14 to Häädemeste

Route: 106 kilometers, accumulated: 1‘246 kilometers | Elevation: 180, accumulated elevation: 4’610 meters, distance from home: 1’638 kilometers (as the crow flies).

This morning for breakfast, there was yogurt and vegetable soup with bread, and to drink, of course, milk. Such a soup provides energy, and with bread, it's a solid foundation for a bike tour. At least that's true for me.

The sky was a bit gray at departure, and it drizzled for a long time. After that, it dried up, and I made good progress, especially when I got onto the federal road. You can imagine it this way: For cyclists, there is a shoulder that is about as wide as my handlebars, then comes the standard lane going in my direction, and then one for oncoming traffic. On such a federal road, there is a speed limit of 100. When cars travel that fast, it’s still manageable. However, trucks travel just as fast, and since they are wider, they often drive as far to the right as possible. That made me quite anxious at times. In particular, a truck loaded with logs passed very close to me, which unnerved me. And just when you think, 'Thank goodness it's past,' the equally large trailer follows closely behind.

It’s important to know that this road is the official cycling route of Eurovelo 1, 10, and 13. EV stands for Eurovelo, and they are numbered. There are routes spanning many thousands of kilometers and they are very popular, including with me. Because generally, these routes do not take the shortest path, but rather the most scenic.

However, it soon became too stressful for me, and I looked for a possible alternative on the Komoot map. And here comes the part where I don't recommend anyone to accompany me. This is where my adventurous spirit kicks in, and I like to take risks. But I don’t mean dangers; rather the possibility of doing something that isn't entirely legal in traffic or having to turn back if it becomes impossible. Two examples from today: 1. Having to turn back: The path was supposed to be a shortcut and take me to another route. But suddenly, I encountered a sign prohibiting entry and some text. It was, of course, in Estonian, which I can't understand or interpret at all. So, I translated it using my phone. It stated that passage for foreigners is prohibited and there’s a high risk of fire. For me, that was reason enough to turn back and look for an alternative. I quickly found one, and I made good progress, although for the first time, I experienced that a couple of dogs barked at me and chased me a bit. But suddenly, another sign appeared, stating that the road ends in 2 kilometers. According to the map, that couldn’t possibly be right, so I continued anyway. After that distance, there actually was a blockage with concrete blocks, but I realized that I could get through with my bike. Behind the barrier was a newly constructed bridge, fully completed, though it was unclear what it was for. There was neither a river nor a railway that needed crossing. So, I let nothing deter me and enjoyed the ride over this lonely bridge in the middle of the forest and nature.

On this journey, I later reached the sea in southern Estonia, and at the same time, the sun was shining as well. The timing couldn't have been better. But I had to keep going; in the meantime, I had booked accommodation that lay still 30 kilometers ahead of me.

https://www.komoot.com/de-DE/tour/2181986999?ref=itd

**Español:**

Para el desayuno, hoy hubo yogur y sopa de verduras con pan, y de beber, por supuesto, leche. Una sopa de este tipo da energía, y con el pan es una buena base para un tour en bicicleta. Al menos eso me parece a mí.

El cielo estaba un poco gris al salir, y llovió ligeramente durante un tiempo prolongado. Después se secó, y avancé bien, especialmente cuando llegué a la carretera nacional. Se puede imaginar así: para los ciclistas hay un arcén que es aproximadamente del ancho de mi manillar, luego viene el carril estándar en mi dirección y uno para el tráfico en sentido contrario. En una carretera nacional como esta, hay un límite de velocidad de 100. Cuando los coches van tan rápido, está bien. Pero los camiones van igual de rápido, y como son más anchos, a menudo circulan lo más a la derecha que pueden. Eso me causó bastante miedo. Especialmente me inquietó un camión cargado de troncos que pasó cerca de mí. Y cuando uno piensa: 'Por suerte ya pasó', viene también el remolque, igual de grande, que pasa a un lado de mí.

Hay que tener en cuenta que esta carretera es el camino oficial de ciclismo de la Eurovelo 1, 10 y 13. Eurovelo se abrevia como EV, y están numeradas. Hay rutas que abarcan miles de kilómetros, y son muy populares, incluso para mí. Porque generalmente no toman el camino más corto, sino, más bien, el más bonito.

