Day 14 ....Badetz to Torgau .....126 km ....(total cycled ..890 km)

STOP 🛑 !!!!

Go back to yesterday’s blog. I have downloaded photographs to help tell the story that my words do so painfully.

Right ... back to today.....

Many good things about today’s ride. Least of all when you check the weather and discover that the wind is going to blow at 20kph all day from a West-North-west direction and you are riding in a south-south-east direction. For those finding that challenging just believe me when I say we spent 6.5 hours cycling 126 km with the wind firmly behind us. What a difference that makes to a cyclists day. 

Firstly to where we we stayed last night and the biggest single structured house I have stayed in. Once a building used for stores , it fell into ruin before it was renovated by its current owner. Suffice to say they seemed particular keen to grab hold of our accommodation money this morning before we left. She in particular. I suspect the upkeep costs must be sizeable.  Despite that I would’ve hoped they could’ve extended themselves to at least providing some sort of soap in the rooms.

Domäne-Badetz.....

Those ferries I mentioned yesterday that rely on the current. Here’s the very ferry I wrote about. We took two more of these today. 

The first 7 km of the ride were through stunning woodland with nought an automobile to be seen. 

After just 2.2 km we came across these magnificent gates which were now falling into ruin. Built around 1710 they were planned to be the entrance gates to a local house/palace but according to the information board (as translated by Tim.I ) he ran out of money .

As Tim was to later point out a lot of this area and in fact most of Germany was given over to small chiefdoms at one point so these small proclaimmations of wealth were very common. 

A unique way to present your garden flowers. 

Just prior to hitting Dessau we came across the underwhelming Junker Museum. Manufacturers of tractors and cars they also turned their machinery to building airplane engines during and after WWII.

Dessau is home to the world famous Bau Haus style of architecture and design functionality . Needless to say as it fell at the 29 km mark and we were 4 km past our regulatory coffee stop we needed no persuading to stop and enjoy a coffee in their cafe. Best coffee I’ve had in Germany in 14 days too. 

The team members framed perfectly . 

You’re never going to get lost in Germany. 

Passing through another dull landmark on the top of a dyke that passed through heavily wooded forests. It was about here that the other two reached a level of excitement not seen since when. A black woodpecker was sighted !!!!!!! Even I was impressed enough to pull over and comment “huh-huh” as they both pointed feverishly at a small black bird that had now taken flight and taken with it an over sized and rather lengthy beak that was yellow in colour. 

Another postcard town was passed.

We stopped for a late lunch in Wittenberg. Home of Martin Luther and where the Reformation found its origins. Google him and it. Makes for interesting reading. This chapel below is where he attached his 95 Theses to the door and started the whole

Movement. 

Quaint square In Wittenberg too. Even under grey and foreboding spring skies. 

Industry at work. The great thing about these wind turbines is they’re all facing exactly the opposite direction to which we are headed . Tailwind !!!!!

126 km after departing Badetz we rolled into Torgau. A small town with significant military history. It is where the Russians and the allied forces finally met up in WWII. The former having run through the Germans from the west and the allied forces having done similar from the east.