Day 13: Reformation and Thirty Years' War

After a hearty breakfast in a beautiful tavern, we continue our journey. Wittenberg and Jüterbog are waiting for me, along with the topics of Reformation and Thirty Years' War. In order:

From Bad Düben, I walk through the forest for kilometers. I am completely alone, the storms of the past few days have caused a lot of damage, but the path is 'barrier-free'. It feels strange somehow. What if a tree falls on me now... After about an hour, I see people again, craftsmen who are fixing something. The technical condition of the road is amazingly bad, I have never seen anything like this before: coarse gravel, sand pits in between that almost make me fall, followed by deep ground, rough cobblestones, and broken asphalt. Progress is slow - a cheer for the journey, because we still arrive (Achim Reichel, probably from 'Dat Shanty-Album'. But I digress).

I take a break at Lake Bergwitz. I consider jumping in the water for a moment, there is a designated nude beach. But then the sun disappears again and does not return for the whole day. It remains cloudy, but dry. The signposting for the 'Berlin Leipzig Cycle Path' is phenomenal.

I arrive in Wittenberg, familiar images form from the memory of a tour in the Luther year 2017, where my wife and I cycled from Eisleben to Wittenberg (please forgive me for the Swabian 'wo', I know it's grammatically incorrect. They forgave Jürgen Klinsmann too...). A few pictures of a beautiful city that inspires me again. But I want to continue. I have an iced coffee and then search for the 'RBL' cycle path (didn't I just praise the signposting?) Even at the tourist information (excuse me, I lost my cycle path...) I get incorrect information. But komoot helps, and soon I'm rolling towards Jüterbog.

The grain fields are gradually being replaced by corn. There is asphalt again and perfect signposting. I'm making good progress.

A final rest gives me strength, accommodation is booked. Then I cover the remaining kilometers to Jüterbog, where Johann Tetzel pushed his indulgence trade to the limit and caught Martin Luther's attention. The rest should be well known. Wallenstein once stayed in Jüterbog - so I am cycling on historic ground. The 'Goldener Stern', where I reside, is one of the small owner-managed hotels with great attention to detail. It's just something completely different from the big chains, which also have their advantages....

At around 100 km, it was a long tour, and I can feel my thighs and my buttocks. May the night bring rest and recovery!