and before I had reached Finsterwalde, the rain had abated. Finsterwalde is a cute but small town. I rolled into the center square, assuming Happy was already checked in. Well, not quite. He saw me and called out my name as he walked to the hotel entrance with the proprietor. Like many small properties in Europe, the reception is closed on weekends, and the owner must come and meet you to check you in!
Not a problem! She was a delight, and we were soon ensconced in our room wondering where Jerry was. He arrived before we went out for our first beer, where we met some locals and had a good time prior to having dinner once Jerry was cleaned up! Good Italian food!
The gated entry to the storage room for our bikes!
Later, Happy and I hit a local bar and met some of the locals. This fellow, Brandt, I believe, was very engaging and wanted to know all about our trip. Besides English, he was also fluent in Russian . . . and then I remembered we were in the former East Germany. OK, I got it.
