Day 17-21: Behind Goslar it's flat...

After conquering the Harz Mountains, we entered the North German lowlands - meaning, it finally became flat. However, the weather remained changeable. We planned to cover the distance to Lübeck (about 299km) in four and a half days, always heading north.

Our first stage (80km) took us from Goslar to Lake Tankumsee in Isenbüttel (near Gifhorn, close to Wolfsburg/Braunschweig). With the big wooded hills (aka the Harz Mountains) behind us and the flat plains ahead of us, we set off with high spirits, despite the heavy clouds. We first traveled through the district of Salzgitter for what felt like an eternity until we finally reached the beautiful city of Braunschweig, passing along the river Oker and past Richmond Castle. There, we headed to Café Kaffeezeremonie near the Magnitor, which had been recommended to us. Besides delicious coffee, they also served the best (vegan) Donauwelle we have ever eaten! So we packed a piece for the evening (in addition to the Vietnamese leftovers from last night, we were well equipped food-wise). There was a lot to see in Braunschweig city center: we passed by the Happy Rizzi House, the Residenzschloss (Residence Castle) and the State Theater, and near the university's Natural History Museum, we encountered a few dinosaurs (Plateosaurus and Europasaurus). On the last 30km to the lake, we saw a large grasshopper on the road as Jörg quickly checked his bike. The weather improved towards the evening, so our camping experience today would be quite pleasant. The campsite (for tents) was located directly behind the restaurant and next to the washhouse, so we only had short distances to cover. There was another tent and a mobile home on the property next to ours. Although we still had yesterday's leftovers, Janina couldn't resist the tempting smell of Italian food and decided to have 'just a small pizza fries'. After that, she needed an evening walk to aid digestion, so she went to the lake. No small dish indeed! At the lake, we saw many ducks and a few bats, but it was too late and too cold to go swimming. However, the lake itself (with sandy beach, benches, and wooden loungers) looked very inviting. For us, it was time to go to the tent and sleep.

The second stage (70km) from Lake Tankumsee in Isenbüttel to Uhlenköper-Camp (Eco-Camping) in Uelzen started similar to the first day: it was very cloudy. We first rode through a small forest (Barnbruch). From there, we went up to the Elbe-Seitenkanal, which led directly from Lake Tankumsee to Uelzen. Heath and pine trees grew along the canal, and the path itself was flat. However, what seemed like a relatively easy ride turned out to be just the opposite. The path along the canal was covered in gravel, small stones that made us suspect a puncture would soon occur. Besides, it put a strain on our non-suspension wrists! So after a few kilometers, we decided to take another route and continued on the adjacent roads. Eventually, we reached Bad Bodenteich after about 50km, where Jörg desperately needed a coffee. Therefore, we decided to take a short break at Café Schweden Hüüs. After that, we tackled the last 25km. However, we were forced to take another short break as it started to rain again. We found shelter in a barn or an old farmhouse where interesting things were lying around. So at least it wasn't boring. We soon reached Uelzen, where we briefly visited the Hundertwasser-Bahnhof. We also tried the local Döner kebab / falafel sandwich since our campsite was located just outside the city, and we were uncertain about the food options. So there was no chance of starving ;-) We got lost for a short moment (Janina was tempted by the woods), and suddenly we were at the campsite. It was really nice there! They had a small organic shop with a bistro, a natural swimming pool (chlorine-free with a plant-based purification system), a natural playground, a nicely designed new washroom with a large marble run as well as washers and dryers, and a common room with a foosball table. By the way, "Uhlenköper" means "owl buyer," so all streets and squares there were named after owls. You could also book different types of accommodation: whether it's a yurt, a Mupfel, a Schwurbelnest, a sleep barrel, or the classic option of a motorhome or tent, there was something for everyone's taste. Only the tent meadow, surrounded by oak trees, was a bit soaked from the previous rain, but still okay. Around us, there were mostly families with young children, as well as three young men who were looking for affordable accommodation for a wedding ('The last time we camped was at Rock am Ring, without a sleeping pad. Nowadays, only with a camp bed'). But the highlight of the campsite, besides a few rabbits, were... mini pigs! Each of them had a funny name, and they even let us pet them :-))) And of course, there was also the option to have breakfast in the café the next morning. If only we had more time, we would have definitely rented a canoe and paddled on the Ilmenau river.

