Day 15: 23.06.24 I made it to the sea and to Denmark today. I’m travelling very slowly at the moment. I suspect that it’s because of the changed geometry since the saddle adjustment and I’ll be taking it back tomorrow. Or maybe I lost a lot of fitness during my break in Hamburg. I turned over in my sleeping bag several times today, completely relaxed. But the drizzle that started then quickly threw me out of the sleeping bag. My hosts gave me a delicious coffee and breakfast. We said a heartfelt goodbye to each other, and they even thanked me for my visit. ...

Day 15: 22.06.24 Finally on the road again. In the morning, I collected more material, did some last-minute laptop work and said goodbye to Marei. Marei had noticed how much I liked eating the veggie meatballs (my northern German hosts had a good laugh about that word, so I have to use it anyway) from her fridge, so she gave me a bag of them to take with me. Very good bike protein snack. Then a last hamburger and a bun. ...

Days 11-14: 18.06.-21.06.24, a few kilometres and metres When I stop, time flies. Five full days in Hamburg, which I felt had been well spent, but then quickly passed. Context-free snapshot: over a coffee and a Franzbrötchen (elbgold!) I let myself be captivated by Martin Suter. I was given The Dark Side of the Moon as a present in the Lüneburg Heath. It’s a book that touched me, that I took with me on my travels, but that also leaves a lot to be categorised. ...

Day 10: 17 June 2024, 0 km, 0 metres Today at Marei’s in Wandsbek, Hamburg. We go for a walk together, cook together, look at the second-hand goods store Stilbruch. Marei and I are very familiar with each other, it’s a relaxed relationship. ...

Day 9: 16 June 2024, 105 km, 550 metres of ascent I was awake at 4am today. I imagine that I will arrive in Hamburg in the morning if I leave soon. Then I realise that I am still tired and allow myself to sleep in. It is 8am when I wake up again. As soon as I open my eyes, a couple calls out to me: “Breakfast?”. They are walking their four dogs – and I say yes. ...

Day 8: 15 June 2024, 90 km, 230 hm The first day on the European Divide Trail. This is a route that Andy Cox put together and that I want to follow to the Norwegian-Russian border. The trail runs right behind Martina’s house and I don’t have to ride 50 metres to find it. I know that I don’t have to ride very far today – I can’t manage 200 km all the way to Hamburg to Marei in one day, and over two days they are then very generously divided. So I set off from Hannover at around 12 o’clock, saying a heartfelt goodbye to Martina and Mo. Now the road gets really exciting. Andy Cox has put together a really varied route, along paths that are just about passable with my bike – but it’s hard work. For the first time, I have to fight mosquitoes and only stop as briefly as necessary. The Arabic sweets that Mo’s mother brought with her crumble quickly during the journey, but they still taste delicious. ...

Day 7: 7km, ?hm Today is a day of rest, or Monday. I only manage to cover an estimated 7 km because I (unsuccessfully) go in search of a bicycle shop to have my damaged crank set replaced. Today I mainly get to know Mo’s family. With Mo’s Doma (short for German granny, he was allowed to study and work in her house during Corona) we cook Arabic-delicious. Doma and I are grateful for Mo’s cooking skills. Then I get to know his sister and mother, they bring wonderful Arabic sweets (the Maamoul with cardamom awaken an unknown faith). Such wonderful people have shaped him. Mo grew up in Damascus. There is a lot of beauty in the way he combines the two cultures. His German is characterised by the poetic nature of Arabic, he paints pictures with words. When Germany wins the opening game of the European Championship, he is full of wild euphoria. We drive through the city centre in a Smart car, honking our horns. We eat another delicious kebab (supposedly the best in Lower Saxony) and move on to gentle conversations. ...

Day 6: 13 June 2024, 124 km, 320 metres After a flat share breakfast at Lena’s, I was able to start a relatively relaxed day. Today my main goal was to reach Mo. An easy and unspectacular route. I was welcomed by Mo and his German family Martina (he calls her aunt, in Arabic), and they immediately asked me what I needed, and I was well looked after. Even my bike got a shower for the first time. I knew that I would feel comfortable with Mo and would enjoy getting to know him better. But Martina is also a special person; she really has a genuine interest and keeps asking us both tricky questions. She asked me what happiness (for me) is. Even though we couldn’t answer this question completely, I still found a little bit of it. ...

Day 5: 12.06.2024, 163km, 1510hm I’m awake at 4.30am. I start by repairing my trousers, patching them with glove fabric. After tea and breakfast, I set off in the first rays of sunshine, which don’t really warm me up yet. I decide where I’m going to sleep and plan my route towards Göttingen. It looks hilly, but doable. I’m still underestimating it at this point. At the bakery, I’m proud when I ask for bread rolls instead of buns for the first time, even though I find the word difficult to say. I then outed myself as Bavarian when I asked for the plum cake. However it is labelled, it is a very welcome and tasty refreshment. ...

Day 4: 11.06.2024, 117 km, 1460 m elevation gain Today I travelled back and forth between Thuringia and Bavaria, with so much history of a divided Germany hanging in the beautiful green belt. Across the border, the houses look different, the infrastructure is worse, there are fewer pubs, I am greeted less often. The landscape is exciting, the hills are fun and the paths are more varied - instead of tarmac and simple forest tracks, I have to fight my way up and down more challenging paths for the first time. However, some roadworks force me onto a main road, which I get over as quickly as possible. I enjoy the rough roads all the more - I really feel at home on my bike. ...