27 From Nieuw-Buinen to Rostrup - Back in Good Old Germany & 'Girls Night Out'

After a week, it was time to say goodbye to the beloved garden paradise. My hostess didn't make the farewell any easier for me, as she even got a little gift for me and took the time in the morning to chat with me.

She explained some background about school, for example, that her philosophy trusts that children carry everything they need within themselves and know very well what they can, want, and need. Therefore, everything in her school should come from the child, and parents are challenged to 'simply' trust that the child will find their own way and learn the things they need. Children who came from traditional schools to her often seemed completely broken and then blossomed again :)

We also talked about traveling, Corona, and the strength that this year and even last year brings with it due to all the upcoming changes. I probably could have talked for hours with this very inspiring, warm-hearted personality!

At the same time, it felt incredible to be back on the bike! Since the weather was rather gloomy and the route was not very attractive, I enjoyed just making good progress without constantly stopping for photos and the like :D

It wasn't until I was on country roads that I realized I was back in Germany when I saw the familiar yellow sign of the next village shining towards me. Then I was welcomed back with a longer-lasting rain shower... Missed you too, Germany :D

I continued through Papenburg and through seemingly endless, incredibly long villages along canals across the flat countryside.

For the night, I found another host on Warmshowers - funny enough, it was the same person I had written to a week earlier before the last-minute offer from the farm came in. Despite my last-minute cancellation, she kindly offered to get in touch again when I actually headed towards Germany.

Before I cycled to her, I took a quick look at the spa town of Bad Zwischenahn and the Zwischenahner Meer, a huge lake that arose due to collapsed salt mines.

When I arrived in Rostrup, I had actually reached another 100 kilometers, and thanks to my dynamo USB charger and hardly any photo breaks, my smartphone battery was actually 100% charged. I don't want to advertise, but I love my Cycle2Charge and can highly recommend it ;) (Thanks again to my dad for the installation help!)

My hostess welcomed me warmly, and it was immediately noticeable that she had been on a longer tour last year herself: From a fluffy towel, a warm shower, doing laundry, to a delicious dinner and replenishing some alternative teas and spices, everything imaginable was offered to me, which one could need and appreciate on a bike trip ;)

After dinner, we walked to the lake together with her neighbor and sat there for a long time, chatting. Besides (bike) travel, there were many other exciting topics of conversation, and thanks to the neighbor, who works as a chef or in the patisserie, I got a fascinating insight into the world of Michelin-starred gastronomy! I never thought that would fascinate me, but she talked about her (bone) job with such passion that a visit to Storstad in Regensburg is now pretty high on my wish list - so if anyone needs a gift for me and wants to get rid of money... :D

We only went back when it was already dark, and we hadn't run out of topics of conversation for a long time even when we said goodbye at the neighbor's apartment door ;) What a wonderful evening!