Saale Ilm Elbe or Unstrut

It's done, we've reached Germany again!

From Hel via Gut Słonowice and Berlin the journey continued into Thuringia.

We left Hel while the sun was still shining. As was the case when we arrived, the traffic around Gdansk was very heavy and I really breathed a sigh of relief when this area was behind us. Now we went back through the small towns of Poland, in the middle of the well-cultivated fields. Small streets with sometimes more and sometimes less good road surfaces, often lined with trees, small villages with large churches and hardly any reasons to stop. Then a stop: we needed to refuel, petrol for Hildegard and soup and potato pancakes for me. The waitress was rude, who knows what was going on with her. A little later I had to stop: it started to rain like crazy and I had to put on my rain skin. So we reached the Słonowice estate, a small estate about 60km south of the Baltic Sea coast, dripping wet. The rain continued through the night. Luckily in the morning the wind was able to push the clouds further and the journey could continue without rain. Fill up one last time cheaply in Poland and the Oder and with it the national border at Hohenwutzen were crossed. Only 80km to Berlin! We only made progress there at 30 km/h. Construction sites, traffic lights and marathon preparations allowed traffic to flow slowly but steadily.

Thanks to my sister, who knows the area, we quickly found a great parking space for Hildegard and a nice place for me to chat, drink coffee and sleep.

Sunday is exit day for two-wheelers of all kinds. At least in Germany. In no other country have I noticed this so clearly 🤓

And so today we encountered all kinds of mopeds, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, scooters... Pedestrians and agricultural machinery are also added, as well as Sunday riders.

A stop at a mill near Gölsdorf came in handy. It was still in operation until 1984! In addition, I learned about the amazing story of the young Friederike Krüger, who took part as a soldier in the war against Napoleon as August Lübeck from 1813 to 1815.

After this informative break we continued on to the banks of the Elbe in the town of Elster. I was amazed at where I had ended up. Is that a ferry? Hmm, the vehicle looked very unusual. But yes, it was a ferry. I'm pretty spoiled by the ships in the north. So today I crossed the Elbe that reminded me of scenes from “Carbide and Sorrel”.

Then I circled around Leipzig/Halle airport, crossed the Saale for the first time near Merseburg and the B176 took me over the Unstrut to Freyburg. From there I enjoyed the ride with a view towards Naumburg and its towers. Such a beautiful panorama. But the journey wasn't over yet. Winding, over more Saale bridges and through narrow railway tunnels, where I had to save my young life every time, I came to the Ilm near Bad Sulza. Even here wine is being grown again, although it is very dry and not yet in large quantities, but at least.

However, after all the kilometers I preferred an Apolda beer in the old Mitropa restaurant.