An Easy Day
Berlin to Copenhagen – Stage 03 – Fürstenberg to Neustrelitz 47 Km (Tue 13-Jun-17)
Weather: 10⁰C min – 18⁰C max, overcast
“When I was a kid a long time ago, when the sun rose, I was outside on my bike. If my parents were lucky – poor parents! – I would be home before it got dark.” ~ Larry Ellison
Day 3 started off with a hearty breakfast at the hotel, sitting next to a table of couples, of about my vintage, dressed in what appeared to be cycling attire. When I asked the one English speaking lady she said they weren’t cyclists, they were spending the week rowing on Lake Röblinsee.
The route out of town wound through streets that I missed last night, but which contained similarly impressive houses. After following the shoreline of Lake Röblinsee I soon came to another forest, the dominant scenery in this part of Germany. Arriving at the tiny village of Strasen, I found a quaint little bike cafe by the name of SHEFF-tref “der Rader stop”. Having plenty of time today before my AirBNB is available at 3 pm, I stopped for my second cappuccino of the day. It was served in a tall glass with a straw but still tasted much like a cappuccino should.
Ominous clouds were hanging overhead and soon I felt a few drops of rain, but fortunately did not amount to much. Just after passing through the small town of Neu Canow I turned into a forest surrounding Lake Gobenowsee. Unlike the beautiful paved paths I have been experiencing on this trip, this was a rough dirt track covered with leaves and tree roots, forcing me to walk the bike for a few hundred meters. The track almost petered out altogether at one point, so I needed to ask for assurance from another bike tourer that this was still the Berlin to Copenhagen route. Finally I emerged from the forest onto a tertiary road which, although riddled with potholes that had to be dodged, was at least ridable. I asked myself, is this still Germany?
At the 32Km mark I came to the town Wesenberg on Lake Woblitzee. With a population of more than 3,000 it was easily the largest town on my route today, so I stopped there to kill some more time. Riding through to the far end of the town I came to a tourist office, where I asked the lady where Wesenberg Castle is. She looked at me indignantly and responded “You are in it. This is it. You are in the castle. For 2 euro you can go through the museum, the fish museum, and can climb the tower”. This sounded like a deal too good to refuse and I wasn’t disappointed.
Finally I arrived at the beautiful baroque city of Neustrelitz where I am staying at a great AirBNB tonight. Not only is the house beautifully decorated with all sorts of interesting ornaments, photos and indoor plants, but Regine is ironing my shirts for me right now. When I asked her if I could borrow her iron she insisted on doing the ironing for me! You meet some kind people when you are travelling.
Now I am heading down to Neustrelitz harbourside to try Helgoland Restaurant that Regine has recommended. This is the life!
