Stopover in Hanover

We've come along way since we set out on our voyage back in July... Literally. In Spain & Portugal we were roughing it with the gypsies & chasing beautiful beaches, now in Germany, we're staying in premium campsites & planning an escape route from the cold.

Kalletal Camping looked cosy enough, with enclosed, heated bathrooms & a quaint little bar/restaurant on site. It was even situation on a lake & had it's very own private beach. Unfortunately, we couldn't make full use of this location in such low temperatures but at least it offered an atmospheric, evening stroll.

Later in the evening, the coldest one yet, the worst happened - & I'm not talking sausages! Our 20L gas bottle finally ran dry & we were left without a heater for the rest of the night. After a brief bout of panic, we switched to survival mode, buried ourselves in blankets & did our best to insulate Dory.

The following morning we were still alive, as you've probably guessed, but the cold had taken it's toll & Sarah suffered a minor breakdown. On top of that, the stupid sensor showers cut you off at 5 minutes & made you wait 2 minutes (I counted) before starting up again. Mess with anything but my shower time!

We had to wait while Dory defrosted but, at last, we've returned to the road & the engine is keeping things cosy in the cab. After voting to give Dussledorf a miss, we're now Bruges bound & I'm slowly recovering from this morning's episode. Germany has been one of the most rewarding parts of our journey & we would've loved to discover more of it, but we're not sticking around for a sub zero situation. Hopefully, we'll have the opportunity to come here again... In the Summer.

Sarah

Berlin

Guten Abend! I'm drafting this blog on the way back to our campsite in Potsdam, which is about an hour South of Berlin by train. We've just begun our home-bound journey after an afternoon of city seeing.

Our itinerary for the day began as a long & impressive list of museums, towers, underground tunnels & record breaking lifts. All we ended up visiting, though, was Tower Centre & a kebab shop, lol. This was largely due to the fact that we woke up at midday & the tower, unexpectedly, took up 3 hours of our afternoon.

Though we missed what was supposed to be the fastest lift in Europe, the lift ride to the top of Tower Centre was still a thrill. Without having to move a muscle, we climbed the 200 metre structure in 33 seconds. Recovering from the sudden change in altitude, we grabbed a beer at the bar & strolled past windows that gave a bird's eye view of a sparkling Berlin. We didn't plan to be there at night but, luckily, the 2 hour wait had us scheduled with an evening group.

On our first excursion into Berlin (2 days earlier), we covered more ground. The lady at our campsite kindly gave us a lift to the tram station, after we missed the morning shuttle bus, & we did our commute to the city. The Hauptbahnhof, Berlin's central station, helped prepare us for what was to come - a super sized, multilayered, modern city. "It's really big, isn't it?", Alex muttered next to me, as we crossed the River Spree to the Western side, with the Moltke bridge standing out on our right.

Passing the Reichstag building & Brandenburg Gate on the way, we arrived at the Holocaust Memorial in the centre of the city. Poignantly named, Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe, it succeeds at reaching the desired effect. After weaving through the grey blocks myself, I can say that the piece is evocative & certainly memorable. The museum underneath is equally touching & truly beautiful.

Naturally, we emerged feeling pretty drained so we stopped briefly for coffee, chai & carrot cake & then made haste for Museum Island. We didn't actually enter any of the museums but the water locked site is impressive on its own. Perhaps all those images from the holocaust temporarily spoiled our appetite for history. So, we sought out Checkpoint Charlie & then called it a night.

By tomorrow morning, we should be well & truly on the home stretch. We could easily spend longer exploring Berlin & Potsdam but time is of the essence & 'winter is coming'. Actually, we heard that Northern Germany is meant to be getting some snow this weekend, which is reason enough for us to set sail for the South!

Dusseldorf is where we hope to be by tomorrow eve. Our plan is to rise early, rug up & return to the road before midday. The temperature has really fallen over the past 24 hours (Alex has started wearing my fur hat to bed!), so we're not counting on a decent sleep... Perhaps I'll have to put my caffein famine on strike for a few days, huh.

Tschuess!!

Sarah

Peddling the streets of Potsdam...

We were welcomed to Camping Sanssouci with a smile & a shot-size glass of red wine. At once, they had our hearts! On top of the exceptional service, the campsite was stunning & in a peaceful, idealic location. Our surroundings did well to compensate for time lost travelling between here & Berlin.

During the two days that we spent exploring Potsdam, we must have cycled about fifty kilometres. The ride was sometimes scary, with the track to the campsite cutting through thick forest, but it was fun & exciting the entire time.

On day one, we tasted our first curry werst & it was, of course, delicious. The food in Germany is to die for - & the added calories quite possibly WILL kill us! We wound up in the centre of Potsdam searching for supplies & quickly got lost in the friendly, small-town feel & seductive savoury smells. Nighttime fell suddenly & we were forced to buy a new light for my bike in preparation for our off-road ride back to camp.

Day two had us following the bike track in the direction of Sanssouci Gardens, where the town's Palaces stand. We stopped at Orangery Palace (or Orangerieschloss) to climb our umpteenth tower & earned a panoramic view of Potsdam. Not as impressive as a view of Prague, I must admit, but still worth the effort.

After a Brotwurst & Boulette lunch, we arrived at the gates of Schloss Sanssouci, fully charged (& no doubt heavier). We duly noted the sign of rules at the entrance & so wheeled our bikes through the beautiful grounds. The landscape inside was a work of art & the bright yellow palace blended in surprisingly well with it's environment. It was an inspiring place to happen upon.

We might have come here for the sole purpose of seeing Berlin but, hot damn, Potsdam has made a lasting impression (lol). Could Berlin be in danger of being outdone...?

Sarah