So the next day started with a delicious and relaxed organic breakfast. Since it had rained during the night, our tent had become quite dirty. We quickly packed up before the next rain, but while loading the bikes, we suddenly noticed: Janina's bike had a flat tire! It wasn't there yesterday! We quickly inflated it again and hoped that the air would hold throughout the day [with daily pumping, it lasted until the end of the trip]. Our third flatland stage would take us from Uelzen to Lake Lanzersee in Basedow (Lauenburg) (60km). There were several possible routes, none of them along the canal. We decided to ride through Lüneburg once again. We had already passed through the city last year and remembered a good vegan snack bar. Some time after we set off, Jörg noticed some movement on his helmet: A grasshopper had taken the opportunity to hitch a ride. It wasn't as big as the last one, but definitely more agile. However, since it didn't wear a helmet, we made it clear that continuing the journey would be unsafe. Today's route took us through fields, forests, and meadows, partly along the Ilmenau cycle path. Shortly before Lüneburg, we got caught in a heavy rain shower and barely made it to the shelter of a café umbrella just in time. From there, it wasn't far to the city center, where we had a nice break at Café Bell & Beans. We took another photo at the old crane in Lüneburg Harbor - last year the weather was much better. Right after that, we stocked up on supplies at the vegan restaurant 'Loving Hut'. Our journey continued to Lauenburg, where we crossed the river Elbe (this year via a bridge, not by ferry). The Elbe is really wide! After that, we had to take a detour because one part of the route was closed, and finally, we reached Lake Lanzersee - unexpectedly close to the former inner-German border and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. We were warmly welcomed at the campsite: the owner was a Borussia Dortmund fan. We quickly ordered some rolls for tomorrow morning and found our tent pitch. The paths here were quite long. From the tent meadow, we had direct access to the Elbe-Lübeck Canal. Due to the heavy rain, the grassy ground of the campsite was quite wet, and in some areas, we even had to stand in water. However, today there were only five tents (even though it was Friday), so everyone found a dry spot. Besides that, our tent floor was already very dirty. Jörg performed a ground check and created a dry pathway with leaves leading to our tent entrance for safety :-) In addition to the damp grass, there were also plenty of slugs (Janina, be careful! Don't leave your shoes unattended!). We took a short evening walk to the washroom and the lake, and then went to sleep.

The next morning started unexpectedly sunny. Jörg picked up our ordered rolls, and we had breakfast with the strawberry jam from the hotel 'Der Kronprinz' in Fuhrbach near Duderstadt (where the wedding took place). That was almost a week ago - how time flies! Our route for today took us from Lake Lanzersee in Basedow to Römnitz on Lake Ratzeburg (50km). Initially, we rode along the Elbe-Lübeck Canal. It was very green and idyllic. However, since it was the weekend, there was a lot of activity both on and off the water. We continued through the blue lagoon or the Prüßsee near Güster and then looked for a café in Mölln (Till Eulenspiegel Fountain). Unfortunately, all the ice cream parlors were very crowded, and apparently not all cafés were still there, so we settled for the station café. At least during our search, we unexpectedly passed by the Eulenspiegel Fountain and learned that Till Eulenspiegel is believed to be buried there, making the city also known as the Eulenspiegel City. More owls! From Mölln, it was only 15km to Ratzeburg - if it were a bit warmer, we would have surely taken a dip in one of the many bathing lakes. So we saved that for later and continued cycling to Ratzeburg. It was also very crowded there, especially at the bathing area. We made a stop at the island town, more precisely at Ratzeburg Market Square with its water fountain, and bought fresh supplies at Edeka and take-out dinner from the Lavastein restaurant. We left the city towards Römnitz, along the eastern shore of the lake. We had already called the small Schwalkenberg campsite ahead to inquire about a spot - since it was the weekend, many accommodations were booked, and due to Corona, many campsites did not accept day visitors. So we had to take what was available - which was a spot very close to the water and the barbecue area, and a large family gathering of relatives of different degrees from Hamburg. At least there were also funny ducks that fearlessly inspected the tent area. If it hadn't been so crowded, it would have been very idyllic, right by the lake with a view of the illuminated cathedral. Fortunately, strict quiet hours were enforced at the campsite, so everyone was asleep by midnight at the latest.

Our fifth stage was very short: only 25km from Römnitz on Lake Ratzeburg to Lübeck. We first rode up and down along the lake through the forest. A rustling at the roadside revealed a small deer that was well hidden there. It was probably startled and quickly ran away. In Campow (just a few kilometers north of the lake, but part of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), we came across a honey booth where we bought a jar for €5 - it was delicious! The lake flowed into the Wakenitz, which we crossed from Lower Saxony and which accompanied us to Lübeck. We arrived at the hotel at around 1 PM, but unfortunately, check-in was not yet possible. Besides, there was a funny name mix-up... Our hotel was located very close to the Holstentor gate, which made it ideal for spending two days in Lübeck. While waiting, we heard about the planned train strike tomorrow and the day after, which forced us to rearrange our route. So this was actually our last day of cycling - although we didn't know it yet.