Berlin - Poland - Berlin

 3 days trip around Berlin including a day in Poland.

Berlin - Bad Freienwalde 82 Km

Easy relaxing afternoon ride to Bad Freienwalde after a morning in Berlin. Bad Freiendale is surrounded by forest a perfect location for mountain biking. It is also a few kilometers away from Poland where I intend to bike. My back wheel gave up around Berlin, 2 spokes were broken and the others were about to collapse fortunately there is a very good bike shop in Bad Freienwalde, the owner speaks a perfect english, service and work quality is fantastic and pricing is reasonable, the bike was fixed in less than an hour. The shop deals mainly with Cube bikes, a german manufacturer. This is the web site  www.rad-freienwalde.de you can't miss the shop in the main shopping street of Bad Freienwalde.

Because of the bike repair I couldn't find a camp site but went to a B&B for 35 euros.

Bad Freienwalde - Chojna - Niederfinow 112 km

This morning I went exploring 50 km of Polish territory. The road to Chojna was all right, not too many trucks and nice countryside, very different from Germany once you pass the river oder. Chojna is a city were you have a few achitectural buidings from the 15th century. I then took the road to Schwedt Oder,     this is a dangerous road with lots of trucks, sadly there are prostitutes every 2 kilometers or less waiting for customers and thinking I was one. Lots of "hello mijn Liebe" for 20 km. On top of this some fast drivers were overestimating their driving abilities and I almost witnesses an accident. I was glad to find Germany again.

Schwedt Oder is a "nature reserve city" from there I followed the Oder and despite the rain it was a fantastic ride, I spotted about 15 deers and saw numerous beautiful birds. I cycled along the Oder until Oderberg then entered an other parc, the Biosphere Reserve of Chorin, found a camping along a river in Niederfinow. I am the only customer, no one seem crazy enough to camp in this cold weather but it is a fantastic evening the owner lit a fire for me in a cabin and they have a dark beer to keep me warm before I find my sleeping bag.

Camping 7,50 euros

Niederfinow - Berlin 88 km

Nice road along the river to Eberswalde, then through the forest to Berlin, I followed a cycle path from Eberswalde to Berlin.

Antwerp - Berlin Part 3

Bernburg to Lutherstadt Wittenberg 113 km

Visited Bernburg, nice place then followed a small river to Köthen, bad idea too many cobblestone path. Köthen is not worth it. Then went to Dessau, not very interesting either. However from Dessau I took a small road to Wörlitz, nice village with an interesting parc part on the Elbe biosphere reserve. From there I went to the city where Luther created the reformed church: Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Interesting place a bit like the Lourdes of Protestantism, the city is under big renovation work, almost ready for the 500 years of the reformation in 2017. Note that the potato restaurant the Black Bear is excellent and reasonnably price.

Tonight I am staying in a youth hostel in the city center, sharing a room with a guy following the steps of Luther... What an exciting evening (sob)...

Youth Hostel 25 euros including breakfast.

Lutherstadt Wittenberg - Berlin 122 km

Small roads to Berlin, almost no car. Went through Zahna, Eckmansdorf, Bardenitz, Dobrikow, Phillipstadt and Berlin.

Nice road alterning forest, nature parcs and farm land, almost no cars. It is a good alternative to the R1 or R2, you can also pass by Postdam if you wish to. Not many cafés or nice cities on that way though, make sure you have food and water.

Staying with friends Joe and Kelly. A comfy bed in a house tonight.

Selfie in Berlin, in case you wonder !

1128 Km from Antwerp, in 9 days, mainly following the Europarad 1, average 125 km per day.

The R1 is not the best European route I have followed so far, too many dirt roads badly maintained, lots of paved parts with old kind of cobblestones, I suggest to do somes cuts on asphaltes routes. 

Next is a small trip behind the Polish border, back to Berlin and back to Antwerp on the bike, on a different route, should be shorter.

Antwerp - Berlin Part 2

Sassenberg - Höxter 146 km

Rain all night but lucky me the morning is dry. I biked to Gutersloh via Harsewinkel, pleasant ride, horses, appels and hazelnuts... Then kept on to Verl and Schloß Holte where the hills are more serious. After Augustdorf I went to Detmold nice city but didn't have much time. From Detmold I took the R1 again, fantastic ride, very hilly all the way up to the Marien feild monastry and then to Höxter, very nice city with old houses, nice woody area and I am now under my tent, next to the river, thunderbolts lightning the area, my cocoon will hold hopefully. Camping on the river Weser 8,50 euros.

Höxter 

Hey George Clooney, what else ?

Höxter - Goslar 139 km

Fantastic ride following the R1 again, flat along the river untill Holzminden charming village.Then slowly uphill to Einbeck a nice city center, from there it gets very difficult specially after Seseen, it is best to avoid the R1, the path is in very bad state, at one point I couldn't bike the last 10 meters of a hill it was too slippery, there was also a cobblestone hill not very pleasant with a tree in the middle of the path, good path with a mountain back.

Goslar is one of the most interesting city in the area. Very pleasant with a unique architecture.

Camping 8,50 euros.

