Thursday, September 3, 2009--Hitzacker, Germany

Typical home in the German countryside near Hamburg


Today has been the second day of my journey by bicycle from Hamburg to Venice. The day started out with a drizzle and went through what seemed like all seasons of the year. There was thunder and lightning and rain driven by a wind so strong that the raindrops stung the face and the progress of the bicycle was negligible (of course the wind was in my face). And there was a delightful stop for coffee and a sweet when the sun shone so brightly that it was hot on the skin. And there were ups and downs, some confusion about route, and glorious panoramas of the Elbe River. I pedaled through several classic German towns, climbed a castle tower to where the bells hung, and ended up in Hitzacker, an ancient city on the Elbe, and ended up traveling just short of 58 miles. In short it was a classic cycling day.


When I researched the route Brian and I are taking I was uncertain of the nature of the Elberadweg, that is the Elbe cycle path. In the literature (most of which is in German so unintelligible to me) the path is presented as clearly marked and easily traveled. Today I learned that while generally accurate, neither is completely true. At times the marking was missing, so we chose well marked roads instead of the path, and at times the route was rough cobblestone or sidewalks. But most of the time the route was as advertised, one I would, with some caution, still recommend.


Aside from the interesting countryside and the ancient villages, the most interesting event of the day was a conversation with a hotel/restaurant owner. I asked him a bit about the area, and he went further than answering my basic and simple questions. One of the subjects he initiated was the border between East and West Germany, which he informed me was, at this point, the Elbe River itself. My lack of attention to this fact is a sign of how quickly things change, as I realized that not that many years ago I would have been on the frontier of two opposing powers and two competing cultures. Nor would I have realized that tomorrow, after just a few miles, I would be entering former East Germany and that all of the rest of my time in Germany I would be there, in places that were closed to people like me until relatively recently. The hotelier encouraged me to cross the river and note the change, to look behind the store fronts lining the road to the buildings and houses behind. He said the difference would be marked…And we will see.