Touring in Thuringen
On Thursday morning Tonie and I boarded a southbound train out of Berlin and 3.5 hours later found ourselves in Eisenach, the birthplace of J.S. Bach and the beginning point of our cycling adventure. Tonie's boyfriend had graciously lent me a bike and touring bags (and his girlfriend, which was the most generous part, even though he knows our relations are strictly platonic). The touring bags were packed with clothes, tent, sleeping gear, and some hearty and delicious German bread that was to be the cornerstone of our diet for the next several days.
After a hopeless effort to keep up with the blonde fraulein weaving her way through Berlin traffic, I knew I would receive no pity should I fall behind for any reason. I promised myself I would at least manage the first half-day without complaining. However, the path for the first 45 minutes up from Eisenach to the Wagburg Castle was so steep that we had to push or carry our loaded bikes for much of the way up the hill. The fortress, it seemed, was in no danger of being stormed by bicycle, and we were probably among the very few to attempt it. To add to the misery, my bike had the temper of a donkey, and refused to be pushed up over any obstacle, and kept aiming to go gallivanting down the slope if I took my eyes off it for even a second.
The castle and the views down the hill were certainly worth the climb, but I was disappointed to hear that we had much more climbing to do. We had mapped out a path towards the Rennsteig, a forest biking/hiking trail through the heart of the Thuringen mountain range. But to join up with the trail we had to follow a route designed mainly for hikers and horses. As a result, we rode our bikes about as much as they rode us. Once on the Rennsteig, the trail improved significantly, but the surrounding forest was so dark that our climb did not have its payoff in spectacular views.
The first night of our trip we camped in a secluded forest spot away from the main trail. We discussed whether we should stay on the Rennsteig longer or return to the rolling hills below. I did not want to admit that the mountains had beaten me, but was quite happy when Tonie agreed that we would make our way down to the city of Erfurt and continue our trek along the valley rather than along the forest trail. This alternative also promised more encounters with civilization, which was quite alright with me, since every village I had seen up to that point had been very nice.
After a hopeless effort to keep up with the blonde fraulein weaving her way through Berlin traffic, I knew I would receive no pity should I fall behind for any reason. I promised myself I would at least manage the first half-day without complaining. However, the path for the first 45 minutes up from Eisenach to the Wagburg Castle was so steep that we had to push or carry our loaded bikes for much of the way up the hill. The fortress, it seemed, was in no danger of being stormed by bicycle, and we were probably among the very few to attempt it. To add to the misery, my bike had the temper of a donkey, and refused to be pushed up over any obstacle, and kept aiming to go gallivanting down the slope if I took my eyes off it for even a second.
The castle and the views down the hill were certainly worth the climb, but I was disappointed to hear that we had much more climbing to do. We had mapped out a path towards the Rennsteig, a forest biking/hiking trail through the heart of the Thuringen mountain range. But to join up with the trail we had to follow a route designed mainly for hikers and horses. As a result, we rode our bikes about as much as they rode us. Once on the Rennsteig, the trail improved significantly, but the surrounding forest was so dark that our climb did not have its payoff in spectacular views.
The first night of our trip we camped in a secluded forest spot away from the main trail. We discussed whether we should stay on the Rennsteig longer or return to the rolling hills below. I did not want to admit that the mountains had beaten me, but was quite happy when Tonie agreed that we would make our way down to the city of Erfurt and continue our trek along the valley rather than along the forest trail. This alternative also promised more encounters with civilization, which was quite alright with me, since every village I had seen up to that point had been very nice.
posted by Dmitri Evseev at 9:35 PM
<< Home