DAY 7 & 8
6 & 7 Â AUGUST 2021Â
ZWICKAU TO MUNCHBERGÂ 80 MILES
MUNCHBERG TO BAMBERG 60 MILES
Day 7, Friday,I was moving further west and in to annoyingly undulating up and down territory, which might look pretty, but is frustrating when you are on a bicycle. No sooner do you go up a hill and make some height than you come down, only then to have to go back up again and then down again. It is pretty countryside, but it is hard work. So, it was a long and tiring day, and I was happy to get to my guest house in Munchberg. At some stage in the mid-afternoon I passed over the old East-West border, from Saxony in to Bavaria, the Franken bit of Bavaria. I did notice the difference in road quality, the houses, the cut of the place, and it is definitely more developed and refined on the western side. I think one of the things I have realised on this trip is that, even though it has come on leaps and bounds in the last 30 years or so since reunification, the old East still has some way to go.
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Zwickau, by the way, is where the Trabant East German car was made. VW now how a big factory there. You still see the occasional Trabant and variations on the roads. Noisy and smelly things they are. There’s evidently a nostalgia for them. I think there’s a nostalgia for East Germany in some quarters - Ostalgia, I think it’s called.
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Moving from Saxony and the East to Bavaria and the West. I also moved from predominantly Protestant territory to overwhelming Catholic territory. You suddenly begin to see lots of shrines and statues once you are in Bavaria, and it is evidently very culturally Catholic. Tomorrow is Sunday, so I should be able to find somewhere to fulfil my Sunday obligation. I know that a few of my correspondents have been worried about that. Since I’m not aged and infirm, on essential duty, or pregnant, or lactating, or sick, I certainly have no excuse.
Day 8,
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Saturday, I rode about 20 miles from Munchberg to meet with the River Main just north of Bayreuth. The Main at this point is pretty meagre and meanders all over the place, but it was good to be in the valley and following the river on flat terrain. After my lunch (see video) and the little kip I had, what had looked like a fine day suddenly turned to rain and it continued for most of the afternoon as I carried on to Bamberg. It was warm rain, so not too bad. Just wet.
I haven’t seen much of Bamberg, but what I have seen doesn’t hugely impress. It looks like it could do with a good clean up. The Main-Danube canal goes through Bamburg, linking the two rivers. Don’t think narrowboat canal as we have in England, these canals here are huge and made for the big river boats that you see in this part of the world. These rivers and canals are still important transport links for the movement of goods.
I haven’t worked out why Bavaria is so big, compared to lots of other states in Germany. I think there are some quite big differences between the various regions in Bavaria itself.
Some observations. How come they still have cigarette vending machines on the streets here ? How come Aldi and Lidl seem to be quite up market supermarkets, with others much more basic - like Netto and Norma ? I haven’t yet seen a German Waitrose type place. And, you have to plan ahead here because come Sunday pretty much everything is closed, and even some places from Saturday lunchtime. How come Germany is so prosperous when they have Saturday afternoon, and all day Sunday, closing and probably have another half day closing during the week ? I was trying to buy some Ibuprofen today for the odd twinges of advancing age and overexertion of the body, and could I find a pharmacist / chemist open after lunchtime on Saturday ? No. You can’t get them in supermarkets or petrol stations either. Oh well, I shall just have to offer it up, I suppose.
Germany is very quiet. There is not a lot happening. The towns just are not busy, and lots of restaurants and hotels still seem to be shut. There is still obligatory mask wearing in shops, restaurants, hotels and trains. If you forget to wear your mask, you will be reminded. They are not shy about telling you what you should be doing.
Tomorrow, Sunday, I will move on to Wurzbug, where I spent some time many years ago ostensibly learning German but actually just having a good time. Back in 1976 or whenever it was, they were still sore about Wurzburg being bombed and obliterated in the last weeks of the war in mid March 1945, having been left untouched up until then.
DAY 7 & 8
6 & 7 Â AUGUST 2021Â
ZWICKAU TO MUNCHBERGÂ 80 MILES
MUNCHBERG TO BAMBERG 60 MILES
Day 7, Friday,I was moving further west and in to annoyingly undulating up and down territory, which might look pretty, but is frustrating when you are on a bicycle. No sooner do you go up a hill and make some height than you come down, only then to have to go back up again and then down again. It is pretty countryside, but it is hard work. So, it was a long and tiring day, and I was happy to get to my guest house in Munchberg. At some stage in the mid-afternoon I passed over the old East-West border, from Saxony in to Bavaria, the Franken bit of Bavaria. I did notice the difference in road quality, the houses, the cut of the place, and it is definitely more developed and refined on the western side. I think one of the things I have realised on this trip is that, even though it has come on leaps and bounds in the last 30 years or so since reunification, the old East still has some way to go.
Zwickau, by the way, is where the Trabant East German car was made. VW now how a big factory there. You still see the occasional Trabant and variations on the roads. Noisy and smelly things they are. There’s evidently a nostalgia for them. I think there’s a nostalgia for East Germany in some quarters - Ostalgia, I think it’s called.
Moving from Saxony and the East to Bavaria and the West. I also moved from predominantly Protestant territory to overwhelming Catholic territory. You suddenly begin to see lots of shrines and statues once you are in Bavaria, and it is evidently very culturally Catholic. Tomorrow is Sunday, so I should be able to find somewhere to fulfil my Sunday obligation. I know that a few of my correspondents have been worried about that. Since I’m not aged and infirm, on essential duty, or pregnant, or lactating, or sick, I certainly have no excuse.
Day 8, Saturday, I rode about 20 miles from Munchberg to meet with the River Main just north of Bayreuth. The Main at this point is pretty meagre and meanders all over the place, but it was good to be in the valley and following the river on flat terrain. After my lunch (see video) and the little kip I had, what had looked like a fine day suddenly turned to rain and it continued for most of the afternoon as I carried on to Bamberg. It was warm rain, so not too bad. Just wet.
I haven’t seen much of Bamberg, but what I have seen doesn’t hugely impress. It looks like it could do with a good clean up. The Main-Danube canal goes through Bamburg, linking the two rivers. Don’t think narrowboat canal as we have in England, these canals here are huge and made for the big river boats that you see in this part of the world. These rivers and canals are still important transport links for the movement of goods.
I haven’t worked out why Bavaria is so big, compared to lots of other states in Germany. I think there are some quite big differences between the various regions in Bavaria itself.
Some observations. How come they still have cigarette vending machines on the streets here ? How come Aldi and Lidl seem to be quite up market supermarkets, with others much more basic - like Netto and Norma ? I haven’t yet seen a German Waitrose type place. And, you have to plan ahead here because come Sunday pretty much everything is closed, and even some places from Saturday lunchtime. How come Germany is so prosperous when they have Saturday afternoon, and all day Sunday, closing and probably have another half day closing during the week ? I was trying to buy some Ibuprofen today for the odd twinges of advancing age and overexertion of the body, and could I find a pharmacist / chemist open after lunchtime on Saturday ? No. You can’t get them in supermarkets or petrol stations either. Oh well, I shall just have to offer it up, I suppose.
Germany is very quiet. There is not a lot happening. The towns just are not busy, and lots of restaurants and hotels still seem to be shut. There is still obligatory mask wearing in shops, restaurants, hotels and trains. If you forget to wear your mask, you will be reminded. They are not shy about telling you what you should be doing.
Tomorrow, Sunday, I will move on to Wurzbug, where I spent some time many years ago ostensibly learning German but actually just having a good time. Back in 1976 or whenever it was, they were still sore about Wurzburg being bombed and obliterated in the last weeks of the war in mid March 1945, having been left untouched up until then.