Riding again – Monday 1 July

Riding again – Monday 1 July

We resumed our tour again with an 83 km ride from Tespe to Soltau. We are on our way to meet Esther in Osnabruck on Thursday.

The weather was thankfully a bit cooler than Sunday, when we had a heatwave with temperatures up to 38 degrees. In contrast, the forecast high today was 25 degrees. There was also quite a bit of wind, so it feels like the weather is changing.

I spent most of the ride getting used to the new bicycle, especially the “butterfly” handlebars.

Our route took us almost immediately away from the Elbe. There was still a lot of water around though and we crossed over a number of smaller rivers.

Crossing Ilmenau river early in the ride

We paused to admire an old windmill at Bardowick – it was actually turning in the breeze. There were a number of modern wind turbines nearby, allowing one to contrast the old with the new.

Bardowick windmill

The rest of the ride consisted of wide open spaces we have become accustomed to after our break in this area, and villages with well maintained brick houses. We mostly had dedicated bike paths along roads, but occasionally also had to ride on the road. We stopped for coffee and cake (rhubarb with meringue, and strawberry yogurt) at an excellent bakery in Bispingen. I love the German cakes – they are never dry, always scrumptious.

We had a look around Soltau after checking into our Pension. It has a pedestrian street in the old town with some quirky touches.

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