Sin embargo, para mí pronto se volvió demasiado estresante, así que busqué una alternativa en el mapa de Komoot. Y aquí es donde entra la parte de por qué no le recomiendo a nadie que me acompañe. Aquí es donde mi espíritu aventurero entra en juego y me gusta asumir riesgos. Pero no me refiero a peligros, sino a la posibilidad de hacer algo que no sea completamente legal en términos de tráfico, o tener que dar la vuelta si las cosas se ponen difíciles. Dos ejemplos de hoy: 1. Tuve que dar la vuelta: El camino debería haber sido un atajo y llevarme a otra ruta. Pero, de repente, se me presentó una señal con una prohibición de circulación y un texto. Por supuesto, estaba en estonio, lo cual no entiendo en absoluto. Así que lo traduje con mi móvil. Decía que el paso estaba prohibido para extranjeros y que hay un gran riesgo de incendio. Para mí, eso fue motivo suficiente para dar la vuelta y buscar una alternativa. También la encontré rápidamente y avancé sin problemas, aunque experimenté por primera vez que un par de perros me ladraron y me siguieron un poco. Pero de repente apareció otra señal que decía que la carretera terminaba en 2 kilómetros. Según el mapa, eso no podía ser cierto, así que seguí adelante. Después de esa distancia, en efecto había un bloqueo con bloques de hormigón, pero descubrí que podía pasar con la bicicleta. Detrás de la barrera había un puente nuevo que estaba completamente terminado, aunque no era claro para qué. No había un río ni un tren que se tuviese que cruzar. Así que no me dejé desanimar y disfruté del trayecto sobre este solitario puente en medio del bosque y la naturaleza.

En este viaje, más tarde llegué al mar en el sur de Estonia, y al mismo tiempo también salió el sol. El momento no podría haber sido mejor. Pero tenía que seguir; mientras tanto, había reservado un alojamiento que estaba a 30 kilómetros de distancia frente a mí.

**English:**

For breakfast, there was yogurt and vegetable soup with bread, and to drink, of course, milk. Such a soup gives energy, and with bread, it is a good foundation for a bike tour. At least that’s true for me.

The sky was a bit gray at departure, and it drizzled for an extended period. Afterward, it became dry, and I made good progress, especially when I arrived on the federal road. You can picture it like this: For cyclists, there is a shoulder that is about as wide as my handlebars, then comes the standard lane in my direction, and then one for oncoming traffic. On such a federal road, there is a speed limit of 100. When cars are traveling that quickly, it’s still manageable. But trucks go just as fast, and since they are wider, they often drive as far to the right as possible. That made me feel quite anxious. I was especially unsettled by a truck loaded with logs passing by me. And just when you think, 'Thank goodness that's over,' the equally large trailer also passes by me closely.

It should be noted that this road is the official bike route of Eurovelo 1, 10, and 13. EV stands for Eurovelo, and they are numbered. There are routes that stretch over thousands of kilometers, and they are very popular, including with me. Because generally, these routes do not take the shortest, but rather the most beautiful way.

However, it soon became too stressful for me, so I looked for an alternative on the Komoot map. And here comes the part of why I wouldn’t recommend anyone accompany me. Here my adventurous spirit comes into play, and I like to take risks. But I don’t mean dangers; rather the possibility of doing something that is not entirely legal in traffic or having to turn back if things get too complicated. Two examples from today: 1. Having to turn back: The path was supposed to be a shortcut and lead me to another route. But suddenly, a sign appeared in front of me with a traffic ban and some text. Naturally, it was in Estonian, which I don't understand at all. So I translated it using my phone. It stated that passage for foreigners is prohibited and there is a high risk of fire. For me, that was reason enough to turn back and seek an alternative. I quickly found one as well, and I made good progress, though I experienced for the first time that a couple of dogs barked at me and chased me a bit. But suddenly, there came another sign that stated that the road ends in 2 kilometers. According to the map, that couldn't be true, so I continued anyway. After that distance, there really was a blockage with concrete blocks, but I found that it was possible to get through with my bike. Behind the barrier was a newly built bridge that was completely finished, but it was unclear what it was for. There was neither a river nor a railway that needed to be crossed. So I didn’t let that deter me and enjoyed the ride over this lonely bridge in the middle of the forest and nature.

On this journey, I later reached the sea in southern Estonia, and at the same time, the sun also shone. The timing could not have been better. But I had to keep going; in the meantime, I had booked accommodation that was still 30 kilometers away in front of me.