Watch out for the frogs
A warning sign you would not see in the US
Today turned out to be a much better day than I expected. The riding was nicer, i.e. the head/side wind was gentler, and, although my bike did get rained on a lot more than on any other day so far, I found shelter, and lunch, during the heavy rain. I've had rain twice at night, but this was the first significant middle of the day rain on this tour. I started out heading this morning for Berlin, but my riding destination was Potsdam where I can catch an S-Bahn - local train - to get near my real destination in the center of Berlin. Berlin is very big city, so taking the train, at a total cost of 5 E, will save some 30 km of urban riding. The weather forecast this morning called for an 80% chance of rain tomorrow in the form of morning showers. It also called for bad winds. Because of that I figured I better get relatively near the train station which is in the center of Potsdam. My actual stopping point is a nice hotel which has some small, cheap, rooms, good wireless internet, and should offer a good breakfast tomorrow.
Since I had internet with breakfast this morning, I was able to get three web pages up, but not completely finished, and three ride reports out while eating breakfast between 7:30 and 9 AM. I was on the road by 9:15.
Watch out for the frogs
A warning sign you would not see in the US
My start was on a small road from Gollenburg to Friesack. It was really nice riding. In Friesack, I got on B5, a big road, and headed for Nauen. That was a long ride, mostly with a good bike path beside the road. I stopped for a food break about 11 AM in a small town, Pessin, and had a nice visit with a fellow who lived near the bis shelter where I stopped. He didn't have any English, but I had enough Germany for us to talk about my tour. When I stopped, I put on the rain covers for my camping pannier and my handlebar bag because it was dripping a bit. However, the real rain didn't happen till after I was in Nauen and heading out for Potsdam.
A lake with a small beach and a bench to sit on
Interesting bicycle 'sculpture'
My start was on a small road from Gollenburg to Friesack. It was really nice riding. In Friesack, I got on B5, a big road, and headed for Nauen. That was a long ride, mostly with a good bike path beside the road. I stopped for a food break about 11 AM in a small town, Pessin, and had a nice visit with a fellow who lived near the bis shelter where I stopped. He didn't have any English, but I had enough Germany for us to talk about my tour. When I stopped, I put on the rain covers for my camping pannier and my handlebar bag because it was dripping a bit. However, the real rain didn't happen till after I was in Nauen and heading out for Potsdam.
Turning on the big road
The bicycle lane went away quickly, but A bicycle path
started in a km or so
In Nauen, I came to a roundabout which had a sign for Potsdam. That was on B5, which I had been riding, but B5 became an auotroute - cars only - a few km later. I expected that, so, at the roundabout, I pulled off the road and used my gps to route to Potsdam. I started out on that route, but the very light rain started getting heavier. It was 1 PM, so I rode back into Nauen looking for a place to eat.
In Neun
note the weather
The sign says rough road
Cobble stone for the next 1.5 km
It was raining moderately and I was dealing with a mix of regular and cobblestone streets, so I need to find a place quickly. The first place I tried turned out to have been a place to eat but now it was only a place to drink. The very rough looking folks in there were very friendly and told me there was a place to eat - again no English - just around the corner. I went there and, except for having to leave my bike out in the pouring rain, it was perfect. Not at all fancy, but I got a good meal - a big stuffed green pepper with potatoes and other pepper bit in a sauce - and a big cup of coffee, for 6.5 E. I also got to eat and drink while the rain came, got quite heavy and then gradually went away. I definitely lucked out as I have for all my lunches since I left Hamburg.
My route went around a big wind park
After lunch I headed out on an indirect,and much longer, route to Potsdam. That route was OK, but something got my gps confused and it became useless. I had to resort to the good old fashion way of asking other bicycists how to get to Potsdam.
The first one I asked, in the small town of Zeestow, told me to ride to B5 and take B5 to Potsdam. I knew I couldn't ride on B5, but I figured riding to the other side of B5 was a good start. It was, but now I was in Autoroute hell - surrounded by a lot of roads I couldn't ride on - and my gps was still useless. Fortunately another bicyclist came along.
He didn't have English either, so, when he tried to tell me how to get to a roundabout - we had a lot of trouble with that word, but he was OK with roundpont, the French word for roundabout - we both got frustrated and he ended up saying, in German of course, 'follow me.' He led me to the roundabout and I headed down Potsdamer Allee. The sign said 22 km to Potsdam, but I rode about half of that before I found this hotel and now Goggle maps - very slow here, but a lot more useful than my gps! -says 20 km to the main train station in Potsdam. That should be OK, even if the weather is as bad as forecast tomorrow.
On Potsdamer Alee