Sunday 3rd July

Day 4
Torgau to Lutherstadt Wittenberg -
43.1

In the good old German way we were informed that if we wanted breakfast it would be served in the summer house at 8 o clock sharp! Sure enough, our host served our boiled eggs at 0800 and 4 seconds. They were perfect. Another couple joined us and happened to be doing the same trip as us but in the opposite direction. They did however admit that, as they got lost yesterday and didn't like the look of the weather, they decided to take the train. We smiled sort of sympathetically.
Today the weather was much fairer but with a stiff westerly wind. We left Torgau and were almost immediately treated to a group of three young storks in their nest. Mum was grazing in the fields opposite.

On our way to our morning coffee stop in Dommitzsch we passed this tree which signposted the direction and number of kilometres to many cities worldwide. The River Elbe was rarely seen but the flat scenery was still very pleasant.

After coffee we made our way to the ferry at Pretzsch and trundled our way up to Kloden where lunch was taken in the Burg.

As the ferry cast off, one of the ferrymen jumped into a rowing boat, rowed across the swollen river, leapt out the other side and was in time to take the mooring rope and tie us up. Not sure what would have happened if he hadn't made it!

                          Kloden Burg

                                  Lunch

More storks ensured we had plenty of rest stops for photos. We gradually turned due west and spent the last 12 miles cycling into the wind. Another coffee stop however ensured we arrived in Lutherstadt Wittenberg in good spirits.

It was here that Luther hammered his 59 theses to the church door and 'burnt the Papal Bull' or so the notice said.

                           This is the door!

The evening ended in the traditional feast and beer of the day, a Ur-Krostitzer Schwartzbier which tasted of licorice.
At the moment France are beating Iceland 5-1 so I guess no fairytale ending there.