clairedavieswriter

My stay in Husum was another great testament to the wonder that is Warmshowers: safety, shelter, delicious food and stimulating conversation with a like-minded stranger who takes no financial reward. What’s not to like?

It’s such a great way for a touring cyclist to find out about their host country and the immediate local area – though last night we also covered history, geography, politics, flood defences, progressive tax systems (Hanne is Danish), cultural integration, and much else besides. As you might have guessed, this all happened in English, Hanne’s third language. We wouldn’t have got very far with my rudimentary German. Thank you Hanne for your excellent hospitality, and I hope you get back on your favourite bike soon.

I also enjoyed the new moniker Hanne gave me: ‘Weltbummler’. It could translate as ‘globetrotter’, though Nikki tells me it implies a slower kind of travel, so perhaps globe-tootler or globe-bimbler?

In the best tradition of Warmshowers, Hanne also climbed on her bike to show me the nicest way out of town, which conveniently went past Husum’s pretty Inner Harbour.

And here’s what might be the last non-selfie picture of me this trip (the perils of solo travel):

The terrain remained almost entirely flat today, though the route meandered a bit more, which offered occasional respite from the still-challenging southerly wind. The surface and kind of road varied, from this:

To this:

And this:

For a while it got a little agricultural:

And then split in two, which required a little more concentration to avoid wobbling into the bushes:

But throughout, the common themes were (a) ‘good quality surface’ – this is the worst it got, and only for about half a mile:

And (b) ‘virtually traffic free’. Even for the short period my route followed a main road, the cycle path was separated from vehicles by a wide grassy verge. And in Meldorf, the only town I passed through (see ‘shops’, below), cyclists were directed onto the pavement, and cars joining or leaving the main road gave way to me at junctions. I was struck by the large numbers of women cycling in Husum and Meldorf. Build it and they will come! British government, please take note.

Highlights today included this attractive church with an unusual (to me) detached wooden spire, in the pretty village of Koldenbüttel:

Which also offered this sought-after amenity for the female cyclist:

I was intrigued by this sign at the bridge over the Eider near Friedrichstadt: how often do they drive tanks over it, I wondered?

Rain was a constant threat, but one advantage of this flat terrain is that you can see it coming. Having waited briefly under this oak for a heavy shower to pass:

I quickly realised I’d moved on too soon. But imagine my surprise when this shelter appeared around the next corner, just as the rain really started coming down:

Jon speculated that German might have an excellent compound word to describe such a place, but disappointingly I think it’s just the hyphenated ‘Fahrrad-Regenschutz’. However, I did enjoy how this sign I saw later extended the compounding technique to English:

One of the joys of foreign travel (and the slow pace of cycle travel in particular) is the opportunity it gives you to notice how things are done differently elsewhere. I observed that, unlike in the UK, Germans like their gable ends to face the road:

And, recalling the steam locomotive used in level crossing signs in Ireland, I appreciated the unmistakably continental look to the train in equivalent German signs:

Once again, food was hard to come by. This may have been down to the fact that, like the UK’s National Cycle Network, the routes I’m following here seem to avoid towns. Just as you come close to one, they divert you round it. So this was a welcome sight at teatime, as I needed to get provisions for this evening.

Astonishingly, this lot only cost €3.59, about half the cost in the UK:

Thunder rumbled overhead as I pedalled the last few miles:

But incredibly I dodged all the showers and the sun even came out:

Tonight I’m staying in a Fahrradhostel at a campsite. It cost just €30 per night, which included this:

Bernard was happy to join me:

Though we’re not sure about the evening entertainment (at least the shorts cover the necessary, but if I stop making sense, blame the clouds of weed):

I’ll leave you with my Sign of the Day. My apologies to German speakers, but the first thing that came to mind when I saw it was, which size?