Cheating or Well Deserved Rest?

WRITTEN YESTERDAY ON THE 5TH OF JUNE

On the 4th of June I left Wolfsburg very late due to the invention of internet and skype. To be honest, I left late because I procrastinated and couldn't get myself off to an early start. I finally left Wolfsburg at about 12:30. I Had said to my host in Magdeburg, 65-year-old Guntar, that I would arrive there at around nine in the evening. The distance between the two cities is a bit less than 90 km. Knowing my pace, I knew I had to be speedy, so I could get to Magdeburg on time. So I chose to use the GPS on my phone to find my way when I felt lost, or when I was not sure about the right direction. This did speed me up quite a bit. The ride to Magdeburg was not very tough, I was well rested, had had a long lazy-morning, and was mentally ready for this trip. The route I took was Wolfsburg - Oebisfeld - Etingen - Calvorde - Wieglitz - Haldensleben - Vahldorf - Magdeburg. The first bit I went on route 188, it wasn't a good road for cycling, but I was on it midday, therefore the traffic was not too busy and I was able to get to Oebisfeld all in one piece. Plus riding on such a fast moving road made it impossible for me to stop, so I was going at a good speed. I then took a route to Haldensleben, however, there again were no cycling routes, so I was cycling along the side of the road. At one moment I tried to go along the Mittelland Canal, but I failed at that because the route was there at one moment and then it was gone, so I had to cycle a part of the route back. I then joined the previous route. At one point I managed to cycle on a bike route, but that ended about 15 km away from my goal, so, again, I was forced to cycle along the big road. I then used GPS to find my host's home, and I arrived there at ten minutes past nine, so practically right on time.

Time: 8.5 h
Distance: 90 km

The sun was very bright almost all day long, and I managed to tan my arms a bit since I folded up my sleeves. My knees still hurt, and so did my back. I arrived to Magdeburg to learn that my CS host was a very unique individual. We talked a lot about life, people, psychology, future, past, and many other things. I learned some interesting insights, and that he has some trains of thoughts a lot like I do. We got along brilliantly. Sadly his wife knew very little English, and was working early the following morning, so I didn't get to spend much time with her.

In the evening I learned that my next stop Potsdam was further that I thought - 130 km. I am still not very sure how this miscalculation happened. So as a solution I was considering taking the train half way, and then cycling the rest. BUT after a lot of thinking, and talking to my host I decided to cheat and take the day to rest. In the morning I took my time to sleep well, then me and Guntar had breakfast out in the sun. Again, we talked a lot, and I enjoyed every part of it. He then drove me to the train station where he helped me to get a train ticket for me and my bicycle to Potsdam. He then drove us to the river Elbe which is currently over flooded. We had a very quick driving tour through the city. Then it was time for me to take the train, and again Guntar helped me with that.

The train ride to the city of Potsdam was very quick. I am currently in the city at the Sanssouci Park enjoying the weather, and writing this post (which I shall publish when I get access to the internet). The city is just lovely! So far I've had a good rest day, my knees feel better, my bum hurts less, and my back pain has for now has disappeared. I will later go to yet another host from CS, where I shall spend the night.  Tomorrow I have a very short ride to Berlin.


CONTINUED TODAY

After the nice ride in the city I arrived to my hosts apartment. My host is a young guy Johannes, he lives with some flatmates in a very spacious flat. In the evening three of us went out for a beer. It was a nice evening. I learned a lot about the city of Potsdam and Johannes talked a lot about his travelling experiences. He has been to many places! As mentioned, today I will be going to Berlin! That is only 30 km away, so I am looking forward to it. :)