Market in Einbeck !

Rainy day ! Trees are falling.

Goslar - Bernburg 133 km

It rain all day and today I didn't take the R1 too many sections off road. I went to Betingrode first, nice little village then Blankenburg, nice city and to Quellingsburg, beautiful city, Unesco World Heritage, where the first German kings were crowed (that's what I understood ) note that in the 2 tourism offices they have only one young guy speaks an approximate english.

After Quellingsburg I took a very busy road to Asherschleben, saw some interesting old medieval towers then a quick route to Güsten and Bernsberg. Seems that a nice city, I will explore tomorrow morning. Found a camping on the Saale river. 9 euros.

Former East - West Border

Crossing the Saale river on a small ferry, background is Bernburg Castle.

Antwerp - Berlin Part 1

Antwerp - Oirschot (NL) 110 km.

This is the last trip before the cold months. Hopefully after that trip I will have done more than 10 000 km on my bike in a year. 

Leaving Antwerp through the North is never very pleasant because of it's large industrial areas and heavy density with poor bicycle path.  I went to Wijnegem and headed to Oostmalle on the N12. I would recommand an other route if you ever go in that direction, there is a nice cycle way along the canal starting in Schoten to Turnhout, I wanted to see something else but the other way is nice for just 5 km extra. From Oostmalle though you can reach Rijkevorsel, Poppel, Esbeek, Diessen and Oirschot following bike routes in the country side, you might see a few cars but I felt alone on most of the way specially around the border. In one of my day trips from Antwerp I already biked along the Dutch Belgium border not far from the route I took today and reached Baarle-Hertog a Belgium enclave in The Netherlands, I recommand a day tour in that enclave with a peculiar history, or even better get your bikes and tour the area. i found a nice camping on a farm: De Goos in Oirschot, 8.50 euros, quiet and clean. tomorrow I will probably cross parts of The Nederlands and Germany.

Belgium - Dutch border

Pasta tonight !

Oirschot - 'S Heerenberg (Stokkum) 124 km

After a nice night, I woke up under the mist, visited Oirschot a nice little village worth a day visit and had a coffee 10 km further in Best, nice ride in the country untill Gennep. After Gennep I cycled to Sint Oedenrode through the country. From Sint Oedenrode to Veghel the cycle path is along side the motorway, better if you can avoid that then I cut through the country to St Hubert. From Ven Zelderheide to Kleve in Germany, not a very nice ride as I followed the main road, quite busy though I cycled through a forest wich could be worth going through on a less direct way and crossed the Rhein river, 25 km later I was back in Holland just next to the border in Stokkum, beautifull area, nice castle and gardens in 'S Heerenberg.

Camping free.

Germany is greeting me, 1 hour later I was back in The Netherlands

Castle of Stokkum

An evening visitor on my front wheel

Stokkum - Lette 129 Km

Nice area around Stokkum and the first hill, I am leaving The Netherlands, probably 50 meters elevation. I rode through the woods to Terborg, it looks more like a german city van a Dutch city, even the language they speak is different. I had my bike fixed in Gaanderen, after 8000 km, the axis had too much play, nice people they fixed it immediately and changed a piece all of that for 5 euros what a service, now everything seems in order again. If you are in the area, that's where you can go for your bike, Anton bike repair, 148 Rijkweg in Gaanderen. I hope that it will hold to the end of the journey I should really change the all    bloc. My last city in Holland was Winterswijk, market was in town good atmosphere.

Then I screwed up the minute I biked in Germany I went North then south, find out that tourism offices are closed between 12 and 2:30 pm, they didn't have the map of the cycle path R1 that according to the web site should be available at the tourist office, on top of that nobody speaks english and apparently my dutch doesn't sound german enough. I felt lonely today and cycled 129 km for a route that could have been done in 90 km. With all that stress (yes I am the anxious type) I didn't fully enjoy the cities I passed or the countryside but tomorrow is an other day. Nothing really special in Coesfeld or Lette. Tomorrow I am determined to cycle back on the R1 from Münster.

Camping in Lette is 7 euros, nice lady who speaks english.

All they say on the sign is true ! Anton bike repair shop: No appointment, quick service !

Lette - Sassenberg 112 km

Went to Rorup then followed the R14 bicycle route to Münster. Had lunch in Münster, interesting city with a lake close to the city center. Then I followed the R1 to Warendorf, hilly and nice, some road section are in bad condition almost for a mountain bike, very bumpy. Warendorf is a nice little village worth visiting. Don't stay at the Warendorf camping and bike 8 extra Km to Sassenberg, this is from an "official source" apparently the ones in Sassenberg have better reputation and it is approved by myself. Note that few people speak english in the area, it is the first Tourism office where the person could speak english (out of 4), even the guy at the tourism office of Münster had a limited english.

Camping in Sassenberg is 8 euros, 50 cents for a hot shower and 4 euros for WiFi in the tent: 12,50 euros. Tonight it is Schnitzel mit Kartoffeln und ApfelSchole or something like that Rain has come, tomorrow will be a wet day.

The R14 goes through a farm 

This guy really wants to sell his potatoes !

To be continued...