Friday around mid-day the group assembled in the hotel lobby and the usual introductions were made. Our guide showed up shortly thereafter. It was Axel Kendelbacher whom I had had on the Mosel tour. We piled onto a bus and rode southwest out of the city to near Wannsee to pick up our bikes and meet our second guide Jan Boehm for the warm-up ride. Initially it was along roadways, but soon we turned into a forest, and rode along the Havel to the Glienicke bridge of Bridge of Spies fame. Turning back up the Havel, we came to a waterside restaurant the Brauerei Maurerei, where we stopped for refreshment, after which it was a short ride to Schloss Cecilienhof, site of the post-World War II Potsdam conference. We looked around, but most of us pushed on, passing some old Russian peasant homes, for a lovely ride into Potsdam where we checked into the Hotel Brandenburger Tor, next to Potsdam’s own Brandenburg Gate. After changing out of cycling clothes, we met for an introductory get-together a hotel balcony and later for a walk to our welcome dinner at Der Butt, a seafood restaurant. Then it was a walk back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.
Our first full day of riding saw us leave the hotel and ride through some of the more urban parts of Potsdam to a park that despite some confusion led us to the steam engine house of Babelsberg Castle, above which was the castle. Having survived this, we cycled back out of the park and along roads to Werder Island, a tourist spot on the Havel. I was riding with elements of the group most of the way, thus trusting those who had GPS navigation instead of using my cue sheets, so occasional checks of the cue sheets were not always helpful, as I wasn’t always sure I was in the right place on the sheets. But we made it to Werder old town, and Werder Island, parking our bikes just before the bridge. It was a busy day at Werder, as a crew regatta was underway. We split up and wandered the island individually. I had a fine lunch of Pfannkuchen at Cafe Hagemeister, then made my way back, stopping for some gelato, before heading back on the afternoon ride. This time I was with, if memory serves, Cap, Nancy, and Gerry. We made it out of Werder riding along the Havel to a traffic circle where we turned to cross the river, then down a steep path to the bike lane along the river back toward Potsdam . Eventually we rode through a wildlife preserve, the Wildpark, and finally to the Sanssouci grounds. We saw several magnificent buildings, including a formal palace, the Neues Palais, across from which was Communs, a servants’ hall that from the outside at least looked no less magnificent; a Chinese teahouse; and the Schloss Sanssouci, set on a hill above terraced a vineyard in front of which stretched another formal park with the obligatory fountain. Alas, after the long ride there was insufficient time or energy to explore the park further, though there was a lot more that we never came close to. Made our way back to the hotel for a shower and to recoup. Later I was lucky enough to have dinner with Gerry, Renae, Cap, and Nancy at a restaurant the guides had suggested. It was a good meal, and better after the smokers on the terrace on which we were seated left.. On the walk back to the hotel Cap or Gerry stopped at a grocery store and picked up a bottle of single malt Scotch. There were some street musicians near the Tor to listen to, then off to bed after a long day.
Sunday’s ride began with a bus transfer from Potsdam to Beeskow. After lavatory duty at a local bakery, we began our ride in the Spreewald area, riding through forests and fields to Goyatz for our first rendezvous with the van and some refreshment. Bike signs often included a pickle, as this was pickle country. The next stretch started out pleasantly enough, but there was one stretch of unpaved, sandy road that was a challenge, though we made it through eventually by avoiding the deeper sand as much as possible. From there it was a more straightforward ride to a working windmill in Straupitz where we had lunch. After lunch there was a final leg to Burg where the bike signs included Sorb as well as German along with the pickle, and again a lot of fields and forests. The ride into Burg to the Hotel Spreebalance was again straightforward, and it was good to shower and unwind after a long ride. Dinner that night was again with the doctors and wives, this time at the restaurant of Hotel Bleske on Hauptstrasse in Burg. Another good meal. After the postprandial walk back to our hotel, it was good to kick back and relax.
Our ride from Burg began by heading away from the back of the hotel. We rode through mostly farmland until we reached the entrance to the Spreewald, a UNESCO biosphere. There was some construction blocking the entrance, but after a brief wait, we were able to pass and entered the forest. There was a narrow bike path through the forest, surrounded by woods in a marshy area. Somewhat surprisingly, and thankfully, there were no mosquitoes, not at all like what one would expect in the US. (Hotel windows also didn’t generally have screens, as there seemed to be no need for them.) After about five kilometers of this we emerged and were rewarded by the charming town of Lübbenau through which we rode to the Gurken Hentschel pickle factory. The family owned it well before the Second World War, after which it was confiscated by the East German government with the concomitant and unsurprising decline of the business before being repurchased by the family and made profitable again. Aside from pickles, they also made cider. Locals who provided them with fruit and cucumbers were given a discount on products. Following the tour of the factory, we continued to the Gurkenradwag through open country that after another five kilometers brought us to Lübben where we bought our lunches. Most of us opted for the medium length ride and had a transfer to near the Windmill in Straupitz, though Leigh and Debbie did ride from Lübben to Straupitz. The route from Straupitz back to Burg was different from the day before, and a little more off the main roads, so perhaps better in that respect. After showering and changing, we later walked from the Spreebalance into town to the Hauptspree, where we piled into a boat, and a boatman gave us about a half hour ride. Shortly after embarking a light rain began, but it only lasted a few minutes, and it was dry for the remainder of the boat ride. Returning to the hotel, we all sat down to a group dinner courtesy of VBT.
