5./6. Day - from Buttelstedt to Erfurt

Hello dear ones,

On Saturday, I set off in glorious sunshine on a route of about 31km from Buttelstedt to Erfurt, along beautiful meadows and field paths.

But before I started my journey, I had a very relaxed breakfast with the owner of the guesthouse where I stayed overnight. He asked me the day before if I would mind having breakfast together. He wanted to have a conversation with me because he finds pilgrims to be interesting people. At first, I was slightly confused by the question... but then I thought why not... and so on Saturday morning, I had a very pleasant conversation about various topics. (Among other things, I found out that he has a friend who worked as an architect a few years ago on the construction of the Fusion site.)

During the day, about 15km before Erfurt, I had a nice encounter. I met a fellow pilgrim. In a brief chat, I learned that she was planning something similar to me. She just wanted to start hiking from her front door in Erfurt - but in the opposite direction and for 'only' two weeks. By the way, this was also the first and only encounter with another pilgrim so far. On the trails, I have been pretty much alone.

In Erfurt itself, I am staying in an Airbnb apartment for two days. Today, on Sunday, I am treating myself and my body to a rest. Tomorrow, I will continue for 27km towards Gotha. Originally, I only planned to go as far as Tüttleben, but the guesthouse there has no rooms available. Fully booked accommodations seem to be the theme. In Gotha, I called about 5 guesthouses today - all are fully booked... so I have decided to stay at the hostel in the Augustinian monastery. However, the reception was closed when I called. Now I have to hope that I can reach someone there tomorrow morning and that there is still a room available... Otherwise, there are a few hotels in Gotha...

I am curious to see how the accommodations will go from now on, as I have not made any reservations in advance.

Best regards, Nicole