OK, Germany is not that ugly. After reaching the river Main the scenery changes completely. The route is again set in fields and forests and only occasionally meets cars. So I started to enjoy the cycling again.
On Monday I even had a company of Janice who joined me for the day. It made me realise what the difference between cycling alone and cycling with someone is. With Janice I didn’t mind getting lost, I didn’t mind cycling in an industrial area, I didn’t mind feeling hungry, nor did I mind a discharged MP3 player. With her my mood was up and everything was just perfect. Now I understand why people stare at me in disbelief that I travel alone. It is really different and harder than I thought. Not for the safety, but for the beauty of sharing the experience. However, everything has its pros and coins and the loneliness makes me appreciate the company of other people much more than I normally would. I even enjoy if people talk to me in German about their life and I don’t understand a word. It’s just pleasant to hear someone else talking and try to figure what the message could be.
This happened to me on Monday evening. Desperate for a nice place to sleep, I asked an older couple if I could pitch up the tent in their garden. They spoke no English so I used the only German phrase I know: Kann ich in ihrem Garten zelten (Can I camp in your garden?) ? And from that moment the woman started telling me everything about her life, her family and job. When I was getting a bit tired and confused from too much German, an incredible thing happened. I found out that her husband is Polish. So we switched the language and finally I was able to talk as well and felt an extreme joy.
On Tuesday and Wednesday my mood went down again. One would think that following a river is very easy and you couldn’t get lost. Well, you could. At least if you were me. In some villages the path simply ends and you either need to take a different path for few km or you need to cross a bridge and continue on the other side of the river. I always, always, always missed the signs and it took me ages to get on the right way. If it happens once, twice, it’s OK. But in my case… I can’t express how upsetting it is to travel with my poor sense of direction. VERY upsetting. Many times I was close to crying and generally I got absolutely exhausted.
But then I reached Wuerzburg… An incredible city with incredible people. There are hippies everywhere, everyone plays the guitar or joggles or does slacklining or some other crazy thing. There are about five different concerts each night and you just have to choose if you prefer reggae music, Balkan rhythms or something more rock style.
I’m couchsurfing here with Chami, a Sri Lankan guy who knows everyone in the city. He introduced me to Peire a French guy who was once travelling around Europe after a break up. Once he got to Wuerzburg he absolutely fell in love with the city and its people and decided to stay here… And I absolutely understand him!…
Lesson 5:
1. My body is getting stronger but exhausted. I might not manage to do all this just on bike.
2. And it makes you much more social and happy about meeting strangers.
3. Meeting one right person opens door to meet all good people of the place.
velo adven tures 