Today I woke up with a bit of a cold. Bidding farewell to Burg and the Spreebalance, we piled into a bus that took us to Meissen for a tour of the porcelain factory. There was a demonstration showing us how things were made, and it was apparent that there is still a lot of hand work that goes into making and decorating. This was of course reflected in the prices being asked. Not sure who can afford this stuff, and I think much, if not most, is museum-worthy. After the tour we wandered around for a while, admiring the porcelain which was often spectacular. When we were done, it was time to head to lunch. One of the streets we had to cross was regulated by a stoplight that Jan thought was one of the slowest in Germany. We walked through the old town of Meissen, past a large church, and climbed numerous stairs to get to the top of a hill where there was a square and the cathedral as well as the restaurant at which we were to dine. In the square there was a string trio of music students playing the waltz from Sleeping Beauty, which we sat and listened to as we waited for the group to assemble. Unfortunately there was not time to explore the cathedral, too. Once we all assembled and had caught our breaths from the stairs, we had our lunch on a blacony at the Domkeller, where there was a view over the town and the Elbe valley. When lunch was over, we descended again to the town, but this time by a funicular. Once at the bottom it was a short walk to where Axel had set up our bikes for the afternoon ride. We rode down to the river and proceeded to ride up the right bank of the Elbe. About halfway we were met by the van for refreshment, then crossed over on a bridge to the left bank and rode the rest of the way into Dresden. Things became less rural and more urban as we got close to the city, and finally there was a road crossing where it was necessary to dismount, walk across, then walk a short distance, at which point we were confronted with Dresden’s incredible—in no way an exaggeration—main square Theaterplatz, with a statue in the middle, the royal palace on the left, the Zwinger palace opposite, and the Semper Opera to the right. That view made a wonderful climax to the day’s biking. Walking over the cobbles for a couple blocks brought us to the Hyperion Hotel garage where we parked our bikes, and then checked into our rooms. I was still a little under the weather, so after showering and changing, I opted for a late dinner at a nearby cafe on a square in back of the Taschenbergpalais hotel. Street musicians would play there on the square from time during our stay. After dinner I returned to my room and rested.
Our last day of cycling began with us piling into a bus for a ride to Bastei in Saxon Switzerland where there were some magnificent rock formations and cliffs on a hill overlooking the Elbe. After sightseeing there, it was back on the bus, which took as back down to the Elbe near Königstein (?) where we began our ride back to Dresden. The route followed the left bank and a rail line and had a few hills. Halfway was the lunch stop at Pirna at the Witwe Bolte cafe, another charming litle town, and the lunch was good. (Three cheers for the widow Bolte!) With still a little bit of my cold remaining, and somewhat indisposed to deal with cyclists passing in the opposite direction on a narrow path, I decided to pack it in here and with a couple others took the van back to Dresden. Almost to the hotel we got into a lane where there was some construction going on and the van couldn’t get through with its trailer. Jan unhooked the trailer, drove the van through, and together we pushed the trailer through as well, where he was able to reconnect it again. After changing into street clothes, I wandered around Dresden for some sightseeing, including the Frauenkirche, which had been destroyed in the 1945 fire bombing, and not rebuilt until after reunification, but which was now in its glory again. That night was our sad but sweet farewell dinner at the Hyperion restaurant, after which Jerry and I lingered over a discussion of health issues. Then it was good-night.
With cycling over we had a day to explore Dresden. The day began with a final group photo, after which we had a guided tour of the Altstadt by a woman who was both knowledgeable and funny, the highlight perhaps being the Zwinger Palace. Following that, I had time to explore a little on my own. including the cathedral, and got some more pictures. Surprisingly the Catholic cathedral was noticeably less ornate than the Protestant Frauenkirche, something unexpected. After that I stopped in at the ticket office for an afternoon opera house tour, then walked around the Altmarkt where I had a sausage from a vendor for lunch. At some point I was able to pick up my obligatory fridge magnet, and also a Dresden tee shirt in the street next to the history frieze. The opera tour was at 1300 and lasted about 45 minutes. A beautiful house. Following that I went into the Zwinger’s Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister which had a really fine collection, especially of Italian art. When I had finished with the art collection, it was time to examine the Brühlsche Terrasse, a patio and walkway along the Elbe. It was now time to return to the hotel for a massage I had arranged previously, which hit the spot. My plan for dinner was the Alte Meister restaurant at the Zwinger. Shortly after I sat down at a table, Dave came up to me and asked me to join him and Sarah, which I happily did. (They were sitting behind a column, and I hadn’t seen them as I entered the restaurant.) Another good meal with good company. Walked around for a while, then returned to the hotel and sleep.