Day 23: Back in the saddle

Out of stupidity - how can I call it anything else - I cycled nearly 100 km today. It started well (Baked Beans!). I felt well-rested and excited to continue. The sky was friendly, I took my time and was in the saddle by 10 o'clock. I really wanted to go through the Old Elbe Tunnel and had instructed komoot accordingly. That worked out well too, I went through the 'right' Altona (NH is located on the outskirts of Altona). It was a different experience, although not as extreme as in Berlin. A few drops came from above as I pushed my bike into the elevator. I found it fascinating to cycle through the tunnel with opposing traffic (one tube is under construction). As a little boy, I stood down there with my parents once, maybe around 1970, back then it was still a car tunnel - hard to imagine.

On the other side, it started pouring. Put on rain gear, continue. Now I'm following the 'official' gpx data of the Hamburg - Bremen cycle route. So I can see how to get on the cycle path. That's going quite well too. But then the signposting and komoot don't match, at some point the voice speaks up and claims I'm going in the wrong direction. I was sure I had saved it correctly. You can't correct it offline either, and online I couldn't figure it out. In Harburg, they have generously neglected the signage, it's pouring again, I feel like I'm making little progress. For the first time, I'm struggling with the thought of giving up. Why am I doing this to myself? Last night the weather was nice, but instead of taking a stroll through St. Pauli, I'm blogging. I didn't sleep well, which is rare for me.

I'm getting back on track with Achim Reichel: 'And it's slowly moving forward, and it's slowly moving forward - a cheer for the journey, because we still arrive' (unfortunately I don't have the title at hand). The Harburg Mountains (where my cousin likes to ride her MTB) distract me, it's getting hilly (please don't use Bavarian standards).
I notice small detours immediately, even though I have turned off the komoot sound (every 2 minutes the hint that I'm going in the wrong direction is really annoying). So after my iced coffee (in a courtyard cafe in Rade), I miss a turnoff and take a huge detour.

Then it's approaching 4 p.m., time to look for accommodation. I'm in Hollerstedt, there's something there, but the weather has become so nice, I keep going. The Heidenauer Hof seems to be closed, it's already close to 5 p.m. Nothing along the way. So I have to use booking, that way I'm on the safe side and can motivate myself to drive the 'extra mile' if necessary. But instead of taking the country inn in the direction of travel, I choose the wrong one and drive for a good hour in the wrong direction.

I'm so relieved when I arrive at my destination around half past six. The inn is great, I can still get something to eat and finally blog...