Entering Germany was done on a very smooth paved road. I followed the border next to Luxembourg, occasionally going in and out the country. Eventually I left the border and headed more into Germany towards Köln. The official halfway point of the European Divide Trail.
Towards Köln
My detour of paved roads following the river Moselle had come to an end. It was time to get back on the trail again and experience German gravel and trails. You never know where you’ll end up riding the European Divide, the trail changes so quick and sometimes you’ll be riding amazing paths and then suddenly find yourself on a steep hike a bike. Luckily these first 200km in Germany were perfect. The paths went through gorgeous forests filled with birds, deers and even a fox! Usually the terrain was hard packed gravel or softer but ride-able forest dirt.
The trail went alongside the famous Nurburgring track. I spend some time watching cars and then continued towards my first camping spot. I had found a ‘’campsite’’ for groups and I hoped to just pitch my tent there. Wild camping isn’t really allowed in Germany so I waited till the evening to pitch my tent in a little shelter. A couple hours later I was woken up by a sniffing sound next to my tent, and a lot of noise outside. Turned out a family of wild boars decided to check out the camping spot too! After half an hour they went on again and I could go back to sleep! With an early start the next morning I rolled into Köln for a well earned rest day.
Köln to Hannover
The next milestone in Germany was Hannover. Arriving there meant I had done most of the climbing stages for a while. Also form Hannover it was only 2 days of riding to reach Hamburg. A city where I’d stay with Gloria for a couple of days to relax, recharge, give my bike the love it deserves and prepare myself for the Scandinavian part. The final Northern stretch of this trip.
When I looked at the route there wasn’t much that really made me exciting for Germany. No big peaks, epic views or real highlights. How wrong have I been.
Germany is awesome!
The middle part of Germany had some of the best riding so far! Long paths of pristine gravel, spending days in a forest to only pass through a small village before getting back on another gravel/dirt road. Deers jumped in front of my bike, rabbits ran away and the only other sounds besides birds were my tires crunching over small rocks. Therapeutic almost. It felt like a fairytale most of the time. If I wasn’t riding in a dense forest I’d be out on heathland that already started showing signs of purple everywhere. What a country! Riding 100km everyday I was flying through Germany, fueled kuchen and croissants.
Hamburg
The last 200km until my few days of rest and it was started to be more obvious I needed time off my bike. The scenery was just as beautiful as always but I just wasn’t that excited anymore. Cycling started to feel more like a necessity than an enjoyable adventure.
My bike also started to show a lot of wear. More often my chain and gears would slip and sometimes not getting in a different gear at all. Time for a break. I entered Hamburg via the Alter Elbe tunnel. A tunnel underneath the Elbe, you ride in a big wooden elevator and it takes you down to the tunnel. It’s very similar to the Maastunnel in Rotterdam.
Luckily Gloria being awesome gave me the best welcome I could have. A relaxing evening, my bike was brought to a shop the same day and is currently being spoiled with new parts. (Little scared for the bill though) We spend a day walking through the city, seeing the sights and eating the must haves in Hamburg:
A Franzbrötchen with cinnamon and banana (Best described as a flat cinnamon bun?)
The best curry wurst? Very tasty.
A Fischbrötchen. The harbor is filled with fish stands and they all sell really tasty fish sandwiches , a must have in Hamburg.
What’s next
A few more days of relaxing before I go out on my final kilometers in Germany before I’m in Denmark!! Very excited about the next month or so, first a week in Denmark before getting on the ferry to Sweden!
I’ll be riding almost through all of Sweden. Looking forward to shelters, camping, swimming in lakes and hopefully beautiful trails and roads. Scandinavia has been on my bucket list for so long and I can’t believe I’m almost there!
Danke & tschüss Deutschland and Hej Scandinavia!
Important stats of day 43-47
Amount of Km’s: 540 km
Amount of elevation: 7359hm
Amount of calories: 20.690cal
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Total km so far: 4334km
Total elevation: 60.243hm
Total calories: 171.318cal
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