German Generosity

After a somewhat inauspicious beginning, I was overwhelmed by kindness and generosity during my week in Germany. I met some lovely people along the way and managed to relax a little more, I think.

The World Cup has brought a huge revival in German patriotism, afer experiencing a major slump in national pride in the wake of two world wars. There are flags flying everywhere - on cars, shops and homes. The Dutch showed a bit more creativity in their support of the national football team, with the colour of orange used in window displays, clothing and street decorations. In Germany it is just flags, but they fly with obvious pride. I have to admit I haven't watched any games, nor have I witnessed any hooliganism. People keep telling me excitedly that Australia won their first match though, so perhaps that makes up for my complete lack of enthusiasm in regards to soccer!

A typical German campground seems to consist of a barren, windswept piece of coast dominated by multitudes of campervans. Not the most inspiring accommodation for a lone cyclist, but the friendly campground owners have more than compensated for the bland surrounds. After a long first day on the road I arrived in Fedderwardersiel feeling tired, hungry and a little confused. But after setting up camp I was promptly invited to join Daniella and her family for German Bradwurst and copious amounts of sangria, vodka, and an almond-flavoured Yugoslavian spirit, none of which could be refused! Meanwhile the kids chased each other around the garden with water pistols. They'd been eating and drinking all afternoon and it soon became my duty to polish off all the leftover food - a task to which I applied myself heartily. Last year they only had six warm summer days when they could laze outside in the evening like this, so they enjoy it while they can. I felt very welcomed and included with these lovely people and we had a warm and happy evening.

For a land which is so densely populated, I've been surprised at the number of beautiful quiet roads which are perfect for cycling. It was on one of these small country lanes that I met Dieter, another lone cycle tourer, and we rode together towards Bremer-haven. At 72 years of age compared with my 27, he left me for dead with his tour over the previous week, having ridden 770km compared with my 530km. We got on like a house on fire, and after our ferry trip across the Weser River he took me out for a nice lunch. I almost cried as his bike disappeared into the crowd of people and he headed home to Bavaria. For a brief moment I'd found a wonderful travelling companion and friend, and I felt all the more alone again when he had gone.

The ferry ride was an adventure in itself. We were met at the dockside by Mark, who must be the most cheerful and enthusiastic guy out there. He was very keen to help in any way he could, and even paid our ferry fares. On parting he graciously kissed my hand and wished me well on my journey - what a sweetie!

Cycle touring is a great excuse to eat lots of fine food. My appetite has tripled over the past fortnight and I quickly gave up being stingy in favour of savouring as many culinary delights as possible. I LOVE German bakeries! Beautiful breads and cakes are found in abundance, and amazing gourmet cheeses are incredibly cheap. There are wonderful weekly markets in most towns with fresh local produce, and I've been gorging myself on strawberries and cherries which are in season at the moment. If I weren't doing so much riding my waistline would be rapidly expanding.

While enjoying a picnic lunch on a park bench in Husum I reflected on how easily one can become invisible to the general populace. I must have looked a bit frightful in my grotty cycling clothes and a string of recently washed underwear drying on the back of my bike. There I was with my swiss army knife making cheese and tomato sandwiches and perhaps detracting from the loveliness of the bustling market square scene. And it seemed that suddenly I ceased to exist. Slightly intimidating German matrons walked past with an air of disdain and declined to even make eye contact. It was both an uncomfortable and a curiously liberating experience. It made me wonder how it must feel to be homeless and deal constantly with people choosing to ignore your existance, either out of disapproval or fear of the personal repercussions of acknowledging your situation. The exception that day was a friendly fellow who had also done a lot of cycle touring and came over to say hello. He spoke no English, and me no German, but we had a very animated conversation about our travels and exchanged a great deal including a mutual respect, even without any common language.

Travelling through the inland regions I was excited to find some small rolling hills and leafy forests of elm and oak. It made a nice change from what has predominately been farming country so far. The woods here are certainly tamer than the Australian bush, but wilder than anything I saw in Holland. Seeing my first squirrel was also a bit of a highlight, but despite plenty of road signs I'm yet to see any deer. With so much low-lying land there have been lots of amazing water birds though, especially the beautiful big cranes.

The juxtaposition of land and water in northern Europe has inspired some amazing engineering. It seems that every bridge has been designed to open by some means to allow the passage of watercraft, whether it be on man-made canals or major rivers. I spent a number of hours riding along an enormous canal which connects the North Sea with the Baltic, and witnessed an endless stream of huge cargo ships plying their trade between the seas. Consequently the railway bridges were elevated to a height of 36m and make an impressive span across the water.

I have a newfound respect for German efficiency, culminating with the 12 second shower. My final night in Germany was spent at a very basic and slightly run-down establishment. I had gotten used to the disappointing shower experience of coin operated machines and timers, but having water sprayed at high pressure for no more than 12 seconds was the epitome of discomfort. In all seriousness though, my brief time in Europe has driven home how lazy we are in Australia with our attempts at energy and water conservation. There seems to be a much greater appreciation of these issues here, and more sense of personal responsibility.

Yesterday I literally blew into Denmark with a fearsome tailwind. It made a great change to be cruising along at 30km/hr, almost twice my normal average speed. Already I feel more at home here, partly because there is much less of a language barrier. I am thrilled to finally reach Scandinavia! Ever since my visit as a 15 year old I've wanted to come back, so it feels like a dream come true. From the window of this internet cafe I have just seen a horse-drawn cart loaded with recently graduated students dressed in white caps and singing songs. They seem to be enjoying themselves, even though it is a bit of a wet miserable day. Hopefully the weather will improve in time for the midsummer celebrations, only a few days away...