I think the tourism board route planners and the ferry operators are in cahoots. A ferry crossing generally takes about 2 minutes and costs between $2.50 and $5 or so. By the time this trip is done, I’ll likely have spent $75 on them. The rivers are often so small on the maps I don’t notice how many crossings there are in a day and whether or not it’s a bridge or a ferry. That is until I see the telltale sign showing a car launching of an edge of some sort.
Interestingly, I don’t think the ferries I was on today had motors. They are tethered to something hundreds of feet upstream and appear to use the current and a small boat attached with chains to swing from side to side of the river like a pendulum. Another curiosity, they give tickets. You know, in case they forget you paid in 30 seconds.
Speaking of the tourism board, I think they hosed me on this cycle route. It was generally not very interesting today and I saw very little of the river. The paths and riding conditions were good, the scenery not so much. A few highlights were seeing what I think was an owl, an ice cream shop in the middle of nowhere and the town of Wittenberg.
Wittenberg is probably the most beautiful city I’ve ridden through so far. It was also devoid of crowds, being Sunday morning, which may weigh heavily into my assessment of the place. Martin Luther lived here and it was a power center of the Holy Roman Empire. Have a look.
And a few random shots of the nicer trail features.
And a final gripe. Cobblestone is a terrible surface to ride a bike on. I’ll probably return home with chipped teeth, and I’m sure part of what broke my bike the other day was bumping along the cobbles. Anywhere they exist (which is everywhere), you’ll see worn paths to the side from previous cyclists avoiding riding on them. Today I learned they are also very slick when wet, dropping my bike for the third time. This was also the very first time my helmet prevented disaster because I hit my head on a post when I fell. Didn’t feel a thing, thank goodness.
Rain held off until the last hour and a half. Camped at basically a bar tonight.
I love Wittenberg. What beautiful buildings. Looks like it was a very peaceful Sunday morning. People were probably at church. Thank you for always wearing a helmet. You never know when it’s going to come in handy!! Great rest stop, drive by trash cans plus your camp site looks good. Hopefully your route will be more interesting tomorrow.
The cobbles! Just like the Tour de France. My understanding is they also hate them.
I can’t imagine on the bikes those folks ride. Narrow, extremely high pressure tires on carbon bikes. Ouch
Enjoyed the photos, Chad, especially of the sights in Wittenberg. The way the small ferries are operated is pretty interesting, too. It strikes me as a great way to avoid the cost of a big diesel engine. Have you passed many locks along the rivers? Have you had internet connectivity pretty continuously along the way? Thanks for the interesting posts and photos!
I have passed many locks and have had a strong internet connection pretty much continuously except on day one of the Saale trail. It was pretty remote.
I shall never forget my history teacher who had a verbal slip and told us that Martin Luther nailed 95 feces to the church door in Wittenberg.
I love ferries, especially cable ferries, where the motor is on the shore. There’s a “pendulum” ferry like you described on the Ottawa near Oka, I believe. (Alad, I’ve never crossed it.) The Wolfe Island – Cape Vincent one is fun, especially on the US to Canada run, because the current there causes it to travel about 2km to cross a 1 km gap. Add a bit of wind and the deck really starts to heel over!
I like ferries too but multiple every day is a lot!
Oh boy. Like your mom says, I am so thankful that you always wear a helmet! I’ll love you with chipped teeth or not, but please take care on those darn cobblestones. Especially in places where there’s not a lot of people to help you up old fella.
Wittenberg looks beautiful. All those old buildings and pastel colours.
Hope you slept well, looks peaceful, but not sure what you meant by “a bar” – hope it wasn’t loud rock music. Although I know you can sleep through anything. xo
It had a restaurant/bar with far more people than were camping there. Looked to be a bit of a rough and tumble crowd. It closed at 8 though so all was quiet and peaceful for bedtime.
Wow, a bar closed at 8pm and no riot! How very European! The photos are wonderful, Chad, and I love the ferry tickets. I’m all about the ephemeral in life! I’m really glad your head survived your tumble. For the hard headed, like me, any tips or suggestions for bike helmet purchases? It’s still something on my “To Do” list.
My very strong recommendation is to use a helmet! Any helmet. Thousand makes good looking ones that don’t look like robocop gear
Thanks for this, Chad. I don’t know why I’ve been tempting fate….