13. August 2021

8:00 a.m.: Ouch!!! My whole body is crying out for a yoga class and a day of rest. I’m still sitting on the edge of the bed and struggling to open my swollen eyes because, despite my straw hat, our faces have been exposed to a lot of sun in the last few days. We almost preferred the warm summer rain.

Andreas had muscle cramps in his legs that started at about four in the morning and has now stumbled into the shower. I’m having trouble lifting my head as I write this because my neck feels like a log, my wrists hurt and even my upper arm muscles are sore, not to mention my calves and thighs. My feet are sore, my Achilles tendons are strained and we’re going to have a coffee first. Mmm, get up… I’ve never felt like this even after a marathon. Oh, it really does feel good to moan, but don’t worry, we’ll get through this.

We are planning the day

10:30 a.m.: We’re already feeling better, but the heat outside is a bit worrying and we’re already thinking about a night trip. We’ve just had a royal meal and eaten freshly made cheese for breakfast, have freshly washed clothes, had a cold shower and are physically ready to go. Mentally not quite yet 😉

We just got a call from RTL, who want to film a segment with us for “Guten Morgen Deutschland” on Sunday. Oh, it’s all so exciting and yet another deadline we have to meet. People, give us a boost!

Another short city visit to Wittenberg

Since the people with the old bicycles said yesterday that they would be offering old saddles, among other things, at the market today, we wanted to take the opportunity to exchange our “torture instruments”. Unfortunately, we didn’t find anyone and took a mirror photo in front of a huge, shiny ball, which I had actually planned to do yesterday.

Now we had to think carefully about which side of the Elbe would be best for us. By talking to other cyclists in front of the castle church, we got some tips on how to avoid extreme gradients of eleven percent on the next stage.

14:40: On the ferry in Coswig

Hey, we’ve already made it to Coswig and are crossing over on the ferry, which we were even allowed to use for free. Or rather, we were supposed to pay half at first, but when we had finished playing on the ferry, the ferryman gave us more than double the amount in our hat. How cool is an experience like that!

After we were helped to get the piano off the ferry, we drove towards Dessau at an ever increasing speed. We were supposed to arrive at 4 p.m., as the city’s press officer, someone from the cultural office and a few other guests were waiting for us there. We were lucky that the cycle paths were so good that we only had to occasionally encounter small curbs that slowed us down. Just a year ago, we were told, for example, you had to drive along a kilometer-long cobblestone road from the ferry to Wörlitz. That would have taken us hours, as the trailer jolts extremely badly on such sections. So the journey was covered in no time at all.

Short detour to Wörlitzer Park

We were relatively well on time and allowed ourselves to stop for an ice cream and a serenade in front of the entrance to Wörlitz Park. Unfortunately, we were denied permission to drive through. But as is often the case with us, at that moment “the institution here in Wörlitz” arrived, as she introduced herself with a laugh. A friendly woman who gives many creative tours here. That means that soon we will also be able to play in Wörlitz Park!

From Wörlitz to Dessau

We continued with increasing time pressure and rising temperatures. Surprisingly, our muscles were working better than yesterday, after all the total distance was still over forty kilometers long. It’s really a shame that we were in such a hurry, because the cycle path from Wörlitz to Dessau is really a gem and with its endless Elbe meadows and winding course, one of the most beautiful routes we have ridden so far. Really highly recommended. We pedaled hard and were still half an hour late. As soon as we drove along the road, drivers kept honking and waving, holding up their thumbs and shouting: “You’re the ones…”, “Good luck…”

My circulation and immediate help

Then, at the last bridge, we gave it our all and I tried especially hard because Andreas had just said that he was about to vomit. At the peak of the bridge, my circulation gave out and I had to sit down. A car pulled up next to us with two women who had obviously just come back from shopping. They immediately gave us bottles of water and a Coke and were very happy to be able to help us. They had heard about our campaign from DRIFTWOOD Holly. We were also able to do something good for her because her CD compartment in the car now finally has a purpose.

The city marketing manager arrived on his bike to meet us and show us the way. A little later, we were warmly welcomed by clapping people who had all been waiting patiently for us for over half an hour. Wow! We gave our daily concert, but once again forgot about the live stream because we were no longer quite together. A nearby café brought us two ice-cold cocktails. Unfortunately, they contained alcohol, which I only noticed when the drink was already empty and the effects set in. We then swapped the large glass of fruit brandy for a cold Coke. Apparently they had heard about the hospitality of the Czechs and wanted to match it in every way. It was really nice – some even bought our new double album and an old woman threw down a ten-euro note with clips from the new building block.

Concert with dangerous drinks and money that people throw out windows in Dessau

You have to be lucky!

After a big shopping trip, we wanted to drive to Aken today. On the way through Dessau, we surprisingly even passed the Bauhaus, in front of which a photo is of course a must.

A little later we cycled past an Indian restaurant that from the outside looked more like it was in India. Contrary to expectations, the food was excellent. Meanwhile the sky was getting darker and darker and the occasional raindrop was falling from the sky. We made everything weatherproof and were actually looking forward to cooling down after this hot day. A very nice couple was sitting at the next table and we chatted to them. They explained the easiest route to Aken to us when the clouds finally opened their gates. We gratefully accepted their immediate invitation to stay the night with them and cycled through the warm summer rain in the dark. At least there were no more mosquitoes, which attack you like a plague in the evening.

At Kirstin and Frank’s house, they even cleared the garage for our Tastdem and we had a great evening with stimulating conversations before we were exhausted and fell into a warm, soft bed. That’s the joy of life!

Hier geht´s zum nächsten Eintrag: Von Dessau bis Schönebeck und Sascha als Begleitung

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