Aufgesattelt 16

Dear family, dear friends and acquaintances,

We hope you are all doing well and have time to read our reports. Unfortunately, our tour is coming to an end, and in a month we will be back home. The thought makes me sad, because traveling is something very extraordinary, we don't have this freedom and togetherness at home. But we are also looking forward to the familiar, the pleasant, but above all to seeing you.

But first, let's continue with the ride to the Don. It was only 90 km, but these were by far the most horrible on the journey. We got to know the terrible Russian traffic. The road was called a highway from east to west, but it wasn't even like a well-built expressway here. One truck after another, crazy drivers overtaking in such a way that it often became dangerous for us and we had to drive on the gravel road. Plus the exhaust fumes and the loud noise of the bad roads. Of course, we had headwinds, and it was uphill more than downhill. It just wasn't fun.

We spent the night in our tent, a little off the road (we heard the noise of the road a bit muffled all night), but the place itself was beautiful and apart from a farmer and a few field workers, no one passed by. As long as the sun was shining, it was comfortably warm. We cooked, watched the beautiful sunset. But slowly I started to freeze, at night it became freezing cold and my little hot water bottle, Stephan's thick sweater, and my warm clothes didn't help me, so I froze at 11 degrees. It all sounds terrible again, but that's part of it too. I made up my mind to buy a blanket in Kalach, because on the way back we wanted to camp in the tent again.

In Kalach on the Don, we found a nice guesthouse, and in the evening, we experienced a celebrating village, and there was even a fireworks display - probably just for us - small but nice.

The next day we rode along the Don, a very cozy and relatively small river compared to the Volga, with many anglers on the banks. We were given a dried fish as a gift, but I quickly threw it back into the water because it didn't smell quite clean. I bought a great cozy blanket for 3 Euros and looked forward to the next camping. We would have liked to stay a few more days in this cozy village.

On the way back, we took a different road, closer to the canal. It took a bit longer, but it was much nicer. We drove on a road that was not as well-built, with few cars. It was a bit hilly here too, but luckily we only had side winds and we made good progress. In a small village near the canal, we found a nice spot and spent a cozy warm night thanks to the cozy blanket. We woke up around three o'clock because heavy raindrops were beating down on our tent. It was the third time we were surprised by the rain. In the morning there was still some dew, but soon the sun came out, and so our tent dried quickly.

We continued towards Volgograd, but it didn't get uncomfortable until we got into city traffic. The cars were racing along the multi-lane access road at a crazy speed, and again the exhaust fumes blowing in our faces, especially from the buses.

A little detour and we arrived at an old beautiful lock, took some photos, and then went 35 km to the city center (15 km of which we were able to hitchhike).

This time the hostel was very centrally located, so we could reach everything well in the next few days. But first, our bikes had to be repaired, which took a day. Since losing one spoke, Stephan had been cycling under difficult conditions. The rear wheel had a wobble, the tire tread was worn, and the gear shift was tight too. On my bike, only my speedometer had come loose, and we can't fix the squeaking of the brakes and the grinding of the gears, but it's not so bad anymore, and I learned to ride with it.

We learned how a Russian kitchen is equipped: a refrigerator, a work surface, with luck a sink, and definitely a microwave; little dishes, no pots, and the cutlery consists of forks, spoons, and a sharp knife. I learned to cook with a microwave, even made real dishes like eggplant, omelette, and fried eggs.

After two days, we moved to a 4-star hotel near the train station, this time with a breakfast buffet, and thus a little luxury on this trip. In the evening, we treated ourselves to a good meal in a cozy restaurant. We had delicious fish, beef Stroganoff, soup, and enjoyed a delicious wine - which was unfortunately warm at first because we believe that the Russians like it: warm and semi-sweet. And as always, loud music, because the Russians like that too.

Despite the immense war damage that destroyed the city, there are still very beautiful areas with old buildings. In total, there were 1 million dead in the battle for Stalingrad, including 700,000 Russians and 300,000 Germans. No wonder the city has one memorial after another to commemorate this cruel time.

We took beautiful tours through the city, along the Volga, and just let ourselves drift. I had my hair cut for 5 euros and look a bit more organized again.

Volgograd is worth a visit, a city that we liked because of its location, the people, the markets, and the area.

In the hotel, we met the first Germans on our journey through Russia, a couple visiting their aunt, and a funny gang of retirees (5 people) exploring southern Russia by car.

Now we have been sitting in the train to Moscow since last night in the third class. Unfortunately, not as comfortable as usual, the children were missing, who always brought life. Instead, we had three drunk guys next to us, but soon they were forced to be quiet by everyone in the compartment. All the excitement about the bikes was in vain, as always we were able to put the bikes in the compartment without packing them or adjusting anything.

Tonight we have tickets for the ballet Swan Lake. It is the last day of a ballet festival in Moscow. We are very curious how it will be.

Well, our last report will come in Moscow or after Moscow.

We hope you are all doing well, and since we will be back home (unfortunately) soon, we are very much hoping to see you in good health, at the latest on October 27th for brunch at our place. Unfortunately, we haven't received many responses yet.

Greetings to all of you

The cyclists

Corrina and Stephan